Mandodari, a significant yet oft forgotten figure of the Ramayan, has long been eclipsed by her infamous husband. Ravan - the epic's great antagonist. Celebrated for her beauty and piety, Mandodari's remarkable talents and pivotal role in shaping the mystical kingdom of Lanka have languished in obscurity, until now.
Koral Dasgupta's enthralling tale of power love and loyalty grants a rare and intimate glimpse into one of the Ramayan's most enigmatic female characters. As the queen of Lanka, Mandodari confronts a myriad challenges from her frustration with Sita's captivity, to Surpnakha's deceitful ways, and the daunting task of steering an impossible dream for her husband.
In this fourth book of the bestselling Sati series, Mandodari's formidable inner mastermind is unleashed, revealing how powerful women must navigate the intricate balance between the calls of the heart and the duties of leadership.
KORAL DASGUPTA has published an eclectic range of books, which can be found in university libraries across the world, including Harvard, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Wales, Duke, North Carolina and Texas. Her work is widely discussed in the context of gender studies, art, myth and ecocritical literature. Koral's fourth book has been optioned for screen adaptation.
In addition to her writing, Koral is the founder of www.tellmeyourstory.biz, an organization that uses literature to design and execute learning programmes that inspire social engagement and behavioural change for inclusion and diversity. She leads writing programmes and critical thinking workshops for both educational and corporate floors. Koral was also named in the Holmes Report's Innovator25 Asia Pacific 2019 list and featured in Outlook Business magazine's Women of Wonder (WOW) series. Mandodari is her eighth book.
The Pancha Kanyas of Hindu mythology are Ahalya, Kunti, Mandodari and Tara Draupadi, while the five Satis are Sita, Sati, Savitri, Damayanti and Arundhati. The distinction of two different titles arose primarily because various versions of the epics have taken the liberty to celebrate women as per the popular beliefs of an era and, of course, those of the translators. A school of thought defines 'Sati' as the women's unconditional devotion towards and dependence on their men. It casts the women as loyal followers, strongly supporting the vision of the men around them or helping them overcome social and emotional complications. These women are depicted as sacrificing and selfless, yet invincible in drafting their own position of strength and supremacy.
Various senior scholars have also translated the Pancha Kanyas as five virgins. Thus, based on textual evidence, the Kanyas and Satis are different women. However, in the earliest versions, there is no mention of the Pancha Satis; they only talk about the Pancha Kanyas who are deemed as the Maha Satis. Even in regional interpretations, especially in some eastern and southern states of the country, this division is blurred. This could be due to the difference in the spread of the Mahabharat of Vedavyasa versus the dissemination of Valmiki Ramayan. The former specifically mentions the Pancha Kanyas.
The Valmiki Ramayan discusses the Satis in terms of loyalty and physical chastity, and such women, including Sita, aren't restricted to only five. But it doesn't club them under the umbrella term, Pancha Sati. In my own studies, I came across some scholarly assumptions that the Satis were reborn as Kanyas, and research has tried to draw parallels!
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