Devdutt Pattanaiks Box Of Wisdom

Description

In My Gita, acclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies the Bhagavad Gita for the contemporary reader. His unique approach—thematic rather than verse-by-verse—makes the ancient treatise eminently accessible, combined as it is with his trademark illustrations and simple diagrams.In a world that seems spellbound by argument over dialogue, vi-vaad over sam-vaad, Devdutt highlights how Krishna nudges Arjuna to understand rather than judge his relationships. This becomes relevant today when we are increasingly indulging and isolating the self (self-improvement, self-actualization, self-realization—even selfies!).We forget that we live in an ecosystem of others, where we can nourish each other with food, love and meaning, even when we fight.So let My Gita inform your Gita.My Hanuman ChalisaAcclaimed mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik demystifies the Hanuman Chalisa for the contemporary reader. His unique approach makes the ancient hymn accessible, combined as it is with his trademark illustrations.Every time we experience negativity in the world and within ourselves, every time we encounter jealousy, rage and frustration, manifesting as violation and violence, we hear or read, the Hanuman Chalisa. Composed over four hundred years ago by Tulsidas, its simple words in Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi and its simple metre, musically and very potently evoke the mythology, history and mystery of Hanuman, the much-loved Hindu deity, through whom Vedic wisdom reached the masses. As verse follows verse, our frightened, crumpled mind begins to expand with knowledge and insight and our faith in humanity, both within and without, is restored.PadmavatMore than five hundred years after the Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote his epic poem Padmavat, the story of Padmavati, princess of Simhal and her lover and husband, Ratansen, the king of Chittor, continues to capture the imagination of readers everywhere. In Padmavat, we meet Padmavati’s friend, philosopher and guide—Hiraman—a parrot, as well as Nagmati—Ratansen’s first wife and the brave Rajput warriors, Gora and Badal. This tale of two women and their husband who are tormented by Alauddin Khalji is a lyrical retelling of the story of Rajasthani bards, using idioms and metaphors from both the world of Islam and the Hindu Puranas.With Purushottam Agrawal’s deeply insightful commentary and Devdutt Pattanaik’s incredible illustrations, Jayasi’s epic love story is brought to life like never before and finally seen and appreciated for what it is—a remarkable ode to love, beauty and truth.