Devdutt Pattanaik’s “Escape the Bakasura Trap”. Book review by Ajay Singha

There is a prevailing belief that accumulating more power, wealth, and resources leads to universal value and recognition. Devdutt Pattanaik’s “Escape the Bakasura Trap” challenges this belief and unchecked consumption, which goes along with it. The book draws a compelling parallel between present-day consumption and Bakasura, a character from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Bakasura was infamous for his insatiable hunger, consuming not just food resources but even those who served him. Similar patterns of greed and excess can be found in today’s society, and as readers delve deeper, they may recognize a little bit of Bakasura within themselves. While consumption is often seen as a path to power and leisure, little attention is paid to its broader impact on oneself.

Pattanaik assumes that his readers have a general awareness of the epics and literature. This may no longer hold true, as business education is focussed on success, consequently the knowledge imparted is domain-specific. In an indirect manner the book suggests an improved understanding of human nature and our insignificant place in the scheme of things. The path to contentment and happiness may commence with this realization, something that often comes later in life. The book references rare concepts such as the Greek notion of Asphodel. While enriching the content, some readers may have to call for AI assistance to really enjoy the contents.

Pattanaik beautifully distills the essence of the Mahabharata, making it palatable to all, even the mildly spiritual or the truly agnostic readership. The book offers a reflection on the dangers of unrestrained consumption and the dissatisfaction it breeds, serving as a mirror for the reader. Its concise and tightly written style, under 200 pages, requires close attention; every word is significant, and skipping even a sentence can disrupt the narrative’s flow. For business professionals, the advice is clear:- sip it down slowly, savor the ideas, allow the words to sink in and the lessons to resonate fully.

A key message in the book is that consuming and hoarding do not eliminate hunger; instead, they fuel an addiction to consumption. Not everyone benefits equally from this system, and those excluded continually seek their share, leading to ongoing conflict. The dynamics between consumers and the consumed forms the core of the “Bakasura trap.”

The Mahabharata is often seen as a tale of war, but Pattanaik explains that it is indeed a discourse on mediation and contentment. The book discusses the human capacity to imagine—using myths to create meaning, identity, and structure within societies. Myths even influence beliefs about hunger persisting beyond death, as seen in Hindu rituals that involve feeding the dead in anticipation of rebirth. Many belief systems, the author notes, use fear of the afterlife, as a way to influence present behaviour.

An anecdote involving Lord Bramha is used to illustrate the importance of selflessness: Bramha instructs his children to eat without bending their elbows. Those who feed others can do so without bending their elbows and become human. Those who only feed themselves, by bending their torsos but not the elbows, become plants and animals, eternally seeking food.

The book also explores the concept of “Yagna,” where the concept of giving is central. In this ritual, what is given away is offered to a deity (Devta), and while the donor (Yajman) receives no guarantee of return. Giving is motivated by the desire to repay debts and build credit. Pattanaik highlights how this belief distinguishes Indian thought from all others. The idea that those with credit are born into privilege while those in debt suffer, emanates from this belief system. True freedom, the author asserts, means liberation from both debts and credits—pain and pleasure alike. Bakasura, the book’s central figure, is ultimately shunned for only taking and never giving.

“Escaping the Bakasura Trap” is recommended for readers everywhere, as the themes of greed, consumption, and the desire for liberation from them are universal. The lessons learnt herein are relevant for all and go far beyond the corporate world. In a way the book encourages readers to seek and understand the Bakasura archetypes in their own lives, avoiding that path and perhaps escaping the Bakasura trap. Part of the title says it all - Let Contentment Fuel Your Growth.

On the Epic of Gilgamesh - Ajay Singha, Raconteur Indica

Apparently there are thirty-six dramatic situations, one or more of which is played out in each epic or story ever written. It is therefore no coincidence that tales from ancient civilizations across continents bear similarities and display remarkable commonalities. Originating in different parts of the world, at various points in time, these epics and ancient stories prompt philosophers and religious teachers to question: Did one narrative or belief system based thereon influence another? Does one epic owe its existence to the other? Since the discovery of the ‘new world’ this uncomfortable reality weighed across the minds of the western intelligentsia. Cross-border readers and global thinkers experienced first-hand, the repetitive, interlinked narratives across civilizations. In continents separated by oceans and land mass the commonalities in ancient storylines appears uncanny, emanating as they do from vastly different socio-cultural backdrops. In present times, the likelihood of one story influencing another is understandable, but it harbors the question: How does the infinite imagination of the human intellect, expressed through prose, poetry, art and music remain within the confines of these finite, time-tested, weather beaten dramatic situations?

One such story is the epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving recorded Babylonian poems. Gilgamesh was a king of Uruk (in modern Iraq) and is believed to have ruled around 2900BC. Historical evidence confirms that the epic was written on clay tablets more than four thousand years ago. Those who care to read the Epic of Gilgamesh will undoubtedly experience a sense of déjà vu. A feeling that one may have read this story or a part it someplace else, and one can predict how the plot may unfold. It would be simplistic to imagine that classic or modern writings have their origins in some form of plagiarism. Especially given the fact that the original Epic of Gilgamesh was translated from ancient cuneiform texts as late as the early 20th century.

2600BC - Gilgamesh and the mythical bull.

Greek, Roman and other early prose, poetry and theatre seems to have their umbilical cord attached to the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is from these works that later classics and modern thinking and writing of the west seem to be influenced. Scholars agree on the deep influence the epic has had on Homer's Illiad and Odessey, written in the 8th century BC. From then on the epic seems to have irrevocably entered western consciousness, deeply influencing western literature and art forever.

2600BC Gilgamesh wrestling with animals (Iraq National Museum)

The book of genesis in the old testament mentions the great deluge and so does the Epic of Gilgamesh. Both accounts attribute the phenomena to the handiwork of God. The deep affection and friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, men of equal strength and vigor stands way back in time, yet the theme gets repeated in several stories, like Achilles and Petrocolus in the Illiad. Gilgamesh is torn apart by immense grief over the loss of his friend, leading to the realization that life is limited and each one of us is in fact racing towards his or her demise. The fear of imminent death grips Gilgamesh and he sets out seeking answers to the “meaning of life” and how to achieve “everlasting life.” These ideas seem to repeat themselves in belief systems, religious literature and stories across centuries.

7th Century BC Assyrian tablet of the Epic mentioning The flood

The epic alludes to creating human beings from clay and dust, a concept which resonates in the Greek and Roman beliefs and echoes in all Abrahamic religious writings. More fundamentally the Epic of Gilgamesh projects civilization and nature in opposition to each other. To be in harmony with nature is preferred, but it gets disturbed as the world progresses. The savage nature of man is portrayed by the character of Enkidu, a theory later propounded and attributed to the philosopher Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century. Enkidu is enticed by a prostitute and after long sexual encounters she ‘civilizes’ him. Later Enkidu and Gilgamesh become inseparable friends and they decide to take on the establishment, namely Humbaba, a kind of penultimate level in the universal hierarchy.

A modern day statue of Gilgamesh (University of Sydney)

Ishtar, the goddess of Uruk, proposes marriage to Gilgamesh who flatly refuses, citing her promiscuous past and the pathetic plight of all her previous lovers. She threatens the supreme god, that if he does not approve and ensure this matrimony she would scream so loud as to awaken the dead. Stories of the living dead and zombies can be traced to many regions and continents over centuries. Most importantly it is a woman who shows Enkidu the way, guiding him from a naïve and simplistic existence to a more evolved and meaningful life. The female form is portrayed both as a source of sensual pleasures and a fountain of knowledge. In his search for “everlasting life” Gilgamesh is guided by the goddess Ishtar who advises him to look at the more positive side of life: savor human relationships, especially with family, and take pleasure in enjoying a healthy existence. At the end of the epic Gilgamesh seems to have completed a cycle, yet in metaphorical terms finds himself just where he started. The ‘Carpe diem” theme finally dawns on Gilgamesh, a concept immortalized much later by the roman poet Horace shortly before the birth of Christ. He concludes that one must make the best of life whilst one is alive. The philosopher Voltaire too reaches a similar conclusion in “Candide” via an equally compelling plot and series of interesting incidents. Belief systems, Greek and Roman classics and present day writers in their own ways have extolled the virtues of this kind of a life philosophy. Eckhart Tolle lucidly elucidates this approach in his best-selling seminal work “The Power of Now.”

The Goddess Ishtar

It is interesting to note that writers turned portions of the epic into their own property, and rightly so, as there is absolutely no way they could have directly accessed and copied the contents of this epic, yet over centuries it managed to permeate civilizations in the far corners of the globe. There is no living sect or believers who consider the text of this epic as holy or divinely ordained. There is no claim giving the acts and omissions of the key characters of the epic any divine sanction. Storylines, plots, concepts, ideas and thinking are non-linear and zigzag their way across time and geographical boundaries. As civilizations reach their zenith, belief systems and philosophies emerge, only to fade away in the mist of time. The plots and storylines which hold them together continue the metamorphoses while retaining their original ethos. They remain inextricably interwoven with human nature which defies time and remains unchanged. The epic continues to shine as a master source of knowledge across time and space for all to access and write their own stories.

....and she "Civilized Enkidu"