Home > Work > Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana QUOTES

Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana QUOTES

1 " Then be human. Let go and move on. They who hurt you cannot expand their mind. But surely you can. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

2 " Fear is a constant, and faith is a choice. Fear comes from karma, from faith arises dharma. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

3 " 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

4 " What we possess is temporary, but what we become is permanent. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

5 " 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

6 " 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

7 " Janaka told her to bring happiness into marriage, rather than seek happiness from it. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

8 " 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

9 " 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

10 " Janaka gave his daughters to the sons of Dashratha, saying, ‘I give you Lakshmi, wealth, who will bring you pleasure and prosperity. Grant me Saraswati, wisdom. Let me learn the joy of letting go.’ This ritual came to be known as kanya-daan, "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

11 " Ram, taken by surprise at what was happening, rushed to stop his wife, hold her hand and pull her out, but the earth had closed before he could reach her. All that he could clutch were the ends of her hair that turned into blades of grass. Would the pain have been less had she chastised him before she left? Would the pain have been less had they at least spoken before she left? Would the pain have been less had she at least looked at him before she left? But then she was under no obligation. He had liberated her long ago from the burden of being Ram’s wife. But he would always be Sita’s husband. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

12 " Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others, enable others to find meaning. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

13 " king is a servant when he mimics other kings without understanding. A king is a trader when he uses rules to get all the things that he desires. A king is a master when he uses rules to impose his thoughts on those around him. A king is a seer when he understands the thought behind the rules and so appreciates the many reasons why a rule is followed and why another rule is not. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

14 " 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

15 " 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. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

16 " The notions of creation, preservation and destruction in Hindu mythology thus deal with culture, not nature. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

17 " Flowers make themselves fragrant and offer nectar. Why? To nourish the bees or to get themselves pollinated? Or both? In nature, to get you have to give. There is no charity. There is no exploitation, neither selfishness nor selflessness. One grows by helping others grow. Is that not the perfect society? "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

18 " I do not need your permission. I am your wife and I am supposed to accompany you, to the throne, into war and to the forest. What you eat, I shall taste. Where you sleep, I shall rest. You are the shaft of the bow that is our marriage; you need the string to complete it. My place is beside you, nowhere else. Fear not, I will be no burden; I can take care of myself. As long as I am beside you and behind you, you will want for nothing. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

19 " Brahmins were essentially transmitters and stewards of Vedic hymns and rituals, not its interpreters or owners. Over time, however, they used their exalted position to dominate society and claim entitlements. It was an irony of history that those who carried knowledge of how to expand the mind failed to expand their own minds, and chose the common path of domination instead. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

20 " There is great joy in satisfying oneself,’ said Hanuman. ‘But there is greater joy when we satisfy ourselves by satisfying others. Still greater joy when we do not need satisfaction. And even more joy, when despite not needing satisfaction, we provide satisfaction to others. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana