KRISHNAVATARA VOL 3 The Five Brothers [Paperback]

As the title of the book suggests, the story revolves around Hastinapur, the Pandavas, Kauravas and Krishna. The banishment of the Pandavas by the Kauravas and their 'deaths', their travails in the forest, Draupadi's swaymavara and the wining of Draupadi's hand by Arjuna are included in this book.
The book begins with Dronacharya's resolve to take revenge on King Drupad . As childhood friends Drupad had promised Drona that they would share each other's fortune. When they grew up and Drupad became King, Drona went to redeem the pledge and was insulted by Drupad. The book goes on to tell how Drona groomed the Kuru princes, how he expected them to take revenge, how Krishna managed to stage Draupadi's marriage and how he brought the Pandavas back to like. The book ends with Draupadi's swayamvara.

Krishnavatara: A set of 7 Books by K M Munshi.
• Krishnavatara I: The Magic Flute
• Krishnavatara II: The Wrath of an Emperor
• Krishnavatara III: The Five Brothers
• Krishnavatara IV: The Book of Bhima
• Krishnavatara V: The Book of Satyabhama
• Krishnavatara VI: The Book of Vedavyaasa, The Master
• Krishnavatara VII: The Book of Yudhishthira and 13 chapters from from Krishnavatara VIII: The Book of Kurukshetra

If the profanity may be permitted, this is old wine in a new bottle, and, whether the vintage has suffered a change in its fresh container is a matter of taste. Krishna of the Bhagavata is adored as a poornavatara, not only because Krishnastu Bhagavan swayam, but also because of the vesture of finite-hood that God assumed as Devaki’s Son. He acted in every human role. Except when one thinks of the superhuman marvels that the Bhagavata associates with him, at other times the intensely human in Krishna annexes our heart to him making us kin to Him. This approach to Krishna, does not, however, detract from the sense of devout adoration.
In fact, it can be an interesting exercise of imagination to portray Krishna in human colours projecting into him the storms and stresses of our lives, our attitudes and aspirations; that is, to see Him as Devaki and Yesoda, as many a gopi and gopala, as Putana and Trivakra, as Kamsa and Sisupala did.
Sri Munshi has treated Krishna in similar manner in his Krishnavatara.
Sri Munshi has taken, as he himself confesses, ‘unforgivable liberties with the accepted image;’ and, as a pious Hindu, he trusts that ‘the devout will forgive’ him.
Sri Munshi does not narrate the story of Krishna in the conventional style. He has cast it in a modern milieu in such wise that Krishnavatara reads more like a novel than as a Purana.
In a sense, that is both the merit and the defect of the book. But one feels that devotional susceptibilities need to suffer no jolt and may not be outraged if the story is read as an exercise in realistic imagination if putting that way is not to indulge in a contradiction; that is, as a literary effort to bring the Puranic Krishna to the modern mind and make Him live and move among the Pandavas - a lovable man with a far-reaching vision, in whose personality and achievement we can trace the lineament of a divinity. The book has to be read and appreciated with this background.
Sri Munshi is a wonderful storyteller and every page of this book bears evidence of his mastery of this art, blending tension and relief to hold the attention and sustain interest. Shorn of its miracles, Yesoda’s child is like any other child, but much more lovely became more mischievous. The love affair with Radha is so naive and spontaneous that while it draws forth a smile, it does not invite any censure.
Narada, Dvaipayana, and even Akrura do not betray that they knew that Krishna was God himself. But the germ of faith that He was born as a redeemer is ingeniously built up.