By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Once upon a time, the earth-goddess Bhumi was dragged under the sea by an asura called Hiranayaksha. Vishnu took the form of Varaha, killed Hiranayaksha, placed Bhumi on his snout, raised her up and thus rescued the earth-goddess. Bhumi decided to bear Varaha a son called…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Buffaloes are found in ponds, rivers, marshes and wetlands meant for rice cultivation. Cows, on the other hand, prefer drier jungle areas. India has both dry jungles and wet river basins. Dry areas are meant for wheat and millet cultivation, while wet areas are for rice…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Varuna is one of the most ancient gods of the Vedic pantheon. In the Rig Veda, he is majestic, distant and terrifying. He sits above the world, ruler of the sky and the ocean, guardian of the cosmic law called rta. He sees everything. Nothing escapes…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist She is the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ and she is draped in sari. Thousands of devotees throng her shrine at Vailankanni in Tamil Nadu, deemed basilica by the Roman Catholic Church in 1962. They bow to her, stretch out their hands to her, lie…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In India, salt is not just a mineral. It is a magical substance that not only enhances the taste of food but also protects the body from ‘nazar’ or evil eye. Indians speak of two types of salt: one from the mountains and the other from…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Vidur-niti is a set of about 600 verses, split into eight chapters, found in the Udyoga Parva of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. It is counsel of Vidur to King Dhritarashtra, whose sons, the Kauravas are in the midst of negotiations with their cousins the Pandavas to…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In Sanskrit, the word for human is manava. It comes from manasa, the ability to imagine, that only humans have. From this word comes Manu, a mythological character. Most people assume that Manu is simply the stern lawgiver of the Manusmriti, son of Brahma, entrusted with…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In early 19th century, in a society dominated by men, mostly wealthy landed Brahmins and by the colonial rulers of the land, a woman called Rani Rashmoni rose to be a successful business leader in Kolkata. She built the famous Dakshineshwar Temple where Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa,…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Manu in the Rig Veda gets Soma from a faraway mountain and performs the yagna where he offers Soma as a drink to Indra who in turn provides him access to the land of Aryas. This is suggested in a Vedic hymn composed by Vamadeva (4.26-27)…