BHUBANESWAR: Divinity without the feminine form is incomplete in Hinduism. One cannot have Jagannath temple without the presence of Devi Subhadra and Goddesses Laxmi, Bimala and Mangala. Both Gods and Goddesses co-exist in Hinduism, opined author Devdutt Pattanaik on Saturday.
Speaking on a session titled ‘The myths of India: Between memory and history’ at OLF 2024, the bestselling author said when one tries to create Hinduism in which Goddesses do not exist, means Rama without Sita, Krishna without Radha and Shiva without Parvati, it is ‘ashubh’ (not auspicious).
“You have to respect the Goddess not as a token, but as shakti (power). Lord Jagannath’s form is very enormous. Odisha has a very famous scripture called Laxmi Puran. It says when the Goddess is not respected, you will not get food. Even God has to eat burnt food. These are very powerful ideas which people do not understand. Buddhism is about a prince who walks away from his wife. Hinduism is about Lord Shiva having to marry Shakti. If Buddhism is a householder becoming a hermit, Hinduism is about a hermit becoming a householder,” he said.
That, the author said, is the foundational difference. Buddhism and Jainism are about monastic orders until they become tantrik. The singularity is there unlike Hinduism. Ramayana is not there without Sita and Mahabharata needs a Droupadi, he said. “The Goddess is missing in the current dispensation. It’s like a vegetarian celibate man. It’s terribly boring. There is no alankar. Everybody is wearing ‘gerua bastra’ (saffron clothes). There is no shringar. They systematically get the Goddess out. Ritually too, they have done wrong. One cannot do a puja without ardhangini (wife) sitting next to you. Get the Goddess in and see how much prosperity will come to the country,” he said.
On whether Hindus are identified with vegetarian diet, Devdutt said, vegetarian means simple food, not pure food. “Vegetarian food emerges from being simple. Pure and simple have very different meanings. Simple means humility, but purity means arrogance. Pure vegetarian says you are impure whereas simple vegetarian says I am trying to be simple and simplify my life,” he said.
People, he said, really get upset when they are told ghee is animal fat. But it is animal fat and it is basic chemistry. Those who get upset are not interested in being simple, they are interested in being superior, he added.
The session was moderated by consulting editor of The Sunday Standard Ravi Shankar.
