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….

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist When we communicate using sounds we call it speech. When we communicate using writing we call it script. There are different kinds of scripts in the world. Are they emojis? Are they letters? Are they consonants and vowels? What is the direction of writing? The ancient…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Shiva, the ascetic form of the Hindu divine, has a long history. The Vedic Rudra (1000 BC) is distinct from the later Puranic Shiva (500 AD), who lives atop Mount Kailasa with his wife and children. The Vedic Rudra has a bow, not a trident. He…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist According to legend, when Shankaracharya went to meet Brahmin scholar Mandan Mishra, around 700 AD, Mishra refused to look at him because his head was shaved. This is why the Shankaracharyas cover their heads with cloth even today, as shaven heads are still seen as symbols…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist We have all heard how there is no one single Ramayana, there are many — 300 at least. But no one tells us there is not just one Buddha; that there are dozens, maybe thousands, perhaps even millions, as per the earliest Buddhist scriptures. Also, there…