---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beneath the unabashed clandestine…"
description: "\"“Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical conquest; it is about perfect love and absolute..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png"
---

#  Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the…

![“Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical conquest; it is about perfect love and absolute security that allows married women to dance and sing all night in the forest with a divinely handsome boy. Likewise, the bloodshed at Kurukshetra…” quote by Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png)

> ““Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical conquest; it is about perfect love and absolute security that allows married women to dance and sing all night in the forest with a divinely handsome boy. Likewise, the bloodshed at Kurukshetra is not about property or vengeance; it is about restoring humanity, outgrowing animal instincts, and discovering the divine.””

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The epic’s battles symbolize humanity’s quest for higher love, security, and moral evolution beyond base instincts.

**In simple terms:** War represents spiritual growth and love, not material gain.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper purpose in conflict.

Themes

spirituality war humanity love growth

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- marriage counseling
- conflict resolution
- personal development
- community rituals

Key Concepts

mythology ethical evolution divine love

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we apply the idea of “restoring humanity” to modern conflicts?
- What does “perfect love” look like in everyday life?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex historical and cultural motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-instinct/) [Bloodshed Kurukshetra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloodshed-kurukshetra-4912281/) [Clandestine Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clandestine-sexuality-4912284/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Kurukshetra Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kurukshetra-property-4912282/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Maha Raas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maha-raas-4912283/) [Married women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-women/) [Perfect love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-love/) [Sexuality Maha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality-maha-4912280/)

## Related quotes

> [“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/dharma-is-about-exchange-about-giving-and-receiving-it-is-about/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“This war is not for property. This war is about dharma. And dharma is about outgrowing the animal instinct of territoriality and discovering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/this-war-is-not-for-property-this-war-is-about-dharma-and-dharma-is/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [The entire history of humanity is marked by a single inexorable movement - from animal instinct toward rational thought, from inborn behavior toward acquired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/the-entire-history-of-humanity-is-marked-by-a-single-inexorable/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/very-little-of-the-great-cruelty-shown-by-men-can-really-be/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“Now I happen to possess the bump of locality. It is not a virtue; I make no boast of it. It is merely an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/now-i-happen-to-possess-the-bump-of-locality-it-is-not-a-virtue-i/)

[Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/)

> [I eat not because I want to, not because I have to overcome anything, not to prove myself to anyone, but because it's there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-eat-not-because-i-want-to-not-because-i-have-to-overcome-anything/)

[Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/)

> [Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/be-a-good-animal-true-to-your-animal-instincts/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [“The difference between good and evil is a matter of profundity. Which is nearer you, self-love and its immorality or love and morals? Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare-2/the-difference-between-good-and-evil-is-a-matter-of-profundity-which/)

[Austin Osman, Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare-2/)

> [There is no reason to make the search for friendship sound like an animal instinct. Friendship does not always come as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-e-marty/there-is-no-reason-to-make-the-search-for-friendship-sound-like-an/)

[Martin E. Marty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-e-marty/)

> [“The point that in the absence of birth nobody exists who can be deprived of happiness is terribly conspicuous. For optimists, this fact plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-point-that-in-the-absence-of-birth-nobody-exists-who-can-be/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [Because one has the animal instinct to seek out the people that suits one - you see people that go on life's journeys and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/because-one-has-the-animal-instinct-to-seek-out-the-people-that-suits/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [What has here happened is that the instinct of cruelty, which has turned inwards, has become self-torture, and all man's animal instincts have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/what-has-here-happened-is-that-the-instinct-of-cruelty-which-has/)

[Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/)

> [“You will have guessed what has really happened here, beneath all this: that will to self-tormenting, that repressed cruelty of the animal-man made inward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-will-have-guessed-what-has-really-happened-here-beneath-all-this/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I rely a great deal on animal instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/i-rely-a-great-deal-on-animal-instincts/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [“Darn! what a beautiful night! Heading towards Pandara Road-Gulati Restaurant, with open windows of my baby sedan and this broad chest guy with big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/darn-what-a-beautiful-night-heading-towards-pandara-road-gulati/)

[Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/)

## More by Devdutt Pattanaik

> [“What is the most amazing thing about the world? 'Every day creatures die, yet the rest live as if immortal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/what-is-the-most-amazing-thing-about-the-world-every-day-creatures/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [In Greek mythology, the hero wants to be great, but the very concept does not exist in the Indian vocabulary. Yet it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/in-greek-mythology-the-hero-wants-to-be-great-but-the-very-concept/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/dharma-is-about-exchange-about-giving-and-receiving-it-is-about/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Life is difficult and people are imperfect. Unable to cope with the vagaries of this world, everyone makes mistakes. True love is the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/life-is-difficult-and-people-are-imperfect-unable-to-cope-with-the/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“To let our potential be realized without deriving our identity from it, or without denying its existence, is the hallmark of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/to-let-our-potential-be-realized-without-deriving-our-identity-from/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Each tool symbolizes one of the four things to keep in mind when supervising any project. •The conch-shell trumpet stands for clear communication. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/each-tool-symbolizes-one-of-the-four-things-to-keep-in-mind-when/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“his size, change his shape. He seeks independence from nature. Withdrawing from nature is the first step in this process. Detached from nature, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/his-size-change-his-shape-he-seeks-independence-from-nature/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Hindu thought, however, looks at truth quantitatively: everyone has access to a slice (bhaga); the one who sees all slices of truth is bhaga-van.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/hindu-thought-however-looks-at-truth-quantitatively-everyone-has/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Treta yuga, when the bull of dharma stands on three legs. Krishna’s story takes place in a later, third quarter of the world, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/treta-yuga-when-the-bull-of-dharma-stands-on-three-legs-krishna-s/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“B.R. Ambedkar believed the tale was not so much about Ram’s character as it was about the unsustainability of the caste system that needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/b-r-ambedkar-believed-the-tale-was-not-so-much-about-ram-s-character/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“How does one know the true path? 'Not through arguments-- they never reach a conclusion; not from teachers--- they can only give their opinions;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/how-does-one-know-the-true-path-not-through-arguments-they-never/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Janaka told her to bring happiness into marriage, rather than seek happiness from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/janaka-told-her-to-bring-happiness-into-marriage-rather-than-seek/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Arjuna, immerse your mind in me and I will uplift you from the ocean of recurring death. If you cannot do that, then practise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/arjuna-immerse-your-mind-in-me-and-i-will-uplift-you-from-the-ocean/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [If you don't have imagination, you stop being human; animals don't have imagination; Alzheimer's is the death of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/if-you-don-t-have-imagination-you-stop-being-human-animals-don-t-have/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Control creates domesticated animals. The purpose of society is to inspire humanity, not tame them,’ said Ram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/control-creates-domesticated-animals-the-purpose-of-society-is-to/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

[Explore all 119 Devdutt Pattanaik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

## More Animal instinct quotes

> [“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/dharma-is-about-exchange-about-giving-and-receiving-it-is-about/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“The point that in the absence of birth nobody exists who can be deprived of happiness is terribly conspicuous. For optimists, this fact plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-point-that-in-the-absence-of-birth-nobody-exists-who-can-be/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [The entire history of humanity is marked by a single inexorable movement - from animal instinct toward rational thought, from inborn behavior toward acquired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/the-entire-history-of-humanity-is-marked-by-a-single-inexorable/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [I rely a great deal on animal instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/i-rely-a-great-deal-on-animal-instincts/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [“You will have guessed what has really happened here, beneath all this: that will to self-tormenting, that repressed cruelty of the animal-man made inward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-will-have-guessed-what-has-really-happened-here-beneath-all-this/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [What has here happened is that the instinct of cruelty, which has turned inwards, has become self-torture, and all man's animal instincts have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/what-has-here-happened-is-that-the-instinct-of-cruelty-which-has/)

[Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/)

> [Because one has the animal instinct to seek out the people that suits one - you see people that go on life's journeys and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/because-one-has-the-animal-instinct-to-seek-out-the-people-that-suits/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [“Darn! what a beautiful night! Heading towards Pandara Road-Gulati Restaurant, with open windows of my baby sedan and this broad chest guy with big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/darn-what-a-beautiful-night-heading-towards-pandara-road-gulati/)

[Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/)

> [There is no reason to make the search for friendship sound like an animal instinct. Friendship does not always come as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-e-marty/there-is-no-reason-to-make-the-search-for-friendship-sound-like-an/)

[Martin E. Marty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-e-marty/)

> [“The difference between good and evil is a matter of profundity. Which is nearer you, self-love and its immorality or love and morals? Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare-2/the-difference-between-good-and-evil-is-a-matter-of-profundity-which/)

[Austin Osman, Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare-2/)

> [Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/be-a-good-animal-true-to-your-animal-instincts/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [I eat not because I want to, not because I have to overcome anything, not to prove myself to anyone, but because it's there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-eat-not-because-i-want-to-not-because-i-have-to-overcome-anything/)

[Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/)

> [“Now I happen to possess the bump of locality. It is not a virtue; I make no boast of it. It is merely an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/now-i-happen-to-possess-the-bump-of-locality-it-is-not-a-virtue-i/)

[Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/)

> [Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/very-little-of-the-great-cruelty-shown-by-men-can-really-be/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“Here’s what turns a successful hierarchy into one that impedes progress: when too many people begin, subconsciously, to equate their own value and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/here-s-what-turns-a-successful-hierarchy-into-one-that-impedes/)

[Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/)

[Browse all 55 Animal instinct quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-instinct/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical conquest; it is about perfect love and absolute security that allows married women to dance and sing all night in the forest with a divinely handsome boy. Likewise, the bloodshed at Kurukshetra is not about property or vengeance; it is about restoring humanity, outgrowing animal instincts, and discovering the divine.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Devdutt Pattanaik"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexuality-of-the-maha-raas-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal instinct"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexuality-of-the-maha-raas-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de1/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_animal-instinct_beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexual_2213814.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of the Maha-raas is the absence of desire for any physical…” — Devdutt Pattanaik",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Devdutt Pattanaik",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Beneath the unabashed clandestine sexuality of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexuality-of-the-maha-raas-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/beneath-the-unabashed-clandestine-sexuality-of-the-maha-raas-is-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
