Hinduism
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From intellectual Gita to sensory Gita
Non-cognitive ways are as valid to evoke the exact same feelings that Gita seeks to evoke cognitively.
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Delightful truths of cult leaders
To be a cult leader you need to have fans who believe everything you say, evidence notwithstanding, and are willing to attack, sometimes violently, those who criticise you or your ideas.
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Self-styled saints and registered saints
To be a saint, one not only needs to be holy (that can be disputed) but also have followers (that can be proved).
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Love in the time of hate
Young India needs to find the strength and patience to face the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of India, find innovative ways to live together in diversity, and not be afraid of rapidly changing ecosystems.
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An Interview with Flipkart
India’s best-known writer on mythology explains the relationship between his latest book and feminism, and questions a Western view of Hindu mythology as chaos.
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A brief history of Vedic thought
When we try and study Vedic thought, we realize that we have to do a kind of mental archaeology, digging through layers of literature and ideas.
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Violence and Gita
Ramayana and Mahabharata valorise not war so much as the pursuit of social obligation, even while engaging in long discussions on the morality of war.
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In world of patriarchal epics, Sita had extraordinary powers, says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik
In an interview with dna’s Manisha Pande, he dwells on the nuances of the epic, how we perceive it and what it tells us about us. Edited excerpts:
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Ramayana when it Rains
In Kerala, the traditional month of Karkidakam that falls in July-August is associated with heavy rains. It used to once be a time of scarcity, wetness and disease. There was no work in the fields and staying at home doing…
