Alright so a lot of people have been asking why I haven't been active on the blog since more than a year and I am glad to say that finally I can share the answer with you guys. As you might know I have a full-time job and whatever spare time I got was being used for my book which is coming out by the end of this month!
So I thank all of you who have been posting comments and sharing ideas all this while and I have made sure I replied to your comments and suggestions even if I couldn't devote enough time for a new article! Here's the cover of my soon-to-be-launched book which is a fictional account of the story of Brahmarishi Vishwamitra.
For any writer, his first book holds special value since it is as much a labor of love and sweat as an exercise in discovering one’s own latent potential and this book is my labor of love and sweat in more ways than one.
Vishwamitra isn’t a religious book, nor a book on spirituality. It’s neither completely fiction nor entirely based on reality. Yet, it holds an important message, for it is the life story of an ordinary human who rose above the confines of his physical and mental boundaries to fight fate and take charge of his own destiny.
Vishwamitra isn’t a religious book, nor a book on spirituality. It’s neither completely fiction nor entirely based on reality. Yet, it holds an important message, for it is the life story of an ordinary human who rose above the confines of his physical and mental boundaries to fight fate and take charge of his own destiny.
Unlike the Devas, Gandharvas, Vidyadhars, Siddhas, Arihants, Bodhisattvas and other assorted divine beings from our scriptures, we, the ordinary Manavs (the Sanskrit term for Man) are considered to have limited capabilities. Yet, we see people in a variety of disciplines seeking to breach that barrier every day. These are the people who challenge the norms set by the society and set new milestones for the rest of mankind. This story is an ode to one such man.
Vishwamitra’s life is the perfect example of how far a man can go in order to obtain what he truly desires. Many may know of him as one of the greatest rishis of Vedic times and some may even remember the role he plays in the Ramayan. But even those who are familiar with his name may not know that Vishwamitra was born a prince and became a Brahmarishi purely by virtue of his own efforts. You may be further surprised to know that he is also the discoverer of the Gayatri Mantra, the most popular hymn chanted by millions of Hindus all over the globe every day.
Born into a Kshatriya family, divine providence blessed him with a potent spiritual streak that fuelled his quest to become the highest of the high priests of ancient India. History identifies him as the only Kshatriya king to have achieved the impossible task of becoming a Brahmarishi and recognizes him as the human architect of no less than a star system!
Why I chose to write my first book on Viswhamitra
This book is a chronicle of the trials and tribulations faced by a man torn between duty and desire, and the vicissitudes and failings of human condition. Yet, at its heart, it is a story of HOPE - hope that makes a human being challenge his destiny with random acts of free will; hope that makes a king leave all his possessions and turn into a hermit; hope that fuels the desire for being remembered in spirit, even after the body has perished in dust.
This, thus, is the narrative of a brave king of Aryavarta, who not only
attained fame through his military conquests but, through his intense
spiritual quest, also became one of the most well-known sages of all
time. It is the story of a man who dared to challenge the gods.
I also hope to bring more such hidden stories from our mythologies to my dedicated audience and I sincerely HOPE you guys like the book! Sharing the flipkart and amazon links for your convenience:
I also hope to bring more such hidden stories from our mythologies to my dedicated audience and I sincerely HOPE you guys like the book! Sharing the flipkart and amazon links for your convenience:
May Brahma-rishi Vishwamitra's blessings be with us all!
Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:
Wow! Have added this to my list!!
ReplyDeleteThanx Surya :)
DeleteThx Dude!
ReplyDelete( sooooO important!)
My pleasure :)
DeleteDear Vineet,
ReplyDeleteAll the best...
Let THE ALMIGHTY GOD bless you with pure knowledge and perception and let it reflect completely in your writings....
Thank you so much for the good wishes and blessings :)
DeleteGonna be there at the launch ceremony bro..:)
ReplyDeleteWas good to have u there!
DeleteWell done and wish you great success on the first launch and wish you more. It is high time you move to a book and hope one day soon, it leads to successful and inspirational movies. Soon you will be travelling to all the places you had imagined, talked about and earnestly desired from your heart!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words :)
DeleteHave received it early! Enjoying it thoroughly! (Though I still can't digest that Ruchik left...)
ReplyDeleteBro do write a review when done :)
DeleteThe ending was beautiful.....
ReplyDeleteThanx buddy :)
Deletenice books and beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteholy book
Thanx a ton mate :)
DeleteDear Vineet
ReplyDeleteI bought your book ‘Vishwamitra’ at Delhi airport and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s beautifully written and tells the sacred story of Vishwamirta becoming a Brahamrishi in powerful words.
Two comments...
1. Cover page doesn’t depict a Rishi but a Greek god with such powerful frame and prominent muscles which can be the result of putting special effort in developing them.
2. Connecting it to the concepts of DNA and Wormhole takes away some of the beauty of the story. Indian sacred stories can stand on their own or they should be interpreted through the frame work of science in their entirety.
Thanks.
Best wishes for the future writings.
Jivasu
Thank u Mr Kumar Jeeva.. well I guess you aren't familiar with my earlier works but for me science and mythology are intertwined.. I had to to add the scientific data coz that was the only way in my mind that the travel could have happened.. everyone has their own interpretations hence I value ur opinion.. and yes who's to say that vishwamitra DIDN'T look like a Hercules? He was a kshatriya who had fought and won wars and if u go to any historical museum you can see how heavy and huge the weaponry of previous eras was! I wudnt have depicted a Vasishth or valmiki like this but vishwamitra deserved this look :)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI liked your book for the way it narrates Vishamitra's role. It bridges the gap between religion, spiritual and science. The book holds interest from beginning to end.
One thought remains on mind: Would have liked to know more about Nandini in later stages; since her role was like seeding effect for Vishamitra's achievements.
I would suggest you to write a book on Parashuram who I believe is the result of same magic potion.
Hi Sunanda thanx a ton for ur feedback! Am glad up liked the book and yes Parshuram is on my mind as well :)
Delete@Vineet
ReplyDeleteHi!,
I just want to know your opinion on the quarrel between Rishi Vashishtha and Rishi Vishvamitra as depicted in the Rigveda, What is your point of view on that?...
Suvam.
Hello Nirjhar.. well I have mentioned the germination of this quarrel in my book buddy and Brahmarishi Vasishth plays a major role in Vishwamitra's journey throughout.. their quarrels serve as moral teachings for many of us even today
DeleteBought the book for Rs 117 /-.
ReplyDeleteArrived today.
Will start reading soon.
Soon the partial knowledge from the life of Vishwamitra in my brain will fill up gradually as I read through the Adhyayas.
Awesome online discounts ;)
DeleteHope you like the read!
Well written Dr. Aggarwal, a combination of mythology and scientific facts is quite catchy.
ReplyDeleteThanx a ton.. m glad u liked my style :)
DeleteYes! Viswamitra is great! Because while 'Ravana' the brahamana left and misused his brahminic spiritual life and headed towards Kshatriya/king's life merely for worldly enjoyments, vanities and bogus fame, whereas at that same time period, Viswamithra (means universal friend) had left his royal king's luxurious life and accepted brahminic spiritual life and finally attained his highest spiritual goal after lot of struggles. So he is the example, motivation and good mithra for all the humans in the path of spiritual goal.
ReplyDeleteDr. Aggarwal, I wish may your writing on Viswamithra reach the whole world and make him and you to be the global-mithras in our age and I am expecting more of your writings my dear mithra.
Thank you my friend for mentioning the comparison.. sadly a lot of people believe Ravan was not a bad guy and have even written books to glorify his life.. I hope to keep bringing such stories out for more people and i thank you for your words of appreciation :)
DeleteMan you have posted after a long-long time ☺
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah and now you know d reason :)
DeleteIronically it was the battle of 10 kings lead by Vishwamitra and Vasishta that became the basis of Aryan invasion theory. The problem was Sudas who won crossed the river from India to Iran. Also both groups were under same school of thought. There was no Aryan Dravidian back in the day. Even Ravana was closer to Brahma then Rama in geneology.
ReplyDeleteVasishta and Indian side were outnumbered by it is said that they had help from Indra and Devas like the elves in LORT lol. Vasishta like Gandalf and Vishwamitra like Saruman. They say it is this war that lead to Indra and Devas becoming bad guys in Zoroastrianism.
Quite possible :)
DeleteJust remembered... you didn't include the stories of Rambha, Harischandra, Rohita and Shunahshepa... um - why?
ReplyDeleteAhh man am glad u got interested to read more about my hero but these stories didn't fit in the narrative as I saw it and would have just taken focus away from the main part which was his struggle.. who knows they might find mention elsewhere :)
DeleteHi Vineet,
ReplyDeleteExcellent Blog! I closely follow your blog as it was answering my quest on life.
I have an big question though.
(Both the questions are actually same)
1. What happens after Moksha? Does everyone goes through the cycle of birth/death again.
2. Where did this all begin from? I know everyone of us are traveling through space and time. So time itself is a question.
Beginning? -- > Life on different Lokas ---> Moksha
My question is about the 'Beginning'
Well my friend, first of all thanks a lot for your kind words.. as regards the beginning it is said in thr Bhagvat Puraan that I'm the beginning all souls lived with Krishna in His spiritual realm but gradually some of us wgo wanted to b masters of our own destiny wanted to break free and have our own realms.. Lord as an indulgent father created the material realm for us to live independently and that's how we came here. But just as a child lost on d streets can only find happiness when he's united with his family same way we can also attain permanent happiness only when we are back with our father.. for that we need to get out of this cycle of birth and death by realizing where our true home lies and work towards achieving that goal.. that would b our true moksha after which we won't have to come back here ever again!
DeleteSuch an awesome book!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell what is your next book?
:)
Thank you Vahiswaran :)
DeleteWell still working on the next one so shall update you when it's done!
It was an amazing read. Took me back in time. You have done a very good job at putting scientific perspective to the lifestyle and rituals of the past. Congratulations. I am wondering which one is the three star system created by Vishwamitra? How is it known in this age? One reference on internet pointed it to Alpha-Centauri. Is that correct?
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! Well its actually a five-star system known as the Crux and is a part of the bigger constellation Centaurus.. it was used by navigators in the southern hemisphere for navigation :)
DeleteUm vineet its a while scince we recived your gyan so id you cud juat hurry up with you next article
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah i know but really struggling for time right now.. trying to have something ready by next month :)
DeleteNamaste Vineet,"vishwamitra" is a really interesting peice of writing...but a few questions reamain unanswered to me...firstly... what are the names of the constellation that Vishwamitra created ...and ssecond... is it the star system Sirius which you refer to as Swarg?....BTW im eagerly waiting for your next book
ReplyDeleteThanks Dwij for your appreciation i am eagerly waiting to finish writing my second book!!
DeleteTo answer your question, the constellation created by Vishwamitra is known as the Crux and or Southern Cross and you can find more details here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux#In_non-Western_astronomy)
Namaste,when you said that Swarg has two sons..Sirius was the first thing that came to my mind,,please enlighten me on this....And also you wrote in your book that Asurs And devas were superior to mankind ,which implies that they were non-human ,,,again im confused as to what the asura really are,??
ReplyDeleteActually that is my own imagination of Swarg as a planet in another galaxy. I wanted to differentiate it from Earth and make it more special hence thought of writing about it having two suns instead of one which as you know is a scientific possibility for we have many twin-star systems in the Universe.. I believe the Asuras and Devas may very well be extra-terrestrials and you can check my views on this topic in the post on 'Lokas' in this blog.
DeleteFantastic stuff Mr Vineet. Awaiting your next book. While Characters from Mahabharata and Ramayana are well known, the story of Vishwamitra is mentioned passingly like a flashback in Ramayana or in Shakuntala. A full fast paced book with generous inter twining of modern day science, a good mythological read after a long time. Wont take names but the recent deluge of so called modern mythological writers who are hell bent to differentiate themselves with either a change in plot or putting slang words etc into the mouth of these ancient characters to make them more appealing to modern readers had made me lose faith that writers like C raja goplachari were a thing of the past. Was thinking of putting my own back to it as i felt that our tales only need be retold, not recast for making them appealing. Thanks for bringing the faith back that the next generation of C rajagoplachari is here. :) Best of luck and waiting for future works. P.S. The part about the inner journey while being in Samadhi and realising one siddhi after another was awesome. Visualizing a movie scene on these lines very soon.
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure is completely mine brother and am humbled by your comparison! There are so many unexplored characters from our scriptures I myself wonder why people keep focusing on the same ones again and again! Feels good to see that readers are also interested in knowing more about other protagonists who are heroes and achievers in their own right :)
DeleteThe man who defeated god...just the title caught my attention..very interesting specially the end..looking forward for more such scientifically mythological book
DeleteThanks a lot Deepa am working on the second book and it should be out in a couple of months too :)
DeleteHi Vineet,
ReplyDeleteJust finished reading "Vishwamitra - The Man who dared to challenge the Gods!". It was just awesome.
Hats off to you for efforts in writing a compelling tale with such ease. Loved every word of it. Reading mythological fiction has it own charm.
Keep up the good work. Awaiting more such works from you!!!
Regards,
Alok
Thank you so much for your kind words :)
DeleteIndeed the best reward for an author is to hear good things about his book! My second book 'The Legend of Parshu-Raam' which is a continuation of Vishwamitra is already out too :)
What is the Priest or elite called in a Hindu Society?Puja Mandapam
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Aggarwal-
ReplyDeleteIt was gratifying to come across your blog on Sage Vishwamitra (who was my ancestor incidentally and am born in Sage Vishwamitra's Gotra lineage). Wonderful your book on him and your mission to rejuvenate the Puranas and ancient historical characters! Keep at it!
Please read my article on "Role of Gods and Religions in india" at http://bharathkumark.simplesite.com/425348211.
Thanks and best wishes for more success.
Bharath Kumar K.
http://bharathkumark.simplesite.com
Thank you Bharath for your kind words.. liked your article keep it up :)
DeleteDear Vineet
ReplyDeleteSorry for delayed reply..was down with flu last full week. Better. Thank you for reading my article. Best Wishes, Bharath
Dear Vineet
ReplyDeletewill be honored if you glance through
http://www.indiadivine.org/power-gayatri-mantra/
best wishes
for Festival season.
Bharath
Did too.. good work :)
DeleteDear Dr. Vineet-
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Best Wishes.
Bharath
Dear Dr Agrawal recently I have had an opportunity to read Ur book on Vishwamitra.i offer following comments. In one book named Dasavatar I read that the incident of shyamkarni white horses happened in a different story. In that story a shishya of vishwamitra named Galav rishi insisted his guru to accept gurudakshina. On repeatedly insisting vishwamitra asked Galav for 800 shyamkarni horses.galav could not find 800 horses at one place in the hole country but located anyhow three kings who possessed 200 horses each. He procured those horses in exchange of a girl named Madhavi who was a daughter of king yayati and was blessed with a boon of chir yovana and akshatyoni. Also she was having a blessing to give birth to a mighty son who cud become a chakraworty samrat. So all the three kings got Madhavi in exchange of their shyamkarni horses with the condition that after giving birth to a son of that king she will b free and thus available for next sale or exchange. She was always a virgin even after giving birth to a child. Even after three times exchanges Galav could not arrange required number of horses so he offered 600 horses and that girl to his guru vishwamitra. Guru accepted the girl against 200 shortfall of horses. But in Ur novel it's a different story. plz. comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Yes the story that you mention comes much later and presumably these were the same horses that Ruchik had obtained from Varun Dev who may have reached different kings after Vishwamitra renounced his kingdom. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Vishwamitra asked for them since he knew getting them would not be an easy task. Also, this Galav according to some scriptures could be Vishwamitra's own son so in a way he was being asked to get back all that had been lost from his own kingdom's stables!
Delete