CHENNAI: For Lakshmi Devnath, publishing Tale of Two Realities is a personal milestone. Written over a six-year battle with stage 4 cancer, the book brings together Patanjali's Yogasutras and episodes from the Valmiki Ramayana to explore how the human mind works and its capacity to overcome life's challenges. What makes the book particularly special is that Lakshmi continued working on it through some of the most difficult phases of her treatment, drawing strength from the very philosophy she was writing about.
A cultural writer and scholar with a keen interest in Indian art, music and philosophy, Lakshmi has authored over 200 articles for many publications. However, the journey of this book was different. Initially conceived as part of her doctoral research, it later took the form of articles before eventually becoming a book. Although the groundwork had been done years earlier, writing it while battling cancer brought challenges.
"When cancer hit me and that too with such intensity, I often felt as though I was writing with the sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I never knew when it would fall. That underlying uncertainty was always there," she recalls.
The physical and emotional demands of treatment were difficult to navigate, but Lakshmi found herself returning to her manuscript whenever she could. Describing the experience, she says, "I told my doctor that it was a battle between the desk and the bed and I am glad that the desk always won." It is perhaps this statement that best captures her determination to see the book through.
Interestingly, the central idea of the Yogasutras also became a source of strength during this period. "The primary tenet of the Yoga Sutra is that we are not merely bodies with souls, but souls with bodies. This perspective helped me draw upon my inner resilience and strength. The way the text guides you, step by step, towards realising this does not make it merely armchair philosophy. It provides a practical blueprint for life," the author says.
She also found reassurance in the text's understanding of time and human experience. "The past has already been manifested, the present is in progress, but the future is for us to shape and experience as we deem fit," she explains. While cancer came with its share of pain, fear and uncertainty, these principles helped her look beyond the immediate difficulties of her illness.
Her reading of the Ramayana took on a different meaning. Rama's ability to control his grief when Kaikeyi asked him to give up the kingdom, Lakshmana's unselfishness and Bharata's devotion were among the qualities that inspired her. She also speaks about Hanuman's determination to find Sita. Having crossed several hurdles, his response to Rama was simply, "Drashta Sita" (I have seen Sita). "He did not dwell on the hurdles he had faced or the difficulties he went through. He just summarised the entire journey in those two words. That was something I found very inspiring," she says.
Lakshmi is equally quick to acknowledge the people who stood by her during this journey. "My father would often tell me that no man is an island unto himself. I realised that in full during the writing of this book." She credits her husband for his constant emotional and physical support, along with her children and teachers. She also expresses deep gratitude to her oncologist, whose support extended beyond medical expertise to compassion and care. Her Sanskrit teacher, S Sridharan of Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, also played an important role in the book's long journey.
For Lakshmi, the book's release is nothing short of a mission fulfilled. Her hope is that readers will find themselves looking at the Yogasutras and the Ramayana differently, using the stories and teachings to reflect on their own lives. "There is no one formula for life's myriad problems. But reading and dwelling on the Yoga Sutra and reading the Ramayana from this perspective, as though it is holding a mirror to our inner insecurities and fears, makes the whole engagement with these two texts a completely new experience," she says.