Quotes from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Unlike Greek narratives, where achievement is celebrated, and biblical narratives, where submission and discipline are celebrated, in Indic thought understanding is celebrated.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Be the best you can be, in the worst of circumstances, even when no one is watching.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“The dog is a loyal, lovable animal but Hindu scriptures do not treat it as an auspicious creature perhaps because loyalty feeds on fear and the purpose of Vedic scriptures is to outgrow fear by expanding the mind.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“What we possess is temporary, but what we become is permanent.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Janaka told her to bring happiness into marriage, rather than seek happiness from it.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Animals fight to defend their bodies. Humans curse to defend their imagination of themselves. This imagined notion of who we are, and how others are supposed to see us, is called aham. Aham constantly seeks validation from the external world. When that is not forthcoming it becomes insecure. Aham makes humans accumulate things; through things we hope people will look upon us as we imagine ourselves. That is why, Janaka, people display their wealth and their knowledge and their power. Aham yearns to be seen.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Every human creates his own imagined version of the world, and of himself. Every human is therefore Brahma, creator of his own aham. Aham Brahmasmi, I am Brahma. Tat tvam asi, so are you. We knot our imagination with fear to create aham. Tapasya and yagna are two tools that can help us unknot the mind, outgrow fear and discover atma, our true self.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Janaka gave his daughters to the sons of Dashratha, saying, ‘I give you Lakshmi, wealth, who will bring you pleasure and prosperity. Grant me Saraswati, wisdom. Let me learn the joy of letting go.’ This ritual came to be known as kanya-daan,”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“king is a servant when he mimics other kings without understanding. A king is a trader when he uses rules to get all the things that he desires. A king is a master when he uses rules to impose his thoughts on those around him. A king is a seer when he understands the thought behind the rules and so appreciates the many reasons why a rule is followed and why another rule is not.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Ram, taken by surprise at what was happening, rushed to stop his wife, hold her hand and pull her out, but the earth had closed before he could reach her. All that he could clutch were the ends of her hair that turned into blades of grass. Would the pain have been less had she chastised him before she left? Would the pain have been less had they at least spoken before she left? Would the pain have been less had she at least looked at him before she left? But then she was under no obligation. He had liberated her long ago from the burden of being Ram’s wife. But he would always be Sita’s husband.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“B.R. Ambedkar believed the tale was not so much about Ram’s character as it was about the unsustainability of the caste system that needed violence for its enforcement.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others, enable others to find meaning.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“The notions of creation, preservation and destruction in Hindu mythology thus deal with culture, not nature.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth Who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes Indra, a hundred You and I, only two.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“There is great joy in satisfying oneself,’ said Hanuman. ‘But there is greater joy when we satisfy ourselves by satisfying others. Still greater joy when we do not need satisfaction. And even more joy, when despite not needing satisfaction, we provide satisfaction to others.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Stay true to the idea of dharma. Be the best you can be, in the worst of circumstances, even when no one is watching”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“human can also sense another’s hunger and produce food through yagna to satisfy another’s hunger. That is also the distinguishing feature of humanity,’ said Shakti. ‘When tapasya is done without yagna, solitude thrives, no relationships are established and society collapses. You become the destroyer.’ Shiva then said, ‘When yagna is done without tapasya, we exploit other people’s hunger to satisfy our own. Thus a corrupt society comes into being.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“In fact the English word ‘demon’ is full of a value judgement that is wrongly attributed to the words rakshasa and asura.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Ram finally stood up and said in a voice that was clear and soothing, ‘Know this, Ayodhya is not mine to give or Bharata’s to take; Ayodhya is the responsibility of the Raghu clan, not our property. It will be injustice if the kings of the Raghu clan do not keep their word, it will be injustice if the wishes of Kaikeyi are not fulfilled. My father promised to fulfil her wishes and he is obliged to fulfil them, as am I. Do not blame her for asking what is due to her. Yes, the event is unfortunate but it is but one event in our lives; we can call it a tragedy if we wish. Blaming helps no one; let us take responsibility for it. For nothing in life happens spontaneously: it is the result of past actions. This moment is as it is supposed to be. I am repaying the debt of the past and so are you. We cannot choose the circumstances of our life, but we can make our choices. I have chosen to be true to my clan. My wife has chosen to be true to her role as my wife. My brother has chosen to be true to his feelings. Allow us our choices. Come to terms with our decisions. You are angry not with the queen or her son, or the king, you are angry that life has not turned out the way you thought it would. In a moment, the world you so took for granted has collapsed. Expand your mind and understand that the pain comes from your assumptions and expectations. Choose love over hate, by accepting the fears and fragilities of humanity that lead to situations such as these. This moment is the outcome of some curse, or maybe it is a boon in waiting. Who knows? Varuna has a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred, you and I, only two.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“For centuries, pilgrims have travelled to Ayodhya identifying it as the birthplace of Ram. But the exact location of the birthplace of Ram, in Ayodhya, is the subject of great dispute and political turmoil in India. Ever since colonial times, Hinduism has felt under siege, forced to explain itself using European templates, make itself more tangible, more concrete, more structured, more homogeneous, more historical, more geographical, less psychological, less emotional, to render itself as valid as the major religions of the Eurocentric world like Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The fallout of this pressure is the need to locate matters of faith in a particular spot. The timeless thus becomes time-bound and the universal becomes particular. What used to once be a matter of faith becomes a territorial war zone where courts now have to intervene. Everyone wants to be right in a world where adjustment, allowance, accommodation and affection are seen as signs of weakness, even corruption.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Fear is a constant, and faith is a choice. Fear comes from karma, from faith arises dharma.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Brahmins were essentially transmitters and stewards of Vedic hymns and rituals, not its interpreters or owners. Over time, however, they used their exalted position to dominate society and claim entitlements. It was an irony of history that those who carried knowledge of how to expand the mind failed to expand their own minds, and chose the common path of domination instead.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Then be human. Let go and move on. They who hurt you cannot expand their mind. But surely you can.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Such a mind is called manas, which is why humans are called manavas. You are a manava with male flesh and I am a manava with female flesh. We both see the world differently, not because we have different bodies, but because we have different minds. You see the world from one point of view and I see the world from another point of view. But our minds can expand. I can see the world from your point of view and you can see it from mine.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“You give them too much dignity,’ said Lakshman as he lit the pyre. ‘It is the only way to remind ourselves that we are still humans,’ said Ram. ‘Let the forest and its fears not claim you. Stay true to the idea of dharma. Be the best you can be, in the worst of circumstances, even when no one is watching.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Ram became revered because he functioned on the basis of the principle that life was not just about pleasure and hoarding things: it was about finding meaning and purpose.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“To be a good spouse, wife or husband, the wilfulness of Ganga needs to be balanced with the serenity of Shiva. Only then will the river of marriage create fertile riverbanks”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“Control creates domesticated animals. The purpose of society is to inspire humanity, not tame them,’ said Ram.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“I am the creator of my world and so are you. We can widen our world by breaking free from the maze of expectations. We can shrink our world by entrapping ourselves with expectations.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

“A society that does not make room for imperfection can never be a happy society.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, quote from Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

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