 The organisation of the sections and chapters of the novel mirrors the organisation of the "Mahabharata" and the themes and events addressed in each allude to themes and events of the mirrored sections of the epic.The novel has 18 "books," just as the "Mahabharata" has 18 books and the Battle of Kurukshetra lasted for 18 days.Up to some extent a counterpart to the "Mahabharata"s "Book of the Beginning."