185 Quotes by Devdutt Pattanaik

Our desire to achieve does not happen in isolation. We seek an audience. When the audience refuses to cheer for us, we work hard until they admire us. We validate ourselves, like Satyavati, through the Other. The Other is the parent whose attention we crave.

In nature, the strong overpower the weak in order to improve their chances of survival. But in culture, the strong must protect the weak. That is dharma.

The sage said, ‘It is the name of Ram that ensured the bridge of stones to Lanka did not crack under the weight of the monkeys. Likewise, it is the name of Krishna that ensures this bridge of arrows withstands Hanuman’s weight. Strength alone is not enough in this world; divine grace is needed. Krishna is Ram and both are Hari or Vishnu. Never forget that. Without Krishna you are nothing. You are Nara and he is Narayana.

You want the world to behave as you wish. It does not, hence your anger and your grief.

Only when humans realize that they have been blessed with the intellectual wherewithal to outgrow animal needs and fears, will they truly evolve and discover their potential.

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.

History seeks to be everyone’s truth, but is limited by available facts. More often than not, what is passed off as history is mythology, someone’s understanding of truth shaped by memory, feelings and desire, available facts notwithstanding. However, it is never fantasy, or no one’s truth.

Accept that nothing happens without a reason. Accept that all experiences have a purpose.

The Gita does not speak of changing the world. It speaks of appreciating the world that is always changing. Belief in one life makes us want to change the world, control it or resign to the way things are. Belief in rebirth enables us to appreciate all three possibilities, without clinging to any.