The Pregnant King, by Devdutt Pattanaik

'For many years now, he has articulated complex ideas from Indian, mostly Hindu, mythology with ease and much drama' Mint

The Mahabharata speaks of Yuvanashva, a childless king who accidentally drinks a magic potion meant to make his queens pregnant, and gives birth to a son. The Pregnant King, mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik's first work of fiction, weaves the tale of the ensuing crisis with the stories of Somvat, who surrenders his genitals to become a wife; Arjuna, the great warrior with many wives, who is forced to masquerade as a woman after being temporarily castrated by a nymph; Ileshwara, a god on full-moon days and a goddess on new-moon nights; and others who wonder what their dharma is when they exist not here, not there, but somewhere in between. 

'This scholar knows his text and is a mesmerizing storyteller' Mail Today

'His storytelling encourages self reference and introspection' Namita Gokhale, Asian Age