In Live, Lead, Love, Shubha Vilas reads the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Bhagavata Purana as practical counsel on staying steady, leading well and keeping the people who matter close.

In Mumbai, ‘busy’ has become small talk. Calendars fill before the chai cools, and the honest answer to ‘How are you?’ is rarely given. Into this rhythm comes a book with an unhurried proposition: that the oldest stories we know still have something useful to say about how we live now.

Represented by Saisha Nighhot’s Avion Marketing and published by Jaico Publishing House, Live, Lead, Love is Shubha Vilas’s new book, by the author of the bestselling Ramayana: The Game of Life series. It centres on three questions most of us ask quietly: how to stay steady when life turns uncertain, how to lead without losing yourself, and how to keep close relationships alive in the rush. The Mahabharata offers counsel on facing challenges with balance; the Ramayana on the qualities that turn managers into inspiring leaders; and the Bhagavata Purana, through the life of Krishna, on love, trust, and connection.

The oldest stories we know still have something useful to say about how we live now.

The stories will be familiar; the questions Vilas puts to them are not. In one chapter, he argues that leaders should hug more, pointing to Rama’s embrace of Sugriva, reeling from betrayal, and to Hanuman, whose devotion lasted a lifetime. In another, ‘Find Yourself a Dhaumya’, he urges readers to look for a mentor like the adviser who stood by the Pandavas through their hardest years, and then to become one for someone else.

The book ends with people. Its final chapter, ‘Secrets of Lasting Relationships’, draws five tips from Krishna and Sudama’s friendship, meant for work and home alike.

Conversational and reflective, with short chapters that can be read one at a time, it suits readers who read in fragments and those with little background in the epics. Vilas studied engineering and patent law before choosing the path of a spiritual seeker, and his work since has centred on bringing scriptural wisdom into daily life, including through seminars for corporates and young people.

In the end, it is an invitation to hear the stories of childhood again with adult ears, and to ask what they might say to a Monday morning, a difficult colleague, or a friend not called in too long.

Atul Tiwari

Atul Tiwari is a seasoned journalist at Mumbai Times, specializing in city news, culture, and human-interest stories. With a knack for uncovering compelling narratives, Atul brings Mumbai’s vibrant spirit to life through his writing.