Search results for ""Author Devdutt Pattanaik""

A unique feature of Hindu mythology is the key role played by animals or pashu. The Puranas, ancient Hindu story chronicles, reveal that Brahma, the creator, had a son called Kashyapa, whose many wives gave birth to different types of pashu: · Timi gave birth to animals who swim · Vinata gave birth to animals who fly · Kadru gave birth to animals who crawl · Surabhi gave birth to animals with hooves · Sarama gave birth to animals with paws · Surasa gave birth to animals who defy classification This book retells their stories. With over 75 gorgeously illustrated anecdotes, Devdutt Pattanaik reveals how our ancestors imagined the animal kingdom, and the key role animals played in human lives.

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From the blood-letting Kali to the mysterious Ganesha, the Hindu spiritual landscape is populated by characters that find no parallel in the Western spiritual world. Indian Mythologyexplores the rich tapestry of these characters within 99 classic myths, showing that the mythological world of India can be best understood when we move away from a Western, monotheistic mindset and into the polytheistic world of Hindu traditions. Featuring 48 artistic renderings of important mythological figures from across India, the author unlocks the mysteries of the narratives, rituals, and artwork of ancient India to reveal the tension between world-affirming and world-rejecting ideas, between conformism and contradiction, between Shiva and Vishnu, Krishna and Rama, Gauri and Kali. This groundbreaking book opens the door to the unknown and exotic, providing a glimpse into the rich mythic tradition that has empowered millions of human beings for centuries.

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Enrich your yoga practice with this in-depth look at the poses (asanas) and the spiritual basis for their creation. Modern yoga instructors often emphasize the body while neglecting the mind and spirit, and many practitioners are unaware of yoga s underlying philosophy, symbols, and rituals. To remedy this, Yoga Mythology recounts the stories behind more than sixty asanas, drawing attention to an Indic worldview based on the concepts of eternity, rebirth, liberation, and empathy. Learn how svana-asana (dog pose) is connected to Shiva and bhujanga-asana (cobra pose) was inspired by shape-shifting beings who live below the earth. This playful book includes stories from Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism that nurtured the idea of yoga and shaped the development of its most iconic asanas.

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