More queries about divinity answered

Sai R. Vaidyanathan

The celestial realm — with its multiple gods and goddesses having different roles and their numerous conflicts with evil ones — is not easy to fathom. To make this enigmatic sphere less perplexing, Devdutt Pattanaik has brought out the third book of his ‘Devlok’ series.

If a reader has liked parts one and two of the series, the reader can go ahead and order part 3 as it is on similar lines. The book introduces the reader to 18 diverse topics from Devlok, the world of gods. The language is simple and the chapters are small, making Devlok 3 an easy read.

The book, as its earlier parts, based on question-answer sessions in a television series. It is not supposed to go too deep, and it doesn’t.

Knowing about Lords Rama and Krishna in detail is vital to knowing Hinduism. The book has three chapters on topics from the Ramayana and two on Lord Krishna’s life. From lok kathas (folk tales), the writer mentions a rakshasha called Taranisen, a Rama devotee, “who writes Rama’s name all over his body. Rama wonders how he can possibly kill him. So he asks him to shoot an arrow in his mouth.”

On Radha’s unequalled devotion to Krishna, Devdutt shares a folk tale about the duo. Krishna “falls ill” and the cure is “dirt from a woman’s feet”. No one from among his numerous wives is willing to oblige because if they do so, they would go to hell. But Radha shows no hesitation. She is willing to suffer if her Lord can get relief!

As the 16 samskars (rituals) in one’s lifetime are vital to the Hindu lifestyle, Devdutt Pattanaik takes those up in the first chapter. The most vital of those — marriage — is discussed separately in another chapter.

But Devlok 3 is not just about Hinduism. Out of the 18 chapters, one each is on Buddhism and Jainism. To one’s surprise, the author reveals that China has a female Buddha and that Jains avoid potato samosas! He writes: “When Buddhism reached China, the Sui dynasty had the first empress...People saw the Buddha in the image of their queen. In China, you find idols of female Buddha or Guanyin.”

There is another interesting fact about why Jains do not eat samosas as they “believe that when root vegetables like radish and potato are pulled out of the earth, many living beings are killed...So they avoid it (potato). Jain samosas use peas instead.”

Devdutt’s focus moves across India with a chapter each on the Khajuraho Temples in Madhya Pradesh and Dravida (South India). Meenakshi, the warrior-queen of Madurai, finds a mention as a traveller from the South to the North. After conquering “the entire country...she reaches Mount Kailasa...meets and falls in love with Shiva who promises to marry her. Even today, her image is married to Shiva who is called Soma Sundaram.”

Then, he goes globetrotting with a chapter each on Greek culture and Christianity. Linking Indian and Greek theatre, Devdutt writes “Greek theatre was famous too. The Natyashastra is supposed to have been inspired from there. We still call a curtain in the theatre ‘yavanika’, literally, ‘of Greece’.”

The volume is a “mix of education and entertainment” that should “provoke readers to dig deeper into the philosophy”.