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)…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In Hindu mythology, the pigeon is more than just a bird. It is described as the vahana, or mount, of Rati-devi, the goddess of erotic arts and the consort of Kama-deva, the god of love and lust. Maybe that is the reason why many people in…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist On the top of many Hindu temples, one finds the image of a head looking down on the people below — his eyes protruding from its sockets, his mouth wide open, his tongue out. This is called the Kirtimukha, the Head of Glory or Vajramukha, the…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Diwali in north India celebrates the return of Ram from Ayodhya. Diwali, or rather Deepavali, in south India celebrates the defeat of Narakasura by Krishna. In South Indian traditions, Diwali celebrations take place on the 14th day, that is, on the eve of the new moon…

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…