By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist One day Vishnu met Shiva, and they both complained about their domestic situation. Shiva said, “Gauri, my wife who I place on my lap, gets annoyed that I prefer my other wife, Ganga who sits on my hand. The two never get along. She gets so…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist On the day of Rama’s coronation, in the middle of the royal court, Lakshman started to laugh. Everyone wondered who was Lakshman laughing at. Was he laughing at Ayodhya, victim of Palace politics who had to bow before a pair of footwear for 14 years? Was…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Plants play a key role in Hindu mythology. Plants are seen as sacred, sometimes deities by themselves, and sometimes as key offerings in a ritual. It all starts with the veneration of Soma, a mysterious hallucinogenic herb, referred to in the Rig Veda that is simultaneously…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Everyone needs, and wants Lakshmi in Hindu mythology: Devas, Asuras, Rakshasas, Yakshas. But each one’s relationship with wealth is different. Some like Ram and Duryodhana are lucky, they are born in rich families. Ram is a positive, divine character, in the Ramayana but Duryodhana is a…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist One of the things in the about-4,000-year-old Harappan seals is the value placed on trees. There is the peepal tree and the babool (acacia) tree that have been identified. The peepal tree is identified by its characteristic wide tapering leaves. The babool tree is identified by…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Some of the oldest and most spectacular images of Shiva are found in Elephanta and Ellora, cave temples built by Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas roughly 1,500 years ago, when a new form of Hinduism, based on Puranas and Hindu trinity began overshadowing the old Vedic and Buddhist…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In popular lore, Lakshmi and Saraswati hate each other. Where there is fortune, there is no respect for education, and where there is education, there is no value for wealth. The courtesan’s house was the only place where the two lived together: she was well versed…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist This is a story of two fat, Buddhist monks. One story comes from China and the other comes from Thailand. Many people link them with the Buddha, but they come from various local traditions that were absorbed into Buddhism. The first is the popular Laughing Buddha….

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In ancient India, the village fields did not belong to any single person. There was no concept of individual land holdings. The entire land of the village belonged to the village community. Therefore, the village was dedicated to a Goddess. She was said to be the…