Before reading #ThePalaceOfillusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, I honestly didn’t even know that the Kauravas and Pandavas were cousins. Shocking, right? But this book made me realize many of us don’t really know the deeper facts of our own mythology. For example: Did anyone know how Draupadi (also called Panchali) came to earth? Or even that Draupadi was also known as Panchali? Another one: When only Arjuna was present at the swayamvar as a charming and prospective groom for Draupadi, how did she end up being the wife of five men? Tell me, did you ever ask yourself these questions, or even your elders? Did you ever attempt reading the Bhagavad Gita but failed because you couldn’t understand the phrases? Then #ThePalaceOfillusion can be your savior. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has written it in such a brilliant way that it will remain in your memories forever. She has chosen to write from the point of view of Panchali—what she felt, what she was thinking during the humiliation she faced, how she unknowingly or knowingly mocked her husband’s cousin, what she went through when her husband married another woman. No one can deny the significance and presence of Krishna in everything that is created or destroyed. Krishna knew what would happen, how it would happen, and what all would be created and destroyed because of it. I highly vouch for this book—not only to people who, like me (guilty as charged), don’t know much about our mythology, but also to those who do. Because from them, we can learn which parts of the story still need more exploration. And lastly: “Don’t panic when plans fall apart. The Creator knows what He is doing. You are just a person living life according to the Creator’s design, without even realizing it, in His world of illusion.”