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
One of the best books for beginner readers of Hindu Mythology. The stories are explained in such easy language that it helps you to absorb them and makes you want to read more about them. I personally loved the series on epic Channel and to be able to read about the Hindu mythology whenever I want is another joy. I would highly recommend this book to people who are new to Hindu mythology and Indian customs and want to know about them in brief.
A set of conversational discussions with the author where he tries to clarify the doubts raised in the questions.
The theme revolves around Gods in the Vedas and Gods in the Puranas. At a high level the author says that in the Vedas the Gods were less personified, whereas in the Puranas they are highly personified.
Caste system is another topic that is discussed in detail. The author's take is that caste does not appear to be inherent in the Vedas and to a large extent in the Puranas. It is a later day addition to the rituals.
Giving my review here for the trilogy because this was the last book in the three that I read. (I couldn't find a paperback of #2 so I finished the #1 and #3 and then read ebook of #2). So it's a very very informative series! Truly tells you a lot about Indian mythology as a whole, and explains the reason for certain rituals and traditions followed in the Indian customs. The stories are also very attractive and interesting and do portray Mr. Pattnaik's love for Indian mythology. Overall, a good starter for someone who wants to have an overview of what is Indian mythology.
Book will take you inside interesting stories of Ramayan and mahabharat , some you may know already but some will be new. There is also discussion on various rituals in india like Karva Chauth or the importance of Vrath in india. Author continuosuly identifies the difference in the explainations between puranas and vedas. There is also a take on Amrit manthan which is nicely written Overall again a must read, although it gets lengthy and hectic in pace but still i recommend
Let me tell you, I read this book because I read its phenomenal first part and expected a lot, because its first part was amazing and let me tell you even more of it, nothing more than a clichéd script of a scripted TV series. Nothing too informative and nothing too serious, the book doesn't want to atleast 'have' the appreciation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoy Devdutt Pattnaik's style of writing. It's simple and feels like a conversation rather than a book. This book was also like that but I felt there were many repetitions from the 1st book and also within the book.
It was still a good book and made for an informative read. If you like this Q&A format then go ahead :)
This is a Philosophical Book With Inherent Thoughts on the Indian Culture and The Thread that Binds Prakriti (Nature) with Sanskriti (Culture) . Throughout the ages , things have changed in both the aforementioned aspects . It is wonderful how the author portrays things in a simple yet authentic way .
If you are new to Devdutt Pattanaik's works, or an ardent follower of the Devlok TV series, or a beginner at Hindu mythology, this will be a recommended book for you, just for the sheer plethora of information/knowledge binded in the simple questionaaires.
If you are already familiar to the author's works, or a avid reader of his blogs like me, you can miss this thing. There is almost nothing new if you have been through Jaya/Sita/Olympus/Mytha, except that this is presented in a new form, with already pre-valent things.
It's a nice book with mythologies explained but not the meaning behind it as it takes great research. Knowledge of mythology is one thing and getting behind its reasons is another.
This is surely another inspiring and informative book by this knowledgeable author. This book makes you want to continue exploring the depths of Hinduism.
The book is based on the popular show ‘Devlok with devdutt pattanaik, season 2’ on epic channel. This book is the narrative of the same tv programme. It is written in the conversation format. It includes various topics from across the different mythologies.
It details the myths around the re-telling of epics of India. How they differ with the difference in geography, time, & culture.
All in all, this book is a must-read to people interested in mythology & daily life insights from it.
Here we got all the conversations of season 2 episodes. You got to know it has a good content because Devdutt is a man who refers to all the Indian religious texts from all the religions to explain a topic. He goes by both the views historical as well as mythological. So, for a beginner who is interested in mythology must go for it.
Wow. the man has some knowledge. the amount of travel, reading and comprehending the various sources would have been mind boggling. each chapter presented as a question and answer is packed with so much to learn, so many layers to peel and understand. liked reading this as much as his first volume.