Book Review: Fate Eclipsed by Deepak Kaul

If I could talk about the book in one word - Fate Eclipsed is a thirty-five paged book heavy with history. Karna is the first person to come to mind when you think about fate. Abandoned by his mother at birth, he was deprived of his Kshatriya rights. That abandonment served as a catalyst for how his life turned out to be.

Karna had known all along that Duryodhana was in the wrong but his loyalty made him stay. He had known who his mother was, yet his anger for Arjuna made him fight against him. He understood the wrongs done by Duryodhana and Shakuni, yet his ego and vain made him look in the other direction.

Karna has been painted as a villain in the story of Mahabharatha but one must question whether he grappled with what was right and wrong. This book talks about his mind across various fragments of Mahabharatha- during the disrobing of Draupadi, Kunti’s confession, his curse, and his thoughts during his final breaths. In short, this book was a fresh take on Mahabharatha from Karna’s POV. The writing style of the author was immaculate and immersive allowing us to understand Karna’s personality a little bit more. This story does its best to humanize this character and open our views on what is black and white.

Get your copy of the book here.