By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik Is yoga scientific? This is a question I am often asked, in various forums. The problem that lies with this question is essentially with the understanding of what yoga is, what science is and the overarching sense of insecurity that is faced by many people relating to the Indian identity. Let…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In the Vedas, one does find references to individual Goddesses like Usha, Vak and Aranyani who represent dawn, speech, and forests, respectively. In the Puranas, there is Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati, embodiments of wealth, power and knowledge. However, in practice, Hindus often worship Goddesses in groups….

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist If you look to the sky, towards the North and want to identify the Pole Star, you have to first seek the Big Dipper constellation. Dipper means a ladle, the kind used to put ghee in the yagna fire. This ladle-shaped constellation has seven stars. In…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Shiva is called the destroyer because he destroys our desire — Kama, and he destroys death itself — Yama. Kama is associated with life, and Yama with death. Shiva destroys both the desire for life and the fear of death and thus he is the God…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik The Harappan civilisation thrived between 2500 BCE and 1900 BCE, lasting six centuries, existing 4,000 years ago. In these cities, we find seals with images that give a tantalising glimpse of a mythology that may have thrived in those cities before the arrival of Indo-European myths 500 years later, around 1500…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist There are two meanings of the phrase Sanatan Dharma. One is political and the other philosophical. The political sanatan dharma emerged as one of the two responses to European Orientalists who saw Hinduism as a pagan, polytheistic and idolatrous race.  One response, the Samaj response, was…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Rainy season is considered an inauspicious time. The sun is making its journey south; the days are becoming shorter and the nights colder; the earth is wet, worms and snakes are wriggling out, the walls are damp, and there is moss in every corner… it is…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Arthashastra or economics is today linked with Chanakya, even though he himself claims his knowledge to have come down from Shukra, the Guru of Asuras, and Brihaspati, the Guru of Devas. Since Chanakya eclipses Shukra and Brihaspati, Arthashastra has become more Statecraft, or Dharmashastra, than Economics….

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In Himachal and nearby regions, a yogi is worshipped, who is considered a form of Shiva in Kalyug. His name is Baba Balak Nath. In art, he is visualised as a young boy with a yoga staff in his hand, seated on a peacock with the…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist There is a big difference between the words ‘legend’ and ‘myth’. Legend is a story of a heroic figure that has some historical basis but is largely fantasy. Mythology is not just stories, but also symbols and rituals, which helps a culture make sense of the…