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westland publications ltdAmish is a 1974-born, IIM (Kolkata)-educated, boring banker turned happyauthor. The success of his debut book, The Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of theShiva Trilogy), encouraged him to give up a fourteen-year-old career infinancial services to focus on writing. He is passionate about history,mythology and philosophy, finding beauty and meaning in all world religions.Amish’s books have sold more than 4 million copies and have been translatedinto over 19 languages.Amish lives in Mumbai with his wife Preeti and son shwww.twitter.com/authoramish
Other Titles by AmishShiva TrilogyThe Immortals of Meluha (Book 1 of the Shiva Trilogy)1900 BC. The inhabitants of that period know the land of Meluha as a near perfect empire created manycenturies earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. Now their primary riverSaraswati is drying, and they face terrorist attacks from their enemies from the east. Will their legendaryhero, the Neelkanth, emerge to destroy evil?The Secret of the Nagas (Book 2 of the Shiva Trilogy)The sinister Naga warrior has killed Brahaspati and now stalks Sati. Shiva, the prophesied destroyer ofevil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. Fierce battles will be fought and unbelievable secretsrevealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy.The Oath of the Vayuputras (Book 3 of the Shiva Trilogy)Shiva is gathering his forces. He reaches the Naga capital, Panchavati, and Evil is finally revealed. TheNeelkanth prepares for a holy war against his true enemy. Will he succeed? Discover the answer to thesemysteries in this concluding part of the bestselling Shiva Trilogy.Ram Chandra SeriesRam—Scion of Ikshvaku (Book 1 of the Series)3400 BCE. INDIAA terrible war has taken its toll and weakened Ayodhya. The damage runs deep. The demon King ofLanka, Raavan, does not impose his rule on the defeated. He, instead, imposes his trade. Money is suckedout of the empire. Through the suffering that people endure, they do not realise that a leader is among them.An ostracised prince. A prince called Ram.Begin an epic journey with Amish’s Ram Chandra Series.
‘I wish many more would be inspired by Amish Tripathi ’– Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor and living legend‘Amish is India’s Tolkien’– Business Standard‘Amish is India’s first literary popstar ’– Shekhar Kapur, renowned filmmaker‘Amish is the Paulo Coelho of the east.’– Business World‘Amish’s mythical imagination mines the past and taps into the possibilitiesof the future. His book series, archetypal and stirring, unfolds the deepestrecesses of the soul as well as our collective consciousness.’– Deepak Chopra, world-renowned spiritual guru and bestselling author‘Amish is a fresh new voice in Indian writing – steeped in myth and history,with a fine eye for detail and a compelling narrative style.’– Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and celebrated author‘ Amish has mastered the art of gathering, interpreting and presentingIndia’s many myths, folklores and legends, and blending all of that into fastpaced thrillers that change your views about Gods, cultures, histories, demonsand heroes, forever.’– Hi Blitz‘Amish’s philosophy of tolerance, his understanding of mythology and hisavowed admiration for Shiva are evident in his best-selling works.’– Verve‘Tripathi is part of an emerging band of authors who have taken upmythology and history in a big way, translating bare facts into deliciousstories.’– The New Indian Express
‘ one must congratulate Amish on reintroducing Hindu mythology to theyouth of this country.’– First City
SitaWarrior of MithilaBook 2of theRam Chandra SeriesAmish
westland publications ltd61, II Floor, Silverline Building, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai 60009593, I Floor, Shamlal Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002www.westlandbooks.inFirst e-pub edition: 2017Published by westland publications ltd 2017Copyright Amish Tripathi 2017All rights reservedAmish Tripathi asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’simagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual person living or dead, events andlocales is entirely coincidental.978-93-86224 -58-3Cover Concept and Design by SidewaysIllustration by Arthat studioInside book formatting and typesetting by SÜRYA, New DelhiThis book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by any way of trade or otherwise, be lent,resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior written consent, in any form of bindingor cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition beingimposed on the subsequent purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, nopart of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted inany form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without theprior written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in criticalarticles or reviews with appropriate citations.
To Himanshu RoyMy brother-in-law,A man who exemplifies the ancient Indian path of Balance,A proud Lord Ganesh devotee who also respectsall other faiths,A sincere Indian patriot,A man with wisdom, courage, and honour.A hero.
Om Namah ShivāyaThe universe bows to Lord Shiva.I bow to Lord Shiva.
From the Adbhuta Rāmāyana(credited to Maharishi Valmikiji)Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glanirbhavati suvrata Abhyutthānamadharmasya tadā prakrtṛsambhavaḥ O keeper of righteous vows, remember this,Whenever dharma is in decline,Or there is an upsurge of adharma;The Sacred Feminine will incarnate.She will defend dharma.She will protect us.
ContentsList of Characters and Important TribesNote on the Narrative 21314151617181920212223
hapterChapter242526272829303132Other Titles by Amish
List of Characters and Important Tribes(In Alphabetic Order)Arishtanemi: Military chief of the Malayaputras; right-hand man ofVishwamitraAshwapati: King of the northwestern kingdom of Kekaya; father of Kaikeyiand a loyal ally of DashrathBharat: Ram’s half-brother; son of Dashrath and KaikeyiDashrath: Chakravarti king of Kosala and emperor of the Sapt Sindhu;husband of Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra; father of Ram, Bharat, Lakshmanand ShatrughanHanuman: Radhika’s cousin; son of Vayu Kesari; a Naga and a member of theVayuputra tribeJanak: King of Mithila; father of Sita and UrmilaJatayu: A captain of the Malayaputra tribe; Naga friend of Sita and RamKaikeyi: Daughter of King Ashwapati of Kekaya; the second and favouritewife of Dashrath; mother of BharatKaushalya: Daughter of King Bhanuman of South Kosala and his wifeMaheshwari; the eldest queen of Dashrath; mother of RamKumbhakarna: Raavan’s brother; also a NagaKushadhwaj: King of Sankashya; younger brother of JanakLakshman: One of the twin sons of Dashrath; born to Sumitra; faithful to Ram;later married to UrmilaMalayaputras: The tribe left behind by Lord Parshu Ram, the sixth VishnuManthara: The richest merchant of the Sapt SindhuMara: An independent assassin for hire
Naarad: A trader from Lothal; Hanuman’s friendNagas: Human beings born with deformitiesRaavan: King of Lanka; brother of Vibhishan, Shurpanakha and KumbhakarnaRadhika: Sita’s friend; Hanuman’s cousinRam: Son of Emperor Dashrath of Ayodhya (capital city of Kosala) and hiseldest wife Kaushalya; eldest of four brothers, later married to SitaSamichi: Police and protocol chief of MithilaShatrughan: Twin brother of Lakshman; son of Dashrath and SumitraShurpanakha: Half-sister of RaavanShvetaketu: Sita’s teacherSita: Adopted daughter of King Janak and Queen Sunaina of Mithila; also theprime minister of Mithila; later married to RamSumitra: Daughter of the king of Kashi; the third wife of Dashrath; mother ofthe twins Lakshman and ShatrughanSunaina: Queen of Mithila; mother of Sita and UrmilaVali: The king of KishkindhaVarun Ratnakar: Radhika’s father; chief of the ValmikisVashishtha: Raj guru, the royal priest of Ayodhya; teacher of the fourAyodhya princesVayu Kesari: Hanuman’s father; Radhika’s uncleVayuputras: The tribe left behind by Lord Rudra, the previous MahadevVibhishan: Half-brother of RaavanVishwamitra: Chief of the Malayaputras, the tribe left behind by Lord ParshuRam, the sixth Vishnu; also temporary guru of Ram and LakshmanUrmila: Younger sister of Sita; blood-daughter of Janak and Sunaina; latermarried to Lakshman
Note on the Narrative StructureThank you for picking up this book and giving me the most important thingyou can share: your time.I know this book has taken long to release, and for that I offer my apologies.But when I tell you the narrative structure of the Ram Chandra Series, perhapsyou will understand why it took so long.I have been inspired by a storytelling technique called hyperlink, whichsome call the multilinear narrative. In such a narrative, there are manycharacters; and a connection brings them all together. The three maincharacters in the Ram Chandra Series are Ram, Sita, and Raavan. Eachcharacter has life experiences which mould who they are and their storiesconverge with the kidnapping of Sita. And each has their own adventure andriveting back-story.So, while the first book explored the tale of Ram, the second and third willoffer a glimpse into the adventures of Sita and then Raavan respectively, beforeall three stories merge from the fourth book onwards into a single story.
I knew it would be a complicated and time consuming affair, but I mustconfess, it was thoroughly exciting. I hope this will be as rewarding andthrilling an experience for you as it was for me. Understanding Sita andRaavan as characters helped me inhabit their worlds and explore the maze ofplots and stories that make this epic come alive. I feel truly blessed for this.Since this was the plan, I had left clues in the first book (Ram – Scion ofIkshvaku) which will tie up with the stories in the second and third books.Needless to say, there are surprises and twists in store for you in books 2 and 3as well!
In fact, there was a very big clue in the last paragraph of Ram – Scion ofIkshvaku. Some had caught on to it. And for those who didn’t, a big revelationawaits you in the first chapter of the second book, Sita – Warrior of Mithila.I hope you like reading Sita – Warrior of Mithila. Do tell me what you thinkof it, by sending me messages on my Facebook or Twitter accounts www.twitter.com/authoramish
AcknowledgementsWhen one writes, one pours one’s soul out on paper. They say it takes courageto do that. They also say that courage comes only when one knows that manystand with him. I’d like to acknowledge those who stand with me: Who give mecourage: Who make me realise that I am not alone.Neel, my 8-year-old son, my pride and joy. He reads a lot already. I can’twait for him to read my books!Preeti, my wife; Bhavna, my sister; Himanshu, my brother-in-law; Anish andAshish, my brothers, for all their inputs to the story. They read the first draft,usually as each chapter is written. And I discuss many of the philosophies withthem in detail. I also wrote much of this book in Anish and Meeta’s house inDelhi. I must have done something good in my previous life to be blessed withthese relationships.The rest of my family: Usha, Vinay, Meeta, Donetta, Shernaz, Smita, Anuj,Ruta. For their consistent faith and love.Sharvani, my editor. She is as committed to my stories as I am. She is asstubborn as I am. She reads a lot, just like I do. She’s as technologicallychallenged as I am. We must have been siblings in a previous life!Gautam, Krishnakumar, Neha, Deepthi, Satish, Sanghamitra, Jayanthi,Sudha, Vipin, Srivats, Shatrughan, Sarita, Arunima, Raju, Sanyog, Naveen,Jaisankar, Sateesh, Divya, Madhu, Sathya Sridhar, Christina, Preeti and thefantastic team at Westland, my publisher. In my humble opinion, they are thebest publisher in India.Anuj, my agent. A friend and a partner from the very beginning.Abhijeet, an old friend and senior corporate executive, who worked withWestland to drive the marketing efforts for this book. The man is brilliant!Mohan and Mehul, my personal managers, who manage everything so that Ican have the time to write.Abhijit, Sonali, Shruti, Roy, Kassandra, Joshua, Purva, Nalin, Nivedita,Neha, Nehal, and the team at Sideways, an exceptional company that appliescreativity across all aspects of a business. Sideways helped formulate the
business and marketing strategy for the book. They’ve also made most of themarketing material, including the cover. Which I think is one of the best coversI have ever seen. They were helped in the cover design by the Arthat team(Jitendra, Deval, Johnson) who are thoroughly outstanding designers.Mayank, Priyanka Jain, Deepika, Naresh, Vishaal, Danish and the Moe’s Artteam, who have driven media relations and marketing alliances for the book.They have been strong partners and among the best agencies I have workedwith.Hemal, Neha and the Oktobuzz team, who have helped manage many of thesocial media activities for the book. Hardworking, super smart and intenselycommitted. They are an asset to any team.Mrunalini and Vrushali, Sanskrit scholars, who work with me on research.My discussions with them are enlightening. What I learn from them helps medevelop many theories which go into the books.And last, but certainly not the least, you, the reader. It is only due to yoursupport that I have been given th
The Oath of the Vayuputras (Book 3 of the Shiva Trilogy) Shiva is gathering his forces. He reaches the Naga capital, Panchavati, and Evil is finally revealed. The Neelkanth prepares for a holy war against his true enemy. Will he succeed? Discover the answer to these mysteries in this concluding part of the bestselling Shiva Trilogy. Ram Chandra Series Ram—Scion of Ikshvaku (Book 1 of the .
