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City of Nine Gates by Pankaj Rajput: Book Review

As a reader how often do you come across a book that tries to convey the message of universal spiritual truth in less than 300 pages?  The book in conversation today is โ€œCity of Nine Gatesโ€ by Pankaj Rajput, a Vedic fiction. A book that would take the reader across time frames, kingdoms, spiritual sages and secrets of the city. If you are into spiritual and religious fiction books, read on.

City of Nine Gates by Pankaj Rajput
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Gyan is an entrepreneur known for his business acumen. He helps a team of archaeologists to discover a roughly 5000-year-old fort. While the team celebrates the discovery, but he feels there is something mystifying about the fort. Soon, his curiosity takes him in a journey never thought before.

Blurb:

An atheistic millionaire is forced to find and help his long-lost friend achieve self-realization in a mystical City of Nine Gates known only to Gods and the wisest sages of the Advait and the Sankhya. Assisted by other friends n the city, he leads the city on an inward enlightening journey, only to realize at the end who his friend is, what actually the City of Nine Gates is and who is that beyond all regions knowing which one never comes backโ€ฆ

Book cover:

Clad in a business suit a man is apparently moving towards mountains. Mountains in the Vedic context direct us towards meditation, spirituality and seeking the truth. The clean and simple cover does match with the blurb and raises curiosity.

Book Review: City of Nine Gates by Pankaj Rajput

The book speaks about the journey of Gyan from an awarded entrepreneur to a Divine Enlighted one.

It is a fascinating spiritual tale. Holding the essence of spirituality and unveiling the metaphors of psychological mind.

Gyan is the able-bodied human who moved into a surreal environment with the responsibility to save a city. He is guided by erudite sages.

His movement to the kingdom, in the new environment, takes him to cities. Amongst millions of similar-looking yet different in size, prosperity, and zeal he reaches one. Every people here, go by the same name as โ€œParthโ€. The dilemma of Gyan is to find the “Parth” who needs to be saved and consequently saving the city.

In this path, he befriends characters who have a pivotal role and help him in his motive. Gyan navigates the city with a magical fabric and his friends to explore known and unknown lands of the realm. Gradually he learns his numerous friends and citizens of the land are Buddhi, Aham, Manas, Vritti, Pranas, Karmaindriyas, etc.

The plot is intense and multi-layered. It travels from one schema of concepts to another. Taking profound knowledge from philosophical references of Vedas the author does a commendable job. Spiritual landings are intricate. Difficult for common mortal beings to understand. An attempt to relate the psychological and philosophical ponderings challenges principles of daily life is brave.

The story takes a few pages to grow on the reader. Once the grip is tightened the book can be a page-turner for two reasons. One to know what happened next and other for the glossary. A bibliophile with an inclination towards divinity can quickly get involved.

Author Pankaj Rajputโ€™s knowledge of Vedic philosophy can be seen in the paperback.  He uses gist of shlokas in English rhythmic forms which are in the form of riddles and at times self-explanatory. The riddles get unfolded in the next sequence of events. Giving character as a human form based on psychological entities is done with conviction.

The narrative storytelling is engaging yet complex. On few eventsโ€™ readers has to keep re-reading earlier trials to understand with clarity.

Probably the author also tried, Gyan as the protagonist is the reader, who gains knowledge with every passing chapter. Knowledge of realities against the truth, the existence of consciousness within unconsciousness and the other way.

This book deserves a re-read at different points of life. An ocean of knowledge is present in brief. An absorbed reader would introspect perceptions of life with new lenses.

This book is the first in the โ€œCity Trilogyโ€ series. I wonder what would be the next one.


Book Title:           City of Nine Gates โ€“ What did those sages realize that we still havenโ€™t?

Author:                Pankaj Rajput

Publisher:            NotionPress.com

Genre:                  Vedic Fiction | Spiritual and Religious fiction  

Rating:                  3.5/5

Get your paperback copy here.

You might like – “See through words

book review

Thank you Blogadda for trusting me for an honest review. This review is a part of the Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

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39 thoughts on “City of Nine Gates by Pankaj Rajput: Book Review”

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  4. I would surely want to read it as it has many points that require a re-read. Spirtual books are sometimes helpful for betterment of personal life.

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