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ananya343's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
scarletohhara's review
4.0
For someone who has known of Yashodhara only as Siddhartha’s wife and Rahul’s mother, this portrayal of a strong and independent Yashodhara felt welcome. Volga’s Yashodhara knows her mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it, is as smart as Siddhartha himself and in fact even inspired him to pursue his philosophical journey, and was an inspiring personality herself.
I loved this portrayal which gives Yashodhara a bigger voice than just be a footnote in popular history!
The narration is quite simple and made me wish I also read the Telugu original. Quick and an easy read that I finished over 2 hours on a sunny afternoon by a lake.
I loved this portrayal which gives Yashodhara a bigger voice than just be a footnote in popular history!
The narration is quite simple and made me wish I also read the Telugu original. Quick and an easy read that I finished over 2 hours on a sunny afternoon by a lake.
nuts246's review
4.0
Volga defines herself as a feminist writer, and this book certainly lived up to expectations. It gently examines the role of women in society, how they are not encouraged to speak up, and of how they struggle to make themselves heard. However, what really appealed to me was the way the plight of marginal farmers was woven into the narrative, as also the hold that Brahmins had on society.
Despite the strong messages in the book, there was still a certain lyrical quality about it. The prose flowed, like translated text often do not do. Though nothing much happened, I was sad when the book came to an end.
My only grouse was that some of the characters could have been etched better. But if the book was about Yashodhara and Siddhartha, I suppose they are the only two who matter.
Despite the strong messages in the book, there was still a certain lyrical quality about it. The prose flowed, like translated text often do not do. Though nothing much happened, I was sad when the book came to an end.
My only grouse was that some of the characters could have been etched better. But if the book was about Yashodhara and Siddhartha, I suppose they are the only two who matter.
rudralaya's review
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
raji_c's review
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I find myself cheating a lot on this task I have set myself of reading a book from each of India’s states and union territories. For instance, I loved reading Liberation of Sita by Volga, so when I had to read something from Andhra, I didn’t do much research and opted for another one of her works.
This one did not have the same impact as Liberation, but it is still a wonderfully imagined work. Volga is an amazing writer. She imagines meaty female characters and makes them real. That is what I love about her work. This is no different. We have all heard the story of a young prince Siddhartha leaving his young wife and new-born son and heading off to seek enlightenment and eventually become the Buddha. But we know next to nothing of this young wife. In fact, I did not even remember her name. After having read Volga’s book, I will not forget Yashodhara, Siddhartha Gautama’s wife.
Volga imagines the Budhha’s intellectual equal — dare I say his superior — and charts their journey together from their first meeting to their mutual desire and eventual communion of minds. She challenges us to imagine a woman who shares the Buddha’s instincts and impulses but also understands far better than him the limitations imposed on women, who has the foresight to see in his pursuit of truth the possibility of equality for women and encourages and even facilitates a peaceful and dignified severing of bonds so that he can follow his path of introspection and learning. The Yashodhara she imagines is striking. And the marital partnership she presents is no less so, although it might seem utopian.
Initially, I struggled with the book and I think that might be because the translation wasn’t the smoothest. As I have said before, Jerry Pinto’s translation of Sachin Kundalkar’s Cobalt Blue is, for now at least, my gold standard of Indian language translations. This one is not quite the same. But if one sticks with the book, I think, it gets better in the latter half and the philosophical discussions between Yashodhara and Siddharth are quite interesting. And it is not only sexism that is addressed but also Brahminical hegemony maintained through expensive and meaningless rituals: ‘All people have spiritual needs, but they do not understand them. Before they understand them, they are introduced to meaningless religious practices. They are made to believe that following superstitious customs is a pathway to spirituality. These religious sacrifices and oblations to gods make people insensitive to human suffering.’ Which seems very topical even today.
This is actually a short book but since I had trouble engaging with it initially, I took a little longer to finish. But it is quite an interesting read.
This one did not have the same impact as Liberation, but it is still a wonderfully imagined work. Volga is an amazing writer. She imagines meaty female characters and makes them real. That is what I love about her work. This is no different. We have all heard the story of a young prince Siddhartha leaving his young wife and new-born son and heading off to seek enlightenment and eventually become the Buddha. But we know next to nothing of this young wife. In fact, I did not even remember her name. After having read Volga’s book, I will not forget Yashodhara, Siddhartha Gautama’s wife.
Volga imagines the Budhha’s intellectual equal — dare I say his superior — and charts their journey together from their first meeting to their mutual desire and eventual communion of minds. She challenges us to imagine a woman who shares the Buddha’s instincts and impulses but also understands far better than him the limitations imposed on women, who has the foresight to see in his pursuit of truth the possibility of equality for women and encourages and even facilitates a peaceful and dignified severing of bonds so that he can follow his path of introspection and learning. The Yashodhara she imagines is striking. And the marital partnership she presents is no less so, although it might seem utopian.
Initially, I struggled with the book and I think that might be because the translation wasn’t the smoothest. As I have said before, Jerry Pinto’s translation of Sachin Kundalkar’s Cobalt Blue is, for now at least, my gold standard of Indian language translations. This one is not quite the same. But if one sticks with the book, I think, it gets better in the latter half and the philosophical discussions between Yashodhara and Siddharth are quite interesting. And it is not only sexism that is addressed but also Brahminical hegemony maintained through expensive and meaningless rituals: ‘All people have spiritual needs, but they do not understand them. Before they understand them, they are introduced to meaningless religious practices. They are made to believe that following superstitious customs is a pathway to spirituality. These religious sacrifices and oblations to gods make people insensitive to human suffering.’ Which seems very topical even today.
This is actually a short book but since I had trouble engaging with it initially, I took a little longer to finish. But it is quite an interesting read.
v_c's review
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
The book responds to some fundamental questions within the life choices of Siddhartha Gautama, while offering an introspective take on a woman and her choices.
torvosaur's review
4.0
While the characters were portrayed with a lot of depth, I felt the storyline was quite repetitive at turns. A decent read.
indravijay's review
5.0
मेरी आदत है कि मैं आठ दस किताबें एक साथ खरीदता हूँ। कुछ दिनों से ज्यादातर ऑनलाइन पढ़ रहा था ऐसे में दुकान जा कर किताबें खरीदने का अवसर मोहित कर गया। किताबें चुनने के दौरान मेरी नजर इस उपन्यासपर पड़ी। मंजुल पब्लिशिंग हॉउस की यह किताब पेपरबैक में बहुत ही सुंदर प्रिंटिंग और कवर के कारण हाथ में लिया। पता चला कि तेलगु साहित्य की उल्लेखनीय हस्ती वोल्गा के इस उपन्यास को साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार मिल चुका था। बुद्ध को कितनी बार भी पढ़ूँ, कितनी बार भी जानू पर एक अदृश्य रहस्यमयी जादुई आकर्षण कभी खत्म नहीं होता है। अनुवाद खरीदते समय हमेशा मन मे भरम हित है कि पता नहीं कैसे अनुवादित की गई हो। कहानी का सही भाव दूसरी भाषा में आ पाया हो या नहीं। इसके लिए चंद पन्नों को उलट पुलट कर देखा, कुछ लेने पढ़ी और 153 पन्नो की कृति को खरीदने का फैसला किया। 10 किताबों के बीच सबसे पहले इसे ही शुरू करने का निर्णय लिया। जैसे जैसे मैंने पढ़ना शुरू किया एक अद्धभुत आनंद ने मुझे अपने वश में कर लिया। भाषा काल और स्व से परे इस कहानी ने मुझे सीधा गौतम बुद्ध और यशोधरा के सामने खड़ा कर दिया। बुद्ध का पहला परिचय निम्लिखित पंक्तियों द्वारा दिया गया -
उस नवयुवक के शांत और चमकते चेहरे पर युवाओं के मुख पर दिखने वाले अभिमान का लेशमात्र भी नहीं था। उस पर एक आभा थी - ऐसी आभा जो बिल्कुल स्थिर थी। कोई नहीं बता सकता था कि उसके मन में क्या चल रहा था, लेकिन एक बात निश्चित थी कि वह जो कुछ भी था, शांति और अनोखेपन से भरा था, क्योंकि उस युवक के होठों पर एक स्थिर व कोमल मुस्कान थी।
मेरे आंखों के सामने गौतम बुद्ध का सजीव चित्रण था और ऐसा लगा की जैसे मैं उस वक्त वहाँ पर मौजूद होऊँ। मैं अंत तक अभिमंत्रित अवस्था में रहा। बहुत ही उच्च कोटि की रचना है। मैंने इसे पढ़कर जो महसूस किया उसे शब्दों में बताने में मैं असमर्थ हूँ। सरस्वती ने मुझे शब्दों का उतना भंडार नहीं दिया है। ऐसा लगता है जैसे लिखता चला जाऊं पर पढ़ने वालों को ज्यादा बोर करने का इरादा नहीं है इसलिए 10 में से 10 नम्बर देकर के विराम लगाता हूँ।
नोट - ज्यादा भावुकता से भरा हुआ लगे तो उसके लिए क्षमाप्रार्थी हूँ।
उस नवयुवक के शांत और चमकते चेहरे पर युवाओं के मुख पर दिखने वाले अभिमान का लेशमात्र भी नहीं था। उस पर एक आभा थी - ऐसी आभा जो बिल्कुल स्थिर थी। कोई नहीं बता सकता था कि उसके मन में क्या चल रहा था, लेकिन एक बात निश्चित थी कि वह जो कुछ भी था, शांति और अनोखेपन से भरा था, क्योंकि उस युवक के होठों पर एक स्थिर व कोमल मुस्कान थी।
मेरे आंखों के सामने गौतम बुद्ध का सजीव चित्रण था और ऐसा लगा की जैसे मैं उस वक्त वहाँ पर मौजूद होऊँ। मैं अंत तक अभिमंत्रित अवस्था में रहा। बहुत ही उच्च कोटि की रचना है। मैंने इसे पढ़कर जो महसूस किया उसे शब्दों में बताने में मैं असमर्थ हूँ। सरस्वती ने मुझे शब्दों का उतना भंडार नहीं दिया है। ऐसा लगता है जैसे लिखता चला जाऊं पर पढ़ने वालों को ज्यादा बोर करने का इरादा नहीं है इसलिए 10 में से 10 नम्बर देकर के विराम लगाता हूँ।
नोट - ज्यादा भावुकता से भरा हुआ लगे तो उसके लिए क्षमाप्रार्थी हूँ।
architha_thebookishdweeb's review
4.0
What's the last feminist retelling you read?
"I must set ablaze his passion for knowledge... I can't become a pathfinder even though I have the desire to become one. So, I must make the path of the pathfinder more comfortable for him to tread upon. This shall be my aim and my life's noblest ambition."
History has done a damn good job at recording every event of importance solely focussed on men. Men waged wars. Men became kings. Men were brave. Men made our nation the way it is. Men married women.
Until this century.
The last 20 years saw the rise of retellings of major mythological and historical events around the world centered on women. Not just that, they became popular and widely acclaimed. Representation matters.
'Yashodhara' is the story of a girl who dared to dream and become the woman she wished to be. She married Siddhartha at the age of sixteen, and while she played a role in changing her husband's perspective towards women, she couldn't experience it from society until later on.
Yashodhara came across as a spiritual seeker with empathy, compassion, and intellect. Her story is one of resilience and perseverance. Feminist in every aspect, she paved the way for women who wanted to be enlightened; a very uncommonly said story.
Volga did an incredible job in bringing this character to life; a character who was largely ignored.
"I must set ablaze his passion for knowledge... I can't become a pathfinder even though I have the desire to become one. So, I must make the path of the pathfinder more comfortable for him to tread upon. This shall be my aim and my life's noblest ambition."
History has done a damn good job at recording every event of importance solely focussed on men. Men waged wars. Men became kings. Men were brave. Men made our nation the way it is. Men married women.
Until this century.
The last 20 years saw the rise of retellings of major mythological and historical events around the world centered on women. Not just that, they became popular and widely acclaimed. Representation matters.
'Yashodhara' is the story of a girl who dared to dream and become the woman she wished to be. She married Siddhartha at the age of sixteen, and while she played a role in changing her husband's perspective towards women, she couldn't experience it from society until later on.
Yashodhara came across as a spiritual seeker with empathy, compassion, and intellect. Her story is one of resilience and perseverance. Feminist in every aspect, she paved the way for women who wanted to be enlightened; a very uncommonly said story.
Volga did an incredible job in bringing this character to life; a character who was largely ignored.
thebookishtales's review
3.0
Yashodhara has always remained an enigma to me. I have always tried to read more and follow up about her life as and when I got a chance. I went in with no expectations as I had loved Volga's previous work, The liberation of Sita, and really didn't want to compare the two because I didn't want to repeat the disappointment I experienced with Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
~
In this book, Volga writes about the life of Yashodhara, Gautama Buddha's wife, and tries to imagine her life and tries to dissect her character.
I loved how compassionate and brave Yashodhara was. We read about her in the many roles she plays, a daughter, a princess, a wife and a mother. Volga gave her a powerful voice but somehow that fizzled out towards the end. Yashodhara questions the various societal norms and puts the spotlight on women's voices and how they're misinterpreted since time immemorial.
~
However I have my issues too. I really wished Volga have concise explanations about the things Yashodhara and Siddhartha talk about. At times, I felt the book wasn't about Yashodhara, but about the spiritual talks both have. I wished to know her point of view about many things which I felt were kind of unfinished in the book. The biggest missed opportunity for me was how incomplete Yashodhara's single parenthood was left. The book didn't explain much about the topic.
I liked this book as it was a thought provoking read in many ways, but it lacked the effect The liberation of Sita had on me. It'll always remain my favourite by Volga.
3⭐
~
In this book, Volga writes about the life of Yashodhara, Gautama Buddha's wife, and tries to imagine her life and tries to dissect her character.
I loved how compassionate and brave Yashodhara was. We read about her in the many roles she plays, a daughter, a princess, a wife and a mother. Volga gave her a powerful voice but somehow that fizzled out towards the end. Yashodhara questions the various societal norms and puts the spotlight on women's voices and how they're misinterpreted since time immemorial.
~
However I have my issues too. I really wished Volga have concise explanations about the things Yashodhara and Siddhartha talk about. At times, I felt the book wasn't about Yashodhara, but about the spiritual talks both have. I wished to know her point of view about many things which I felt were kind of unfinished in the book. The biggest missed opportunity for me was how incomplete Yashodhara's single parenthood was left. The book didn't explain much about the topic.
I liked this book as it was a thought provoking read in many ways, but it lacked the effect The liberation of Sita had on me. It'll always remain my favourite by Volga.
3⭐