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…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist The elephant and the horse have played a major role in shaping Indian culture. The elephant is native to India; the horse is not. The elephant loves the hot tropical climate in India and thrives in the rich tropical forests, where it grazes for up to…

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist ASAP is a popular acronym for ‘as soon as possible.’ But more often than not it is used to mean ‘immediately’ in corporate circles. In political, bureaucratic and judicial circles, it depends on the relationship of the beneficiary and the benefactor. If the beneficiary is powerful, then…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Stories of merchants are notably absent in Brahmin scriptures but are widespread in Buddhist scriptures. Shortly after the Buddha attained Nirvana, he was met by two merchants who fed him but admitted they could not practise the rigorous meditation techniques. The Buddha, therefore, advised them to…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist The Rajputs are warrior communities who thrived in the shadows of the Aravalli mountains and controlled the Thar Desert. Some even lived in the Punjab plains and Malwa plateau. They rose to prominence during the Mughal era, and scholars have long been trying to understand their…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist India’s oldest civilisation was the Harappan civilisation, which was a merchant civilisation. Over 4,000 years ago, in the Bronze Age, several planned brick cities stood along the Indus, the now-dry Saraswati, and the coasts of Gujarat. They traded tin, copper, lapis lazuli, carnelian and cotton with…