Buddha had a cousin who often argued with him and opposed him. His name was Devdutt, or Devadatta. He was also Buddha's brother-in-law. People often ask me if I was named after this anti-Buddha. But I was not. I was named Devdutt because my mother liked the meaning, 'gift of god'. It happens to also be the name of Arjuna's conch and Narada's lute. Dutta, the hermit son of Atri and Anasuya, visualised with a trident, a cow and four dogs, is often called Dutt-dev or Dev-dutt.

The Buddhist 'gift of god' had problems with the 'awakened one', who was once his cousin, Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakya clan. And there are many stories where Devdutt is presented as the antagonist to establish the Buddha's character, and amplify his wisdom. While Devdutt is as charismatic and capable as the Buddha, his jealousy pulls him down, makes him the lesser of the two.