Top 160 Devdutt Pattanaik Quotes (2025 Update)
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101. “Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical conquest; it is about perfect love and absolute security that allows married women to dance and sing all night in the forest with a divinely handsome boy. Likewise, the bloodshed at Kurukshetra is not about property or vengeance; it is about restoring humanity, outgrowing animal instincts, and discovering the divine.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

102. “Surrender unconditionally, even in the absence of evidence, to the truth of the cosmos.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

103. “When you are angry with your mother, you forget all the wonderful things she has done for you. And when you are happy with your father, you forget all the strict discipline he has imposed upon you. Right?”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

104. “You may value me for what I have and what I do. But I am not what I have or what I do. If you love me, focus on who I am: my hungers and my fears, and my potential to focus on who you are.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

105. “The world may be ever-changing and full of uncertainties, but walking away is not the answer. World-rejection, according to the epic, is dangerous and destructive.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

106. “Such is the law of karma. Every action, howsoever innocent, has a reaction, that one has to experience if not in this life, then in the next,’ said.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

107. “I write on sacred stories, symbols and rituals of all cultures – European, American and Chinese – but my audiences, typically, like me to focus on India.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

108. “It is difficult to establish where the effects of a boon end and the influence of a curse begins.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

109. “When we understand, we do not seek control of the other, hence are liberated. We.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

110. “God does not interfere with fate; he simply helps man cope with it.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

111. “Within the infinite myths lies the eternal truth.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

112. “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

113. “Action focussed on intent is better than action focussed on outcome.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

114. “Unlike the unenlightened householder, for whom material life is either a burden or an indulgence, Krishna embodies the enlightened householder: he who lives as a householder but thinks like a hermit, is engaged in everything but possessive of nothing.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

115. “Those who believe in karma do not blame. They do not judge. They accept that humans live in a sea of consequences, over which there is limited control. So they accept every moment as it is supposed to be. They act without expectation.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

116. “Peace comes when one comes to terms with the three worlds: the personal world, the cultural world and the natural world.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

117. “At that moment, the king realized how different man was from animal. 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. Humanity was blessed with a faculty that enabled it to empathize and exploit. It was this unique faculty that allowed humans to forsake the jungle and establish civilization.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

118. “Our behaviour towards others is based on what we see and how we process our observation.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

119. “Religious or secular, all myths make profound sense to one group of people. Not to everyone. They cannot be rationalized beyond a point. In the final analysis, you either accept them or you don’t.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

120. “One can argue, why not simply give the solution; why go through the trouble of creating a puzzle? Ancient Hindus believed, wisdom must never be given. It has to be taken. And.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

121. “Violence Without violence, there is no nourishment. Unless the mineral is consumed, the plant cannot grow. Unless the plant is consumed, the animal cannot grow. Physical growth demands the consumption of another. Only mental growth is possible without consuming another; but it is a choice humans rarely make.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

122. “Only when there is undiluted compassion for everyone, even our worst enemies, is ego truly conquered. Realization.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

123. “A hermit seeks meaning for himself but only a king can create a world that enables everyone to find meaning. Choose.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

124. “Only the ignorant think they alone are responsible for an outcome.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

125. “Ancient Hindus believed, wisdom must never be given. It has to be taken.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

126. “Memories Distort Observation.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

127. “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

128. “This is the world of Krishna, a world where what matters more than the deed is the thought behind the deed.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

129. “What cannot be understood by the human intellect need not be feared because it ultimately comes from God.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

130. “Our behaviour towards others is based on what we see and how we process our observation. But not all things can be seen. Jati can be seen but not varna.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

131. “Animals are loyal to a pack, a herd, a hive; human beings can choose which side they fight on. And the choice must be based on dharma.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

132. “Thus Krishna acknowledges the violence that is implicit in human survival. More than the act of violence, what matters is the thought behind the violence. The demons seek to hurt Krishna because his existence threatens Kamsa; their violence is rooted in Kamsa’s fear and his refusal to accept his fate. Such violence is adharma. Krishna’s violence is defensive, rooted in the human need to survive and thrive; he does not want to hurt or exploit anyone. His violence is therefore dharma.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

133. “Vyasa thus shows how confrontation and conflict does not necessarily happen when one is right and the other is wrong; it can happen simply because two people follow different value systems.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

134. “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

135. “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

136. “History seeks to be everyone’s truth, but is limited by available facts. More.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

137. “Knowledge does not outlive death. Wealth does.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

138. “Dharma thus has nothing to with rules or obligations. It has to do with intent and caring for the other, be it your kingdom or your family.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

139. “Leaders often equate themselves with lions, and indulge their desire to dominate when, in fact, the point of leadership is to be secure enough to outgrow the lion within us, and enable and empower those around us. But this is not easy, as anxiety overpowers the best of leaders.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

140. “Do you derive your identity by comparing yourself with me? This is maya, a necessary delusion without which society cannot function. It can uplift you with inspiration, depress you with jealousy or grant you peace by revealing how different you are from me.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

141. “Your reality is different from my reality, because your body is different, your filters are different, your experiences are different, your knowledge is different.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

142. “Dharma is all about helping the helpless.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

143. “Prayer earns merit. Merit makes life predictable. Keeps away accidents and surprises.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

144. “There is no evidence of a perfect world, a perfect man or a perfect family anywhere on earth.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

145. “Only the truly enlightened know the world as it truly is; the rest construct a reality that comforts the ego.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

146. “The aim is to get as close to nature as possible, shattering the tyranny of cultural values and judgements. In the Vedic approach, self-realization has to be achieved by detached adherence to cultural values and judgements, social roles.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

147. “Accept that infinite occurrences of the universe cannot be fathomed by the finite human mind.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

148. “The Gita does not speak of changing the world. It speaks of appreciating the world that is always changing.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

149. “There is no one but ourselves to blame for our problems: neither God nor any oppressors.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik

150. “Vengeance will never take away sorrow. It will breed more anger.”

— Devdutt Pattanaik