By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Narada said he had a mango for whoever was first to go around the world. Kartikeya immediately jumped on his peacock and flew around the earth. Ganesha simply walked around his parents and declared himself the winner. Ganesha argued his parents were his world and so…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist The serpent is conspicuous by its absence in Harappan seals and in Ashokan artworks. Serpent worship is not part of Vedic texts. Multi-headed hooded serpents first appear in Buddhist shrines, at Sanchi and Bharhut. They appear as adoring symbols of Buddha. Then, the serpent-gods are shown…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Colonial historians argued the ‘Aryan invasion theory’ that light-skinned chariot-riding people destroyed Harappan cities, conquered India, enslaved local dark-skinned people and created the caste system. To counter this, there was the ‘out of India’ theory popularised by many Brahmins, that Harappa was Vedic, that Aryans were…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist As per popular understanding, Ram asks Sita to go through the fire-trial to prove her chastity. But in the early versions of the Sanskrit epic it is not so. After killing Ravana and releasing Sita, Ram refuses to accept her as queen stating her reputation is…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Ganesha’s arrival, in the latter half of the monsoon, marks the transformation of Shiva, the hermit, into Shankara, the householder. During this time, his mother is worshipped as Gauri, the home-maker. But a few weeks later, she is worshipped as Durga for nine nights. She appears…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist We cannot imagine India without elephants. Elephants have been a powerful symbol of wealth and power since ancient times. Elephants are found on Harappan seals, but they were probably wild elephants or baby elephants kept in zoos and parks. Some argue that Harappan elephants were used…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Sindoor in India is linked to auspiciousness, femininity, fertility, and most surprisingly, ancient trade routes frequented by nomadic pastoralists. Worn by married women of India, the earliest reference to the use of sindoor comes from the Harappan civilisation, where clay figurines have been shown with sindoor…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Hindu mythology distinguishes between the world and life. The world is all about physics and chemistry. Life is about biology. Life is about hunger and fear. Without hunger and fear, there is no life. When Biblical God creates the world, it includes the inanimate (sun, stars,…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Contentment is a bad word in schools and businesses today. Makes us complacent, say the rich. Tricks us into exploitation, say the poor. Prevents growth, say all. On the other hand, hunger is the good word — marketed as ambition. Makes us competitive, say the rich….