Devdutt Pattanaik writes, illustrates and lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He has, since 1996, written over thirty books and 700 columns on how stories, symbols and rituals construct the subjective truth (myths) of ancient and modern cultures around the world. His books include 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art, Myth=Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, Olympus: An Indian Retelling of the Greek Myths, Business Sutra: A Very Indian Approach to Management, My Gita and Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik. To know more, visit devdutt.com.
<p>Many historians believe that Jainism and other hermit schools were simply a reaction to Vedic ritualism. But for most Jains, their religion has no origin: it has always been around.</p><p> 1. Jainism was rediscovered by Rishabh-dev, the first Tirthankar of this era.</p><p> 2. Rishabh's eldest son, Bharat, became Chakravarti, king of kings, and gave the country its name.</p><p> 3. Bahubali, Bharat's younger brother, renounced violence and followed the Jain path of freedom. </p><p> 4. Rishabh was followed by twenty-three other Tirthankars. The last of them was Mahavir, who lived around 2,500 years ago.</p><p>In Bahubali, Devdutt Pattanaik explores the stories, symbols, rituals and ideas</p><p>associated with one of India's most ancient but lesser-known faiths, and shows us why</p><p>the tenets of Jainism are still very relevant to all of us even today.</p>
