In this pioneering book, India’s most popular mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik, explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, in a ‘playful analysis’ accompanied by his signature illustrations. Devdutt attempts to compare and contrast the two Hindu epics, ease out themes that both stories share and argues that both of them have the same building blocks, structure and theme, complete with charts, tables and bite-sized takeaways.Whether it is the family structure, forest exile, or war, the comparison between the two epics proves a startling point—the Mahabharata is in fact a reaction to the events in the Ramayana.