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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In a 2017 interview with Scroll.in, Devdutt Pattanaik argues that people make sense of life through different myths—including stories centered on one god, many gods, or no god. He connects those worldviews to culture and social life, and calls for respect across them. These are Pattanaik’s interpretations, not a neutral definition of religion or a scholarly consensus.
What Pattanaik means by myth
In the interview, conducted by Urmi Chanda-Vaz and published on 22 July 2017, Pattanaik uses “myth” broadly: a way people or communities understand truth, the world, life’s purpose, and death. He calls a myth “somebody’s truth” and argues that it deserves respect because it gives meaning from within a particular worldview.
That framing helps explain the interview’s title. Pattanaik says, “The mythology of one god is what we call religion.” He is not offering a definition shared by all scholars or religious communities; he is describing how he sees myth-making at work in different beliefs, including belief in one god, many gods, or no god.
How he connects myth, culture, and social life
Pattanaik describes culture as “domesticated and transformed nature.” He also treats mythology as more than stories about deities: national narratives and visions of a promised future can shape how communities understand themselves. In his view, the stories people live by influence their expectations, values, and relationships.
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He argues that recognizing different myths can help people live together rather than treating one worldview as the only legitimate one. His concise contrast is: “Singularity gives us power. Plurality demands love.” He suggests that plurality can be inconvenient for political and business interests. That is his analysis of the social and political stakes, not an independently established rule about every political group or institution.
What he says about gender and sexuality
The conversation also considers gender and sexuality in mythology. Pattanaik points to Shiva as Gopeshwara and Vishnu as Mohini as examples relevant to those themes. His comparisons among religious traditions are interpretive; they should not be read as a complete account of those traditions or as proof that their communities have always held one uniform view of gender and sexuality.
Why he calls his interpretations “my” Gita and “my” Hanuman Chalisa
Pattanaik explains that the word “my” in titles such as My Gita and My Hanuman Chalisa signals a subjective reading, not a claim to provide the single objective account. He acknowledges that readers have criticized his interpretation of the Gita. The interview’s point is that interpretation is part of the conversation around scripture, not that his reading settles it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Writing, criticism, and books mentioned
Pattanaik describes writing as a way to clear and refine his thoughts. He also says he turns negative online attention into motivation to write. The interview names Leader: 50 Insights From Indian Mythology, Culture: 50 Insights From Mythology, My Hanuman Chalisa, My Gita, and the novel The Pregnant King. They provide context for his discussion; the interview is not a review of these books.
Read the original Scroll.in interview with Devdutt Pattanaik. Pattanaik’s website also republishes the conversation and identifies Scroll.in as its original publisher.
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