Devdutt Pattanaik > Quotes

“Within infinite myths lies the eternal truth
Who sees it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes,
Indra has a hundred,
You and I, only two.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology

“Refusal to accept the flow of the world is the root of all misery.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“What the person, who knows the truth, will speak, will not be understood by the person who does not know the truth.”
― Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

“is not about making the world a peaceful place; it is about us being at peace with the world.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“To be a woman is like becoming a prey, her every move watched by hungry predators. Every glance of man is a violation. No one is spared. No one. Not mother, not sister, not daughter. It is only fear of Dharma that keeps men in check.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Pregnant King

“Unlike Greek narratives, where achievement is celebrated, and biblical narratives, where submission and discipline are celebrated, in Indic thought understanding is celebrated.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“What we possess is temporary, but what we become is permanent.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Be the best you can be, in the worst of circumstances, even when no one is watching.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Action focussed on intent is better than action focussed on outcome.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita

“Through Karna, Vyasa reiterates that our knowledge of the world is imperfect based on perceptions and false information. We are surrounded by Kuntis who hide the truth in fear. We are surrounded by Karnas, villains who are actually brothers.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“The Gita does not speak of changing the world. It speaks of appreciating the world that is always changing.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita

“The dog is a loyal, lovable animal but Hindu scriptures do not treat it as an auspicious creature perhaps because loyalty feeds on fear and the purpose of Vedic scriptures is to outgrow fear by expanding the mind.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Everybody dies—some suddenly, some slowly, some painfully, some peacefully. No one can escape death. The point is to make the most of life—enjoy it, celebrate it, learn from it, make sense of it, share it with fellow human beings—so that when death finally comes, it will not be such a terrible thing.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“Janaka told her to bring happiness into marriage, rather than seek happiness from it.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“human memory is short, and history always repeats itself.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“We are not rational creatures who feel; we are emotional creatures who rationalize.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita

“The female form lends itself best to represent matter because both create life within themselves. The male form lends itself best to represent soul because both create life outside themselves.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Pregnant King

“That’s unnatural.’ ‘Some would call it a miracle. Careful of the word unnatural. It reeks of arrogance. You are assuming you know the boundaries of nature. You don’t. There is more to life than your eyes can see. More than you can ever imagine. Nature comes from the mind of God. It is infinite. The finite human mind can never fathom it in totality.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Pregnant King

“Impatience is the enemy of wisdom; it propels us to jump conclusions, judge and condemn, rather than understand”
― Devdutt Pattanaik

“Krishna replies that nothing is wasted or destroyed in the cosmos. All efforts are recorded and they impact future lives. Knowledge acquired in the past plays a role in the wisdom of future lives.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita

“when a man praises himself, it is intellectual suicide.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“dharma is not about justice; it is about empathy and wisdom. Dharma is not about defeating others, it is about conquering ourselves. Everybody wins in dharma.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“Those who believe in karma do not blame. They do not judge. They accept that humans live in a sea of consequences, over which there is limited control. So they accept every moment as it is supposed to be. They act without expectation.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita

“You want the world to behave as you wish. It does not, hence your anger and your grief.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“we believe our problems are the greatest and our misfortunes the worst, there is always someone out there who has suffered more.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“In time, Arjuna tires of mere beauty and hearing tales about the valour of princess Chitrangada, he seeks her out. The princess then reveals her true self to Arjuna. Her words are one of the most beautiful declarations of the angst of a woman, ‘I am not beautifully perfect as the flowers with which I worship. I have many flaws and blemishes. I am a traveller in the great world-path, my garments are dirty, and my feet are bleeding with thorns. Where should I achieve flower-beauty, the unsullied loveliness of a moment’s life? The gift that I proudly bring you is the heart of a woman. Here have all pains and joys gathered, the hopes and fears and shames of a daughter of the dust; here love springs up struggling towards immortal life. Herein lies an imperfection which yet is noble and grand.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

“Animals fight to defend their bodies. Humans curse to defend their imagination of themselves. This imagined notion of who we are, and how others are supposed to see us, is called aham. Aham constantly seeks validation from the external world. When that is not forthcoming it becomes insecure. Aham makes humans accumulate things; through things we hope people will look upon us as we imagine ourselves. That is why, Janaka, people display their wealth and their knowledge and their power. Aham yearns to be seen.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Within infinite myths lies the eternal truth
Who sees it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes,
Indra has a hundred,
And You and I, only two .”.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology

“Every human creates his own imagined version of the world, and of himself. Every human is therefore Brahma, creator of his own aham. Aham Brahmasmi, I am Brahma. Tat tvam asi, so are you. We knot our imagination with fear to create aham. Tapasya and yagna are two tools that can help us unknot the mind, outgrow fear and discover atma, our true self.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Accept that nothing happens without a reason. Accept that all experiences have a purpose.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Jaya: 9