Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru Shah and the End of Time derives its characters and plot elements from Hindu mythology. Aru Shah, the protagonist, is an Indian girl, and so the Hindu myths and characters represented in the book largely draw from the religious folklore, epics, mythology, and philosophy of the Indian subcontinent.

One of the central ideas of the book is rooted in a specific epic or story: Aru is presented as the reincarnation of one of the Pandavas. The Pandava brothers are the central characters in the Indian epic Mahabharata, which details the lives and rivalry between these five brothers and their 100 cousins, the Kauravas. The rivalry ultimately culminates in a great war, which is symbolically seen as the war between good and evil. The Pandavas represent good and the Kauravas evil, and in keeping with this, the Pandavas are sons of actual deities from the Hindu pantheon. They derive their name from the husband of their mothers, King Pandu.

A just warrior and king, as a young man, Pandu was cursed with impotence by a sage; he had two wives, Kunti and Madri, but was unable to father any children. Kunti, as a young woman, had been given a boon that she would be able to call on any of the gods by reciting a mantra, and the god in question would gift her with his child.