Dasavatara

TEN. This book includes ten stories. Ten is also the number of avatars that Lord Vishnu is supposed to have had. A number that champions our very own Aryabhata's discovery-Zero. Another commonality between Aryabhata's field of work (mathematics-a subject that many of us love to hate) and these stories (mythology-now, that is a heavy word) is the letter 'm'. Mythology and mathematics are very different from each other. While the former is all about faith and belief, maths involves logic and scientific deduction! But knowing and understanding both is equally important. So, let's put aside math for now, and talk about mythology, instead.

Where does the 'myth' in mythology come from? The word 'myth' comes from the Greek word `rhythms' which means a story that is unrelated to the real world-a figment of our imagination. Most mythological stories from around the world are such, based on `partial truths' combined with the author or the narrator's wonderful storytelling skills.

Hindu mythology is particularly fascinating because of the many V different stories and versions that exist within. These stories have deep meanings and life lessons and are relevant even after all these years. They have been passed from generation to generation, and today exist in many different forms. Sometimes, these stories may even contradict each other! And that's okay, because each different version of the same story also has something to offer.

The trick to ensure that different stories don't get confusing is to me; treat each tale as a part of a larger story. Just like the way smaller pieces of a jigsaw puzzle come together to create a bigger picture.

Now, you may ask how do we know which story to believe and ignore.

**Contents and Sample Pages**