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101 " As per some Vedic marriage rites, a woman is first given in marriage to the romantic moon-god, Chandra, then to the highly sensual Gandharva named Vishwavasu, then to the fire-god, Agni, who cleanses and purifies all things, and finally to her human husband. Thus, the ‘four men’ quota is exhausted. Clearly this was an attempt of society to prevent Hindu women from remarrying. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
102 " In the absence of conceptual clarity, the dominant emotion is fear, fear of losing opportunities, fear of threats, fear of achievement, fear of abandonment, fear of invalidation. The emotion of fear impacts the way we think and what we believe. It contaminates the filtering of sensations and choice of responses. It creates a vicious cycle where atma is eclipsed by aham, our judgemental self. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , My Gita
103 " Thus while Ganesha helps devotees move from south to north, Kartikeya himself moves from north to south for the benefi t of devotees. While as Ganesha tempers materialistic cravings with spiritual insight, Murugan tempers his martial attitude with divine grace and romantic emotions. Thus the Goddess helps Shiva connect with humanity through her two sons. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , 7 Secrets Of Shiva
104 " Your act of vengeance will achieve nothing but create a spiral of vendetta. Find it in your heart to forgive "
― Devdutt Pattanaik
105 " One can argue, why not simply give the solution; why go through the trouble of creating a puzzle? Ancient Hindus believed, wisdom must never be given. It has to be taken. And "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , 99 Thoughts On Ganesha: Stories, Symbols And Rituals Of India's Beloved Elephant Headed Deity
106 " Our behaviour towards others is based on what we see and how we process our observation. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Krishna's Secret
107 " It is about realising that in every human being is a frightened beast, seeking survival and significance, and knowing very well that humans can outgrow this beast as they empathise with others. This process of outgrowing the beast is the process of discovering God. "
108 " B.R. Ambedkar believed the tale was not so much about Ram’s character as it was about the unsustainability of the caste system that needed violence for its enforcement. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
109 " Unlike the unenlightened householder, for whom material life is either a burden or an indulgence, Krishna embodies the enlightened householder: he who lives as a householder but thinks like a hermit, is engaged in everything but possessive of nothing. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagavata
110 " the true meaning of kingship—to do what animals cannot do: overpower the law of the jungle, and give the weak an opportunity to thrive. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , The Book of Ram
111 " Human beings divide the world into mine and yours. We create borders. Include what we like and exclude what we do not like. Thus a rift occurs in relationships. Gandhari is jealous of Kunti, Kunti of Madri, Arjuna of Karna, Duryodhana of Bhima. That is why Yayati favors Puru over Yadu. That is why Satyabhama quarrels with Rukmini. But for Shyam, there are no boundaries. No mine and yours. This no hero or villain. No predator or prey. No them or us. He sides with both killer and killed. For him, in wisdom, everyone is family. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. "
112 " There is no evidence of a perfect world, a perfect man or a perfect family anywhere on earth. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology
113 " The idea of a powerful woman aware of her own desires made people uncomfortable and so she was portrayed as barbaric, even demonic, not in control of her passions. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Olympus
114 " showing does not guarantee seeing. Telling does not guarantee hearing. Gyana is not vi-gyana. "
115 " humility is the true measure of wisdom. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , 7 Secrets of the Goddess
116 " Yayati exploits the rule for his own benefit whereas Dashratha enforces the rule so that royal integrity is never questioned. The rule (obey the father) evokes dharma in Dashratha’s case, but not so in Yayati’s. "
117 " It is difficult to establish where the effects of a boon end and the influence of a curse begins. "
118 " When humanity ignores imagination, there is no growth, no quest to outgrow fear, no desire for spiritual reality. Evolution does not happen. Spiritual reality remains undiscovered. Only the self matters; others remain invisible. In other words, humans stay animals. "
― Devdutt Pattanaik , Ganesha's Secret: Food alone does not satisfy hunger
119 " human can also sense another’s hunger and produce food through yagna to satisfy another’s hunger. That is also the distinguishing feature of humanity,’ said Shakti. ‘When tapasya is done without yagna, solitude thrives, no relationships are established and society collapses. You become the destroyer.’ Shiva then said, ‘When yagna is done without tapasya, we exploit other people’s hunger to satisfy our own. Thus a corrupt society comes into being. "
120 " No event is spontaneous; it is the result of many past events. This is karma. The events in your life are the result of your past deeds, performed in this lifetime or the ones before. You alone are responsible for it. "