Book review of ‘Blade of Fury’, the second part of ‘Rama of the Axe’ trilogy: A fiery tale of Parashurama which can alter the consciousness of a Hindu

Blade of Fury is the second in the Parashurama trilogy that Ranjith Radhakrishnan has embarked upon and it does give centre stage to this avatara of Maha Vishnu who is not much celebrated and talked about as some of the others.

I would start with Ranjith’s ‘Author’s Note’ which comes at the end of the novel. He tries to explain how he has gone about writing what I consider to be quite a magnum opus regarding one of our ancient superheroes if you will. Ranjith says that he was asked by many people after his first book Rama of the Axe as to whether the story that he had trail blazed in that first book was exactly as it happened as per our puranas. It would be good to quote some of his lines so that the reader gets a heads up on what to expect in this the second tome.

Ranjith says, “The tone of both the books is one of deep devotion. At the very start, I was clear that I do not intend to write Parashurama as a mere mortal who later came to be considered an avatara”.

Regarding the Chinnamasta manifestation in book 1, Rama of the Axe, he says, “Some incidents aren’t in the Brahmanda Purana—Renuka manifesting the Mahavidya Chinnamasta, for example. That comes from folklore and legends connected to the Yellama Temple in Saundatti, Karnataka”.

He also says that the consistent reaction that he got from people who had read book 1 was that they always had the impression that “Parashurama is an arrogant and violent man”. Ranjith’s devotion and deep immersion into Sanatana Dharma and its tenets have ensured that this sixth avatara of Vishnu gets the attention he deserves and that his life and exploits are portrayed with utmost reverence while also not sacrificing modern story telling sensibilities. So, if readers found book 1 to showcase an ‘arrogant’ and ‘violent’ side of him, book 2 would uncover more facets to this fascinating personality. A deeply reflective and contemplative side of Parashurama dominates book 2.

So, before I give my impression of the second book Blade of Fury, I would advise readers, that ideally they should have read book, Rama of the Axe, before embarking on this tome. While this book can be read as a standalone book, it is definitely connected to the first one and therefore, it makes sense to have read and digested book 1 before starting this one. I have also reviewed book 1 here.

Readers of book 1 who were enthralled by all the adrenaline packed action might find book 2 dense but the depth of ideas in book 2 is sublime. Do visit the trailer of Blade of Fury here. The writer Ranjith expands beautifully in this book and while retaining his skill at hair-raising and thrilling action in this tome, he also packs a deep and solid punch with his knowledge of Hindu metaphysics. Hardcore action lovers might just feel a tad disappointed at the drastic reduction in action in this book but if they would just keep an open mind, they will be transported into a deep and sublime world of Hindu philosophy and metaphysics in the way Ranjith handles the evolution of the character of Parashurama here.

In this book, Parashurama discovers his true nature chakra by chakra and in essence the book is a revelation of the character of Parashurama as he grasps the beeja mantra of each chakra through his experience of them. It is an enthralling journey that a seeking reader undertakes along with Parashurama, reflecting, despairing, thrilling and understanding along with him as he unravels the mystery. There is a chapter called Trikona Prashna in which Parashurama is subjected to a Q and A session with three of the Saptarishis. Ranjith excels in creating this exchange and does justice to the gravity that such an exchange deserves. Here’s a sample of the exchange.

When one the Saptarishis asks, “What is dharma”, Parashurama answers, “That which is true to Rta and Satya. Dharma is the anvil of the world. What is forged in it sustains and nourishes. What breaks on it never would sustain and nourish”.

Then the rishi asks, “If dharma is the anvil, what is the hammer”, and Parashurama answers, “Karma is the hammer. If correct, the result will be upheld; if not, it will collapse. Mind the correctness of karma, not the result. That will take care of itself”.

I just provided a small glimpse of the richness of dialogue in the exchange between the Saptarishis and Parashurama. This, I hope will whet the appetite of a curious reader.

Parashurama emerges out of each of his tests and experiences as a more evolved being and we readers journey along with him living his experience too. It is the skill of the writer that he is able to draw the reader into the world of the protagonist and live the emotions and feelings of the character that is emerging from the pages. Ranjith is able to draw the reader poignantly into the life and soul of Parashurama and one is almost living that character. The other skill of Ranjith is that his writing is so visual that one can conjure the image of the scene he is painting with words in the mind’s eye.

The book is replete with ideas that are deep and profound and therefore it is not a work for those interested only in the superficial nature of existence itself. It is a deep dive into metaphysics told with an intensity and bhakti which is unlike the usual spiritual texts that we are used to. From book 1 to book 2, the shift to a higher plane is very evident and Ranjith gives some insight into this in his Author’s Note.

He says, “A good story is like the five koshas of Hindu yogic philosophy. The plot is the Annamaya kosha, and the emotional energy of the story is the Pranamaya kosha. The character arc and character motivations are the Manomaya kosha, the theme and insights, form the Vijnanamaya kosha. Finally, the joy of connection with the divine, the transcendence a story evokes, is the Anandamaya kosha”.

This book does have all five but definitely more in the Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vijnanamaya Kosha. As I mentioned in my review of book 1 too, Ranjith has used extremely profound tenets of Hindu dharma to write his story and he has achieved the near impossible task of making it also contemporary. And to achieve this through a tale that is eons old is not an ordinary skill.

Ranjith is definitely an author to look out for in the coming years and as a reader, I look forward to the third book of this trilogy to see what further realms is going to be opened to us in it. And Parashurama is emerging as an extremely poignant avatara, given to extraordinarily human emotions like anger, pain, joy, suffering and compassion while also revealing his evolved state through the feats he can achieve through his intense tapasya and dhyana. After this trilogy, I guess the personage of Parashurama would have altered in a Hindu’s consciousness for the better and that in itself is justice to this much misunderstood avatara of Maha Vishnu.

The book can be purchased in all leading bookstores and also online here. 

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