Book Review - "The Pregnant King" - Devdutt Pattanaik

He wept for his family, his mothers, his brother and for his grand-mother, Shilavati and finally he wept for his father, The Pregnant King".

The book describes so well, the law of nature and as you flip through the pages, you would be able to clearly differentiate the conventional and unconventional way of life. The tale of a king, desperately wanted to be a father for the sake of the throne. Shilavati, A woman with every quality of a King should possess but is denied to be accepted as the "KING"because, she is a lady. A man who wants to sing and live his life but is not allowed to do so, he is the only heir and a King isn't supposed to do so. In short, we all want to be something but end up being something else. Who becomes a Chakravarti or who is eligible to be a real Chakravarti? The whole book turns out to be a mystery and slowly unveils itself to the readers. The queens of Yuvanashva seeking blessings from Ileshwara for kids, shows ego or status does not matter in front of the Supreme power. Somvati and Sumedha gets killed and they seek revenge and call Yuvanashva their father, showing souls do not die. Later, the king renounces everything and even his beloved mother and as she whines like a small kid showing how materialistic life bound her till that day in her royal attire and in front of he gates of the palace on the lap of her daughter-in-law. Karma has answers to everything.The patterns of nature need to be understood and it is as agile as a waterfall and as still as the Mountain. So, there is nothing wrong or right according to nature, it always tries to balance things out.

Sometimes, the content of the book becomes a little monotonous when Yuvanashva gets married and longs for children, the attempts he makes to get children and the way they take a visit to the Ileshwara temple and the rituals they follow to get children. Sometimes, the concepts explained and the linking to people in the past with the king also needs a little improvisation, it gets a little tough to understand at times. However; a great read to understand the concept of he "Law of Nature".

While the cousins fought the war of Kurukshetra, Shilavati was busy making her son a King and the King sulked if he is a mother or father of Mandatta while Jayantha silently watched the dissatisfied souls around him. While Yuvanashva drowned in his own thoughts of knowing if anybody else other than him had enjoyed the pleasure of being a man and a woman.
Everybody born has to undergo their shares of deeds,be it a king or a king-maker. It's all about the game of Yama and Kama, it's all about the deeds and misdeeds, it's all about balancing things. It's ultimately the "LAW OF NATURE"  and the path to Salvation.

So is Yuvanashva a mother or a father?