By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Hindu mythology is not static. It has changed over history. In the Rig Veda (1,500 BCE), we are introduced to Indra. He is a powerful celestial being who rides chariots and who defeats enemies like Vritra, Pani and Vala to secure stolen cows and release water….

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik In 13th Century Maharashtra, Dyaneshwar translated the Bhagavad Gita into the local language. It was a great cultural revolution. He encouraged people to use emotions and feelings to connect with the divine. This was the Bhakti Marga or path of devotion. Here, Dyaneshwar or Gyandev is addressed as Sant. In legends,…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In popular understanding of the mythology, Brahma is called the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver and Shiva, the Destroyer. When you ask people why Shiva is called the destroyer, they will answer, it is because he is the destroyer of evil. But if Shiva is the destroyer…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik The word ‘teej’ refers to the third day of the lunar cycle when women fast, stay awake in all night vigils, hoping to find good husbands if not married, and praying for the health of husbands if married. Hariyali Teej is celebrated during the waxing moon of Shravan, Kajari Teej during…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist After the humiliating defeat of Indians in 1857, there was little doubt that the British were the villains. Indians began using an innovative approach to express their rage and their desire to overthrow the enemy. They enacted stories from the Puranas on stage as metaphors. That…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In Hindu metaphysics, Yoga is the practice of untying mental knots. Bhoga is the experience of life that creates these mental knots.  When we consume life, we experience hunger, fear, delight, jealousy, attachment, rage, greed, frustration, hatred, joy and these various emotions and stimulations cause our…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah is a line that is found in Manusmriti. If you assume dharma to be religion or state or law, it means if you protect religion or state or law, the religion/state/law will protect you. Why does religion or state or law exist? In…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Vedas were composed 3,000 years ago, while the Puranas were composed 1,500 years ago. In between, came the great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, after the Vedas, but before the Puranas. The two reflect dramatically different world views. Vedas do not factor in monastic ideals; the Puranas…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Most people in India are not familiar with the Sanskrit Ramayana or Mahabharata. We read popular versions, which in turn are based on regional re-tellings, which began appearing less than 1,000 years ago and became very prevalent from around 500 years ago. Many regional works are…