Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru Shah and the End of Time derives its characters and plot elements from Hindu mythology. Aru Shah, the protagonist, is an Indian girl, and so the Hindu myths and characters represented in the book largely draw from the religious folklore, epics, mythology, and philosophy of the Indian subcontinent.

One of the central ideas of the book is rooted in a specific epic or story: Aru is presented as the reincarnation of one of the Pandavas. The Pandava brothers are the central characters in the Indian epic Mahabharata, which details the lives and rivalry between these five brothers and their 100 cousins, the Kauravas. The rivalry ultimately culminates in a great war, which is symbolically seen as the war between good and evil. The Pandavas represent good and the Kauravas evil, and in keeping with this, the Pandavas are sons of actual deities from the Hindu pantheon. They derive their name from the husband of their mothers, King Pandu.

A just warrior and king, as a young man, Pandu was cursed with impotence by a sage; he had two wives, Kunti and Madri, but was unable to father any children. Kunti, as a young woman, had been given a boon that she would be able to call on any of the gods by reciting a mantra, and the god in question would gift her with his child. With Pandu’s permission, she uses this boon to invoke different gods; she also allows her sister-wife, Madri, to use the mantra. Thus, Kunti has three sons—Yudhishtira, by Dharma Raja, the god of justice and death; Bhima, by Vayu, the god of the winds; Arjuna, by Indra, king of the heavens and the god of thunder—and Madri has two—the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, by the Ashvins or Ashwini Kumaras, twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn, and the sciences. Each of the sons is imbued with qualities associated with their respective father gods, such as wisdom and a sense of justice in Yudhishtira, and valor in Arjuna.

Elements from the Pandavas’ story, and other anecdotes present in the Mahabharata, are present throughout the book. For instance, Aru is cursed by Shukra the same way that Pandu was by the sage. Furthermore, the curse resembles one borne by Karna, the sixth, secret Pandava, born to Kunti and Surya, the sun god, before her marriage to Pandu. Because Karna once lied to his teacher, he was cursed that at the moment he most needed it, he would forget all knowledge of the astras that was imparted to him during his training. The astras, celestial weapons described in all Hindu epics, are important objects in the story. Furthermore, other characters from the Mahabharata also find mention here, such as Shakhuni, the Kauravas’s maternal uncle, and the architect of the animosity between the cousins that led to the war.

Philosophical and religious ideas present in these epics are also represented in the book. The idea of karma, and how it impacts the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation, is extensively talked about in the Hindu religious book, the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita is a part of the Mahabharata, a sermon delivered to Arjuna by his cousin, friend, and charioteer during the war, Lord Krishna, who is a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, the god of preservation in the Hindu holy trinity. It is Krishna’s way of urging Arjuna to do his duty during the war and presents the concept of dharma (or “righteous duty,” which is associated with Dharma Raja, the god of justice and death).

Elements from other Indian epics and religious texts appear as well, such as Hanuman, the Monkey God. A character from the Ramayana, Hanuman served Lord Rama, the protagonist of the epic, and is typified in Indian Hindu culture as the ideal devotee. Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, is also featured as a character in Chokshi’s book.

Ultimately, there exist multiple variations of these ancient epics across the subcontinent, in both oral tradition and written form. Characters and anecdotes vary across the country’s cultures and sub-cultures. Furthermore, tales from these epics, and Hindu mythology in general, are often narrated to children as bedtime stories by the older generations, akin to fairytales. This leads to infinite versions and interpretations, with no one account holding claim to greater accuracy. Chokshi acknowledges this, stating that she is no expert on these stories; she also notes that her inspiration lies in the stories told to her by her own grandmother.