Pune: Jainism Embraced Non-Violence In Its Truest Sense, Says Devdutt Pattanaik At 4th Deccan Literature Festival

Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik graced the 4th Deccan Literature Festival at the Balagandharv Rang Mandir in Pune. He participated in a segment titled ‘Decoding the Stories of Gods and Saints,’ moderated by author Sudha Menon. This was the second session of the two-day festival that celebrated literature in languages such as Marathi, Hindi, English, and Urdu, and brought together various artistes and art forms.

Reflecting on Jainism, Pattanaik emphasised its preexistence before Buddhism, highlighting its true embrace of non-violence, a core principle of Indian culture. “Jainism existed before Buddha. And it has truly embraced non-violence, which has been considered to be one the important principle of Indian culture. And the fasting culture that the Jain community follows, is also a symbol of all this,” he said.

Delving into the concept of ahimsa (non-violence), Pattanaik lamented the contemporary misinterpretation of Lord Bahubali. “Lord Bahubali is like the virtue of ahimsa in Jainism. But nowadays, Bollywood has glamorised Bahubali into a violent character and that’s why the name ‘Bahubali’ has acquired a different meaning altogether.”

Pattanaik also shared intriguing details, highlighting that the first Tirthankara in Jainism, Rishabhdev, had daughters named Bramhi and Sundari. “People are often unaware that Bramhi is considered the mother of scripts, and Sundari is associated with Mathematics,” he revealed.

Highlighting the significance of the Deccan region encompassing the present-day Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, Pattanaik underscored its importance in mythological literature, urging a deeper understanding of its diverse communities and their stories. "Deccan is geographically important in the mythological literature, but it is hardly mentioned anywhere. The Krishna river, the Vidarbha region, Agastya Muni, Gautam Rishi – all belong to the Deccan. Therefore, when we talk about mythology, we also need to understand its history and geography,” he further added.

The event also saw the presence of notable personalities like Monika Singh – Curator of the Deccan Literature Festival, Jairam Kulkarni and Manoj Thakur – Directors of the Dakani Adab Foundation, among others.