The Goddess in India Quotes

“Nature triumphs ultimately. The triumph is impersonal, nonjudgmental. Nature kills everybody, not just the “bad.” To call the goddess “Mother” is to acknowledge only one half of her personality. She is also a “killer.” She is the source of joy and sorrow, of hope and despair, life and death. Nature (prakriti), delusion (maya), energy (shakti)—she is the world we react to.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“Shiva becomes the destroyer, acquiring strength and inspiration from his consort Shakti, who is both Gauri, radiant goddess of eroticism, and Kali, dark goddess of extermination.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“The Hindu views life as the opportunity to fulfill karmic obligations (dharma), indulge the ego with worldly power (artha), gratify the senses with worldly pleasure (kama), and discover the spirit (moksha). He can either react to samsara or simply witness it. The former fetters, the latter liberates.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“Brahma had decreed that demon Daruka would not die at the hands of a man, beast, or god. This left him vulnerable only to attacks by women. The devas, tormented by Daruka, sought the aid of the goddess Parvati, who immersed herself in the poison locked in Shiva’s throat and transformed into Kali, the dark one. When she returned to Mount Kailas after killing the demon, her skin was black, her eyes red, her teeth like fangs, her tongue blood smeared. She hardly looked like a wife. Shiva laughed. Hurt, the goddess performed austerities, bathed in a river, and transformed into Gauri, the bright one. Her golden skin, shapely eyes, pearllike teeth, and smile aroused Shiva. He embraced her and they made love. Shiva Purana, Linga Purana”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“Vishnu is the god who sustains and maintains what Brahma creates and what Shiva seeks to destroy. He is also pure consciousness. His name means “pervader.” Vishnu pervades and enlivens all things. For devotees of Vishnu, Vishnu’s blue color indicates that he is as pervasive and intangible as the sky, while his consort Laxmi’s red sari represents earth’s all-containing fertility. He is the protector; she is the provider:”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“Shiva’s reluctance to marry is a consistent theme in Shaiva lore. In effect he opposes the birth of the cosmos, preferring the blissful state in which matter is in a state of entropy and the spirit is free of form. Not surprisingly, he is called the god of destruction.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine

“Realization occurs only when samsara is witnessed, not reacted to. This is moksha.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine