Durga's Secret: Everyone Lives on the Edge in Fear

by Devdutt Pattanaik

‘Her unbound hair reveals that she is still wild like Kali, but her nose-ring reveals she is domesticated like Gauri. The weapons in her multiple hands reveal a different kind of violence, one that is restrained unlike Kali’s, one that offers protection but can also be used to punish. She is Brahma’s defiant daughter, Vishnu’s protected and protective sister, and Shiva’s affectionate wife.’ In this festive season heralded by Navratri, when the entire country celebrates Durga or shakti, the primordial female form, renowned author Devdutt Pattanaik reveals the various aspects of the Goddess in ‘Durga’s Secret’ from his bestselling, 7 Secrets of the Goddess.

Genres: Mythology, Indian Literature, India, Fiction, Religion

52 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2017

About the author

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik (born December 11, 1970) is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010).
He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.
He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India

Reviews

[Anil Swarup]

Short, sweet and effective. Devdutt has a tremendous understanding of Indian mythology and he possess the art of conveying them in a very interesting manner. This book too is a reflection of such an understanding and narration

[Sonal]

3.5 stars
A very short and quick read. Interesting stories & snippets about various forms, in which Durga is worshipped in different parts of India. I particularly liked the chapter on gram devi. The book had many thought-provoking views, highlighted many paragraphs.

'THE WORDS DURGA AND SHAKTI are often used synonymously. But there is a subtle difference. Shakti means power that is natural. Durga evokes ‘durg’, or the fortress that is artificial. Thus Shakti embodies energy that is natural, while Durga embodies power that is cultural. In culture, power is created through laws. These laws shift power from the strong to provide security to the weak. This makes Durga the defender of the weak, to be invoked at wartime by warriors and kings. She is the protector of the fort, the patron of kings, and rides into battle on a lion, dressed as a bride, but with unbound hair, her multiple arms bearing a variety of lethal weapons.'

Author's interpretation of mythology is widely appreciated and I admire his work. This book though interesting seems rushed. There is absolutely no flow and everything is randomly put together. More like personal notes rather than a published book. It feels incomplete. Still, I think the stories were worth the read.

[Veethica]

This is the first book of Devdutt that I read. His way of writing is simple and easy to understand . But,it couldn't grasp my total attention,may be because my expectations from the book were totally different.
I guess, I will re read the book again in a few months

[Suzanna George]

Could have been better

Brief note about Durga but I felt a lot more could have been written.. however it was a light and simple read with pictures that explain what is written a little more.

[Jit Dhara]

Nature and domestication of nature never been so clearer. Also always worship Durga as bringer of light, now she is the goddess of contrasts between light and darkness, nature and domesticated nature.

[Avinash K]

Picked it up only because of the title, however I was a bit hesitant because the last two of Pattanaik's books were a bit "ho-hum". But this was awesome. A tour-De-force in looking at the how and the why of The Goddess. Comparing her various forms with nature at it's furious best at one end and culture at it's sublime peak when nature is tamed, cared for and used for social well-being; without malice or greed. It attempts to explain this realization among the ancient Hindu cultures. It also shows how the Hindu culture regards The Goddess as the Mother and Daughter, both to be loved, but one to be revered, respected and always there when we seek help; the other to be indulged, guided and protected as required. As The Benign and The Punishing aspects of Nature and both must regarded with respect and propitiated but one is the center of existence and the other, with all due respect, requested to stay on the sidelines. All along he has illustrations of various Devi forms found in India, especially in the villages.
It is very well written and very thought provoking. Definitely worth a reading.

[Anushree]

Interesting and thought provoking reflections and interpretations on Hindu mythology! Psychology and philosophy are used as instruments towards excavating essence of esoteric myths, scriptures and folklore. This book makes the ideas behind feminine religious symbols of Durga & Shakti accessible and understandable. Nature - as an inherent wild force, and culture - as human reasoning that seeks to domesticate the nature, are two opposing themes. Shakti, that is the awareness of nature as it is, and Durga, that is the force protecting the culture bordering, on the wilder side are coexistent and pervasive in human lives, acknowledged or not. We need both to further our civilization.

[Niloy Gourh]

Writer's prejudice only

The writer thinks, he is next to God. He thinks, he knows everything and writes from that point of view. Every single line of this book is "judgement on goddes durga".
Also, I didn't like the term "domesticate" for goddes. Either the writer has very limited knowledge in english vocabulary or he used this word deliberately to prove his supremacy over god.
If you can, avoid all the books of this, self proclaimed god specialist, writer's book.

[Shrutin]

Some interesting pieces of mythology I wasn't aware of. Some correlations seem a bit of a stretch (as if they are a big assumption), and the overall flow seems choppy, with paragraphs and chapters beginning and ending abruptly. More like a collection of notes, than a book. But interesting nevertheless.

[Komal Srivastava]

Basic knowledge about Durga, the Goddess

He has conveyed the best of knowledge about Goddess and her worship in India plus how was her role portrayed in different scriptures and epics. It's compared to the tussle between the inner and outer of the man. Also, to the status of woman in society through different ages.

[Anil Nair]

Nice book

Great book. More could be written. The story does not seems to connect sometimes, once i start reading in one context, story suddenly shifts thereby causing me to read the paragraph once more.

[Navneet Kumar]

Thoughtful explanation about why different types of goddess are worshipped in Indian.

Thoughtful explanation about why different types of goddess are worshipped in Indian. What is the history of local devis is well explained.

[Kr Narasimhan]

Good reading

A very well written narrative. Very good idea to include the pictures of the Goddess. I only wish the author had included Goddess Kamakya Devi of Assam. Highly recommended.

[Krishnan Nair]

This felt like it lacked focus. It focused more on how people worshiped Durga in different forms, rather than the mythology.
I was expecting a lot more focus on the mythology and less on the history of worship.

[Sagnika Chatterjee]

Unbelievably amusingly intriguing book

A lot of unknown facts are unravelled about our very own Goddess, intriguing my interest further to read another book from the mythological series 7 Secrets of Goddess.

[Kanika]

Read to find your answers

Short and concise, it's an appropriate read for anyone interested in philosophy, mythology or philosophy. Devdutt Patnaik interprets the most abstract concepts into simple simple logical rationale.

[Praveen Sharma]

Learn about the nature

Good read to understand the relation between God, GOD, and the Goddess(nature). Gives information about the various forms of the goddess and why is each form important for human survival.

[Satchidananda Murthy]

Namaste Goddess Durga

I learnt more about Goddess Durga by reading this book. It was really wonderful time spent. As always the Author's way of explaining is simple and easy to understand.

[Dakshata Ghag]

Amazing

Excellent flow of information. Not at all deviating from the title. To the t explanation ., logically put forth for anyone to understand easily. Would want to read more in-depth about Shakti and Durga from this very same author.

[Lalitha Muthu]

A short interesting book

I liked the how the different forms of Durga is being explained. I think more elaborate explanation can be given. But liked it overall.

[Akash Balwante]

Good book

Good book. It gives brief information about all goddess worshipped in different parts of India with their folk stories and concept behind it.

[Ajitabh Pandey]

Interesting to know potential hidden meaning of various symbols.

[Sonia Saini]

Good



Good





Good




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[Roopa]

Nice book

Worth reading, nice explanation of various forms of Durga Maa worshipped in our country by the author. will recommend it

[Subramaniyan]

Good one

[Anuradha K]

Worth a read!

Good research on rituals and cultures across India and a great insight into what it means to us. Good read.

[Priyanka Rai]

Quick, insightful read

It's a pretty small book, with short stories to and folklores around goddess Durga. Stories are collected from Purana, Ved, Ramayana and Jaya

[Brijesh]

hmm, book starts with something and somehow ends up some where else , better start to read the book without any expectation :)

[Ashwini]

Short concise and interesting.

[Bella]

A great book

The author explains things in very good manner. The truth behind the myths, symbols, idols are revealed in this book. Really a great read