Devdutt Pattanaik · 372 pages
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“Refusal to accept the flow of the world is the root of all misery.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“is not about making the world a peaceful place; it is about us being at peace with the world.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Through Karna, Vyasa reiterates that our knowledge of the world is imperfect based on perceptions and false information. We are surrounded by Kuntis who hide the truth in fear. We are surrounded by Karnas, villains who are actually brothers.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“human memory is short, and history always repeats itself.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Everybody dies—some suddenly, some slowly, some painfully, some peacefully. No one can escape death. The point is to make the most of life—enjoy it, celebrate it, learn from it, make sense of it, share it with fellow human beings—so that when death finally comes, it will not be such a terrible thing.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“In time, Arjuna tires of mere beauty and hearing tales about the valour of princess Chitrangada, he seeks her out. The princess then reveals her true self to Arjuna. Her words are one of the most beautiful declarations of the angst of a woman, ‘I am not beautifully perfect as the flowers with which I worship. I have many flaws and blemishes. I am a traveller in the great world-path, my garments are dirty, and my feet are bleeding with thorns. Where should I achieve flower-beauty, the unsullied loveliness of a moment’s life? The gift that I proudly bring you is the heart of a woman. Here have all pains and joys gathered, the hopes and fears and shames of a daughter of the dust; here love springs up struggling towards immortal life. Herein lies an imperfection which yet is noble and grand.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“dharma is not about justice; it is about empathy and wisdom. Dharma is not about defeating others, it is about conquering ourselves. Everybody wins in dharma.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“bliss comes when love is shared with all.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“You want the world to behave as you wish. It does not, hence your anger and your grief.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“when a man praises himself, it is intellectual suicide.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“These chants relieved vedana, the yearning of the restless human soul, hence became collectively known as the Veda. Those who heard them first came to be known as the Rishis.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“we believe our problems are the greatest and our misfortunes the worst, there is always someone out there who has suffered more.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“One must accept that one’s life is the result of past karmas and that one has the power to choose one’s response to every situation.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“The world that is perceived through any measuring scale is called maya.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“The point of existence in this dynamic, ever-changing world then was not to aspire or achieve, but to introspect.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Krishna offers Arjuna two things: what he is and what he has. Arjuna chooses what Krishna is. Duryodhana is happy with what Krishna has. This divide between him and his, me and mine, what one is and what one has, is the difference between seeking the soul and being satisfied with matter.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Krishna’s son, Samba, is portrayed in the scriptures as an irresponsible lout, perhaps to inform us that the child of a great man need not be a great man; greatness is not transmitted through the generations. Every man ultimately makes or destroys his own legacy.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“the law clearly stated that a man with a physical defect could not be king.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Mighty brawn is no match for a nimble brain. Let”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Attainment of desirable states brings joy, failure to do so becomes sorrow.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“In time, Radha became a goddess in her own right, the symbol of sacrifice, surrender and unconditional love.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“man the master of his own destiny and the creator of his own desires,”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Such is the nature of man-made laws: ignorant of the past and insensitive to the present.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“there is a reality greater than what you perceive.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“The sage said, ‘It is the name of Ram that ensured the bridge of stones to Lanka did not crack under the weight of the monkeys. Likewise, it is the name of Krishna that ensures this bridge of arrows withstands Hanuman’s weight. Strength alone is not enough in this world; divine grace is needed. Krishna is Ram and both are Hari or Vishnu. Never forget that. Without Krishna you are nothing. You are Nara and he is Narayana.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Within infinite myths lies the Eternal Truth Who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes Indra, a hundred And I, only two”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Before leaving Hastina-puri, Krishna went to Kunti, mother of the Pandavas, who had stayed back with her brother-in-law. Krishna asked her if she had any advice for her sons who were rather disheartened, though not surprised, by the Kaurava refusal to return Indra-prastha”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Accept that nothing happens without a reason. Accept that all experiences have a purpose.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“Animals spent their entire lives focused on survival. Humans could look beyond survival, seek meaning in life, harm others to save themselves, help others by sacrificing themselves.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
“She once told me of a night that fumed with escapes and was filled with bedsides reeking of ecstasy; she told me the stars cast not judgments, but blessings, knowing full well the disastrous outcomes of the deeds they cradled with the strings of their young hearts. She’d inhaled the night itself, those around her doing the same, and so all become one. No disharmony. No discordance. Nothing to shatter the cause; nothing to unearth the beauty. So as we together ascended that front porch, allowing the glow behind the blown-out windows and the odious steams plunder us from through the cracks...time forgot to distill us, and our steps became as silver as glass. I could no longer deny the boiling words of my blood: tonight would be the beginning of a very long road indeed.”
― Dave Matthes, quote from Sleepeth Not, the Bastard
“Your medicine men have repeatedly told you, ‘Life is a dream.’ You must decide whether you are the dream or the dreamer.”
― Elizabeth M. Herrera, quote from Earth Sentinels: The Storm Creators
“The World Has Need Of You”
everything here
seems to need us
—Rainer Maria Rilke
I can hardly imagine it
as I walk to the lighthouse, feeling the ancient
prayer of my arms swinging
in counterpoint to my feet.
Here I am, suspended
between the sidewalk and twilight,
the sky dimming so fast it seems alive.
What if you felt the invisible
tug between you and everything?
A boy on a bicycle rides by,
his white shirt open, flaring
behind him like wings.
It’s a hard time to be human. We know too much
and too little. Does the breeze need us?
The cliffs? The gulls?
If you’ve managed to do one good thing,
the ocean doesn’t care.
But when Newton’s apple fell toward the earth,
the earth, ever so slightly, fell
toward the apple.”
― Ellen Bass, quote from Like a Beggar
“I'm going to fuck you, and it’s going to turn your world on its ass when I do. You will be so strung out over my cock, you’ll ache for it like a junkie.”
― Courtney Lane, quote from The Sordid Promise
“ 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”
― The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, quote from The LDS Scriptures: Unabridged Complete King James Version Holy Bible /The Book of Mormon / Doctrine and Covenants / The Pearl of Great Price
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