Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition
Goddess worship has long been a significant aspect of Hinduism. In this book David Kinsley, author of The Sword and the Flute—Kali & Krsna: Dark Visions of the Terrible and the Sublime in Hindu Mythology, sorts out the rich yet often chaotic history of Hindu goddess worship.
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To call Radha an adulterous lover of Shri Krishna is totally baseless. Maybe true ONLY as a metaphor for a higher love than the love between two human individuals who are married. The soul's love for the divine.
Contents
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8 K257l299
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10 The M257trk257s
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11 T257r257 Chinnamast257 and the Mah257vidy257s
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12 Goddesses and Sacred Geography
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13 Village Goddesses
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The Indus Valley Civilization
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212 |
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Notes
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Bibliography
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Index
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Common terms and phrases
appearance ascetic asceticism aspect associated auspicious avataras battle Bengal blood Brahma Calcutta central Chinnamasta consort context cosmic cosmos created creation cremation ground cult culture dance death defeat Delhi demons described Devi Devi-bhagavata-purana Devi-mahatmya Devi's devotees dharma divine Durga earth example female fertility festival fierce figurines Ganges Hindu goddesses Hindu tradition History human husband hymn Ibid Iconography identified Indra Indus Valley Indus Valley civilization Kali Karttikeya king Krsna Laksmi lotus Mahabharata Mahadevi Mahavidyas Mahisa male deities male gods Matrkas maya Mohenjo-daro mother mythology myths nature North India nourishing Parvati pithas play popular prakrti Prthivi purana Radha Rama Ramayana Ravana Religion Rg-veda rituals river role sacred sacrifice Sakta sakti Sarasvati Sarasvati River Sati Sati's seems sexual Sita Siva Siva-purana Siva's Siva’s Sri-Laksmi suggests Tantra Tantric Tara temple texts theme Thou tion underlying University Vaisnava Vedic Vedic literature village goddesses Visnu waters wife
Popular passages
Page 74 - Though destitute of virtue, or seeking pleasure (elsewhere), or devoid of good qualities, (yet) a husband must be constantly worshiped as a god by a faithful wife.
Page 70 - Sira, welcome ye this laud, and with the milk which ye have made in heaven Bedew ye both this earth of ours. 6. Auspicious Sita, come thou near : we venerate and worship thee That thou mayst bless and prosper us and bring us fruits abundantly.
Page 75 - For a woman, it is not her father, her son, nor her mother, friends nor her own self, but the husband, who in this world and the next is ever her sole means of salvation. If thou dost enter the impenetrable forest to-day, O Descendant of Raghu, I shall precede thee on foot, treading down the spiky Kusha Grass.
Page 101 - In many respects Durga violates the model of the Hindu woman. She is not submissive, she is not subordinated to a male deity, she does not fulfill household duties, and she excels at what is traditionally a male function, fighting in battle. As an independent warrior who can hold her own against any male on the battlefield, she reverses the normal role for females and therefore stands outside normal society. Unlike the normal female, Durga does not lend her power or sakti to a male consort but rather...
Page 99 - The goddess Durga is one of the most formidable and popular deities of the Hindu pantheon. Her primary mythological function is to combat demons who threaten the stability of the cosmos. In this role, she is depicted as a great battle queen with many arms, each of which wields a weapon. She rides a fierce lion and is described as irresistible in battle. The demon she is most famous for defeating is Mahisa, the buffalo demon. Her most popular epithet is MahisamardinI, the slayer of Mahisa, and her...
Page 44 - He touches the garland made of skulls • in hope that they are geese and shakes the crescent moon with eagerness to grasp a lotus filament. Thinking the forehead-eye a lotus flower, he tries to pry it open. May skanda thus intent on play within his father's anna protect you.
Page 133 - ... leads to hypocrisy. That which is negated is not thereby removed. The rest of life, which does not tidily fit the accepted categories, is still there and demands attention. The body, as we have tried to show, provides a basic scheme for all symbolism. There is hardly any pollution which does not have some primary physiological reference. As life is in the body it cannot be rejected outright. And as life must be affirmed, the most complete philosophies, as William James put it, must find some...
Page 80 - If, in thought, I have never dwelt on any but Rama, may the Goddess Madhavi receive me!
Bibliographic information
| Title | Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition Volume 12 of Hermeneutics: Studies in the History of Religions |
| Author | David Kinsley |
| Edition | reprint, revised |
| Publisher | University of California Press, 1988 |
| ISBN | 052090883X, 9780520908833 |
| Length | 281 pages |
| Subjects |
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Religion / Hinduism / General |
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