Yoga Mythology Quotes

“Charity is called daan, alms are called bhiksha and service fee is called dakshina.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“In Buddhist literature, we are told the story of the hamsa who was shot dead in front of the Buddha by a hunter. The Buddha looked at the hunter and asked, ‘Can you bring it back to life?’ The hunter replied, ‘No, I cannot.’ The Buddha then said, ‘If you cannot give life, what gives you the right to take life?”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“One must bear in mind that the concept of God as a judge, which is part of Christian and Islamic mythology, is absent in Hindu mythology”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“According to the Jatakas, the Buddha was born as a frog in one of his previous lives. He saw a snake being attacked by a school of fish. The snake asked, ‘Is this appropriate?’ to which the frog replied, ‘You eat the fish when they enter your territory. The fish attack you when you enter theirs. Considering the context, what is happening now is surely appropriate.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“According to the Jatakas, the Buddha was born as a frog in one of his previous lives. He saw a snake being attacked by a school of fish. The snake asked, ‘Is this appropriate?’ to which the frog replied, ‘You eat the fish when they enter your territory. The fish attack you when you enter theirs. Considering the context,”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“Serpents are worshipped across India to ensure the fertility of land, as well as for children.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“The makara is often confused with magara, the crocodile, due to their similar sounding names. The crocodile is a metaphor for worldly attachments that entrap us. While the makara refers to the bounty of material life, the magara is a warning of the perils of materialism.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“In the famous temple sculptures of Khajuraho, one finds beautiful women disrobing themselves on the excuse that a scorpion is climbing up their thighs.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“Herons and cranes often stand on one foot, to fool fish into believing their solitary legs are reeds. When a fish comes near a heron’s leg, it immediately catches hold of its hapless prey.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“In Hindu art, a woman depicted holding a lotus bud is deemed a virgin; when she holds a lotus in bloom, she is regarded as mature and experienced.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“In classical Sanskrit poetry, the laughter of women is responsible for the blooming of plants, which is why women were invited to the royal gardens in spring to sing and dance and play.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“The ordinal directions are represented by the moon (the north-east), the sun (the south-west), fire (the north-west) and wind (the south-east).”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“What we mean by ‘life’ is a psychological response to the physical world.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories

“If Jews, Christians and Muslims pray to God for the food He provides; Hindus pray to food as God.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories