Global Watch | India is undoubtedly seen as the capital of spiritualism, says Ambassador Dinesh Bhatia

Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, also known as Devi Purana, is one of the many works of Maharishi Veda Vyasa. Consisting of 18,000 verses, it is divided into 12 chapters and numerous sections. Though classified as a upapurana (sub-Purana), it is the only Purana that Veda Vyasa terms ‘Mahapurana’, or the great Purana, at the end of each chapter. Vyasa’s narration reiterates that the Supreme Goddess or the Divine Mother, as described in all scriptures, is the one beyond and above the Trinity of Gods and all Devas. The stories in the book not only establish this but also describe various manifestations of the Devi. All the Puranas are essentially collections of stories, through a narrator called Suta, who heard these from his guru, Vyasa. These, in their original form, are woven like a web and are not easy to comprehend since there is no defined order, be it chronological or otherwise. A senior officer of the Indian Foreign Service Dinesh Bhatia has segregated and simplified these stories as well as their underlying philosophies to present them in a simple and comprehensible way in his maiden book Devi Purana: A Rendition of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (Bloomsbury; 2023). Bhatia is currently India’s Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay. He spoke about his book, what it takes for a professional bureaucrat to write a book and how spirituality has proved to be a soft power for India on the global stage. Excerpts: How did you come upon the idea of writing this book? When my children were very young, I used to tell them stories at night from Ramayana, Mahabharat and other scriptures. These were based on knowledge from comic books such as Amar Chitra Katha, TV serials, live Ram-Leela depictions during my childhood, stories heard from my grandparents or in temples and so on. However, when cross-questioned, I realised that my knowledge was not deep enough to answer to their satisfaction. Therefore, I began to study the authentic translations of original scriptures texts to get a deeper understanding.

When both my children reached adolescent age, I encouraged them to read concise versions of our scriptures as, by such time, many were available. However, many were interpretations and deviated from the original texts. Moreover, the language used by many did not interest the children. So much so that it did not interest the young generation at large. At the same time, fathoming the translations of the original texts is not easy as those are verbose and have their stories woven like a mesh which confuses beginners. This was the genesis of my idea of reproducing a scripture in a simple English language with stories presented in a simple order yet accompanying their intricate messaging. What is the essence of this book? Devi Purana is one of the Puranas written by Maharishi Veda Vyasa. It narrates the stories of various forms of the Devi. Through these stories, Vyasa delves deep into philosophies and spiritual concepts. But essentially, the Devi is the only one who is “eternal” in this entire creation. This means that the Devi is not only the supreme Goddess above all others but represents the energy which, as modern science has also discovered, can neither be created nor destroyed. What is the targeted readership? Anyone who wishes to understand our scriptures could begin with this simple rendition of Devi Purana, particularly the young ones. Of course, if one wishes to go deeper, I would recommend reading the original texts / their authentic translations. How does the Western world look at the Indic thought process and Indic literature? Do you see a renewed interest in that? I feel that most foreigners, be they from the West or anywhere else, have a limited understanding of Indian culture, philosophy, traditions and spiritualism. Some of them may have better clarity but they are not too many. Most of them look at only limited aspects and therefore, do not get the holistic picture. An Indian born and living in India has the natural advantage of being in the milieu where many concepts are explained by households, teachers and practitioners alike in our daily lives. There is no doubt that interest in Indian, or rather Bhartiya culture is on the rise not only abroad but also within our own country. How did you approach this subject of your book? In a highly objective fashion. How much time did it take for you to write this book? I could never have written this book or rather re-written the great scripture had I not had the blessings of the Devi. It took me over a year to complete the text and several months again to edit and re-edit at the time of its publication. What can we learn from our ancient scriptures? Our scriptures offer immense knowledge on the way of life, the reasoning behind them, philosophies and eventually linking all of it to spiritualism. However, one ought to be mindful that these were written thousands of years back and therefore, many of the concepts may seem to be unrealistic or impractical. Thus, learnings from them must be grasped objectively. Do you feel that it is important to study Sanskrit to get the true essence of our scriptures? It is important but not essential because, in today’s day and age, most people do not know the Sanskrit language. I feel blessed that I had the good fortune of studying Sanskrit up to Class 10. It became convenient in cross-referencing to lucidly understand a concept or meaning/pronunciation of certain terms. Do you see India’s spiritual traditions as an important soft power? How the rest of the world looks at India in this context? India is, undoubtedly, seen as the capital of spiritualism. It is evident by the reach and popularity of several institutions and organisations promoting ancient Indian culture abroad. Are you planning to write some more books? If so, what is the subject that you are planning to write on? I do have plans but currently, I cannot find time to work on the next book. I have intentions to re-present Bhagavat Purana, Ramayana and Mahabharat, provided I get blessings of the Devi to do so. And eventually, I wish to venture into writing some fiction. What is your advice for professionals who want to write their first book but find little time? I don’t think I can offer such advice. However, one must give one’s 100 per cent in terms of time (however limited it might be), effort, dedication and understanding to such a project to achieve something meaningful. The writer, an author and columnist, has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.