By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist For the past 2,000 years, maybe even earlier, the Tuluva people have lived in Tulu Nadu, the coastal kingdom of Alva Kheda, once ruled by the Aupas, referred to in the writings of ancient Roman mariners. The symbol of this kingdom, with twin fishes, is very…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Hindus believe that knowledge (“veda” in Sanskrit) comes not from a human source, but from nature at large. This knowledge reveals itself to one who is clear in mind and pure of body. Such a person is called a rishi, which means ‘one who can see…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Come Diwali, everyone revisits the story of this festival. It is what people do during festivals, trying to understand their origin. Some seek rational explanations: it is harvest time, and so time to party, for example. Some are happy with narrative explanations that are indifferent to…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist It is curious that the practice of lighting lamps seems integral to Hinduism today, but it was not a dominant one in Vedic times, when the fire-altar of the yagna took centre-stage. Perhaps its entry as a ritual owes much to non-Vedic Hinduism.  Lamps slip into…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist A few months ago, there was a war going on in Kerala about whether Onam has to be celebrated as the annual return during harvest of Maha-bali, the asura-king, from Pa-tala, his subterranean realm or as Vaman Jayanti, the triumph of Vishnu’s dwarf avatar, Vaman over…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In the Rig Veda, most hymns are by male sages. But there are a few by women, the rishikas, some independent and others, wives of sages. Lopamudra is the wife of Agastya and both compose hymns. In her hymn, she expresses her sexual longing and asks…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist If you were a craftsman hailing from the Gangetic Plains, or from Assam, Bengal, or Odisha, it is quite likely that you would have celebrated Vishwakarma Puja, just towards the end of Pitra Paksha, and just before Mahalaya, the first day of Navratri. Pitra Paksha, when…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist A friend pointed out that the popular fairy tale Cinderella is very much like a vrata-katha: a girl in trouble, tortured by female members of her family, prays to and is saved by a Goddess (fairy Godmother in this case). But grace depends on her following…

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist In a Guru’s Ashram, I saw a young, beautiful girl who had completely stripped herself of her gender and sexuality: shaven hair, ash on her face, baggy clothes, bare feet, and complete subservience to her Guru, who she referred to as ‘master’. The men were similarly…