Category: Mythology
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Rights: Translation rights available for Indian and International languages (excluding Hindi and Kannada)
Manu said that a woman’s dharma is to be mother, daughter, sister and wife in service of men, no matter what the caste. We call this patriarchy in modern times. In Indian tradition, this would be seen as an expression of the frightened and hungry ego (aham) that seeks control and favours hierarchy.
Hindu, Buddhist and Jain lore is also full of tales where women do not let men define who they are or should be. We call this feminism in modern times. In Indian tradition, this would be seen as an expression of the secure and content soul (atma) that is at peace with freedom, diversity and dynamism.
While in Western myth, patriarchy is traditional and feminism is progressive, in Indian myth patriarchy and feminism have always co-existed, in eternal tension. Liberation (mukti) is not a new idea. It has always been there. You have heard the tales of patriarchy. This book tells you the other tales, they don’t tell you.
Translations:
Sati Savitri – The Kannada translation of Sati Savitri (forthcoming)
The author: Devdutt Pattanaik