Reconstructing the Epic: Cultural Memory and Myth in Devdutt Pattanaik's Jaya

The Mahabharata endures as a living tradition, continually reshaped through oral, regional, and modern retellings that preserve its role as a vessel of cultural memory. Devdutt Pattanaik’s Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata exemplifies this process by weaving canonical narratives with folklore, marginalized voices, and symbolic motifs. Through simple language and illustrations, Jaya makes the epic accessible while engaging with themes of dharma, karma, and fate in ways that resonate with contemporary readers. Though criticized for occasional oversimplification, the text contributes significantly to cultural memory by balancing tradition and modernity. This paper argues that Jaya transforms the Mahabharata into a pluralistic and secular narrative that continues to shape identity, ethics, and collective consciousness in evolving contexts.