EXCLUSIVE | Satyarth Nayak on writing ‘Mahagatha’ after penning a biopic on actress Sridevi

Author and screenwriter Satyarth Nayak is back with his new book Mahagatha. Before writing Mahagatha he had written a biography on actress Sridevi. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Nayak explains the process of writing Mahagatha, what inspired him to write a book on Puranas and its relevance in today’s time.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

What was the research that went behind your book Mahagatha?

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It took me five years to create Mahagatha because my source was the epic universe of Puranas. There are 18 Mahapuranas and 18 Upapuranas. Since I cannot read Sanskrit, I went through all those Puranas that have been translated in English. Thankfully there were many of those and navigating through them was my core research. And yet, so fascinating was this world that it never felt like a chore. Every new tale discovered was a joy. Every new connection made was enlightening. At the end of this process, the total number of stories collected were around 300. I filtered them down to 100 through a three-point criteria. How interesting was the story, who were the principal figures involved and if it was a lesser-known story that truly deserved a wider audience.

Why a book on Puranas?

It had to be the Puranas because the fascinating tales of gods, goddesses, demons, sages and kings that I had grown up on came from those texts. The basic difference between Vedas and Puranas is that while the former contains all the seminal teachings, those have been communicated in the form of stories in the latter. The central idea behind Mahagatha was always to compile all those incredible tales along with many more unheard ones into an epic collection of 100 greatest mythological tales from the Puranas that would occupy a place of pride in every home library. As I mentioned earlier, since there are multiple Puranas offering a complex universe, it took five years to finally take shape. Today with Mahagatha becoming a national bestseller, all that effort has paid off fabulously. That the book has gone into its third reprint within four months of its release is immensely gratifying. The high acclaim that Mahagatha is earning from readers across the globe reminds one of the eternal charm of these stories.

What was the inspiration for writing Mahagatha?

I have always had a fascination for mythology. It’s a world that fills one with awe, calls out to the inner child in all of us. And yet it enlightens us to be better adults. Better human beings. I remember my grandfather narrating Puranic tales to me as a child and I think the core desire to further explore this universe of stories inspired me. Besides, the sheer imagination in these texts makes for a wonderful read and the life lessons one can draw, makes them a perennially relevant source of wisdom.

How is it relevant in today’s times?

There’s so much in the Puranas that’s so relevant today, for example, the concept of Karma and Karmaphal which makes our universe truly Newtonian. Or how gender parity is celebrated or how the LGBTQ find a mention. Today, especially, when we are being told by certain sections that we must only adhere to a grand Hindu narrative in the country, the Puranas celebrate a plurality of voices. Also, the universe that you come across in the Puranas, does not discriminate between gods and humans. The same rules apply to both and just as humans are punished for wrong deeds, so are the gods. So, when Mahadeva beheads Brahma, he is made to wander across the cosmos with the severed head stuck to him, looking for absolution. Or when Vishnu tricks Vrinda, he’s cursed to undergo a similar fate. When Rama kills Bali, he’s cursed that he shall lose his life in a similar manner. This concept of a relentless Karma, that holds both gods and humans equally accountable, is one of the greatest aspects of our Puranas and makes it eternally relatable.

Your favourite tale from the Purana and why?

All the tales that celebrate Devi or Shakti fascinated me. I have always wondered about the representation of women in our ancient texts and it was wonderful to see how the Puranas celebrate gender parity. Shiva assumes the glorious form of Ardhanarishwara to show Brahma that creation is impossible without the female form. In another tale, Bhringi learns that he one cannot worship Shiva without acknowledging Shakti. In many stories the devas need a devi for their survival. So, when they are starving, they need to create Swaha. When faced with Mahishasura, they need Durga. When faced with Raktabija, they need Kali. Stories of Tara and Sangya see them abandoning their husbands for physical reasons and the Puranas never judge them but instead the husbands are made to realise their faults. It simply makes one wonder if our forefathers were way more progressive than us while we seem to have lost the plot along the way!

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