Author: R.U.S. Prasad Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 1351806556 Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 169
Book Description
The book examines Sarasvati’s origin, the course of her flow and the place of her disappearance in a holistic manner. Based on a close analysis of texts from the early Rig-Veda to the Brahmanas and the Puranas, it discusses different view-points in a balanced perspective and attempts to drive the discussions towards the emergence of a consensus view. The author delineates the various phases of Sarasvati’s evolution to establish her unique status and emphasise her continued relevance in the Hindu tradition. The book argues that the practice of pilgrimage further evolved after its association with the river Sarasvati who was perceived as divinity personified in Hindu tradition.
Author: R.U.S. Prasad Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1351806548 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 170
Book Description
Sarasvati assumes different roles, a physical river and a river goddess, then as a goddess of speech and finally that of a goddess of learning, knowledge, arts and music. References to Sarasvati in the Vedas and the Brahmanas, the Mahabharata and the Puranas and her marked presence in other religious orders, such as Buddhism, Jainism and the Japanese religion, form the basis of discussion as regards her various attributes and manifestations. In Jainism, her counter-part is Sutra-devi, in Buddhism it is Manjusri and Prajnaparamita and in the Japanese religion, Benten is the representative goddess. The physical presence of Sarasvati in various iconic forms is seen in Nepal, Tibet and Japan. Tantrism associated with Sarasvati also finds reflection in these religious traditions. Sculptors and art historians take delight in interpreting various symbols her iconic forms represent. The book examines Sarasvati’s origin, the course of her flow and the place of her disappearance in a holistic manner. Based on a close analysis of texts from the early Rig-Veda to the Brahmanas and the Puranas, it discusses different view-points in a balanced perspective and attempts to drive the discussions towards the emergence of a consensus view. The author delineates the various phases of Sarasvati’s evolution to establish her unique status and emphasise her continued relevance in the Hindu tradition. The book argues that the practice of pilgrimage further evolved after its association with the river Sarasvati who was perceived as divinity personified in Hindu tradition. This, in turn, led to the emergence of numerous pilgrimage sites on or near her banks which attracted a large number of pilgrims. A multifaceted and interdisciplinary analysis of a Hindu goddess, this book will be of interest to academics researching South Asian Religion, Hinduism and Indian Philosophy as also the general readers.
Author: John Stratton Hawley Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN: 9788120814912 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 380
Book Description
The monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have severely limited the portrayal of the divine as feminine. But in Hinduism "God" very often means "Goddess." This extraordinary collection explores twelve different Hindu goddesses, all of whom are in some way related to Devi, the Great Goddess. They range from the liquid goddess-energy of the River Ganges to the possessing, entrancing heat of Bhagavati and Seranvali. They are local, like Vindhyavasini, and global, like Kali; ancient, like Saranyu, and modern, like "Mother India." The collection combines analysis of texts with intensive fieldwork, allowing the reader to see how goddesses are worshiped in everyday life. In these compelling essays, the divine feminine in Hinduism is revealed as never before--fascinating, contradictory, powerful.
Author: Shrikala Warrier Publisher: MAYUR University ISBN: 0953567974 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 297
Book Description
Hindu theology views rivers as goddesses who confer blessings and spiritual purification and their release from the grip of the demon of drought is a recurring theme in the mythology. India is a country blessed with many rivers, but of these, seven are considered to be particularly important. Known collectively as Saptaganga, Sapta Sindhu or Saptapunyanadi, the Ganges, Yamuna, Sindhu, Sarasvati, Godavari, Narmada and Kaveri rivers are invoked at the start of every ritual. They weave through sacred narratives about gods, sages and heroes and define the physical, spiritual and cultural landscape of Bharatavarsha.
Author: David L. Haberman Publisher: Univ of California Press ISBN: 0520247906 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 296
Book Description
"Very few scholars in religious studies have achieved Haberman's combination of textual and ethnographic authority. The book is groundbreaking, building on his achievements in the study of the religious traditions of Braj; he is widely regarded as a major authority on this area of Hinduism's complex regional matrix. The superior scholarship, combined with the author's personal voice, gives the book additional resonance, bringing to light an urgent environmental and moral challenge."—Paul B. Courtright, co-editor, From the Margins of Hindu Marriage: Essays in Gender, Religion, and Culture
Author: Prof. Sashi Bhusan Dasgupta Publisher: Advaita Ashrama (A publication branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math) ISBN: 8175058862 Category : Body, Mind & Spirit Languages : en Pages : 59
Book Description
The concept and practice of ‘Worship of God as Mother’ in India dates to a hoary past. In the modern age new vistas of this type of divine worship have been opened up with the advent of Sri Ramakrishna whose life and spiritual practices have taught humankind not only to look upon God as Mother of the Universe but also to realize Her as residing in the hearts of all, especially women. His divine consort, Sri Sarada Devi, was looked upon as a special manifestation of that Mother of the Universe and is literally adored by countless devotees. She was the Mother of the virtuous and the wicked, humans and sub-humans. Evolution of Mother Worship in India traces the growth of this ideal as embodied in some of its well-known characters in Indian history and literature.
Author: David Kinsley Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN: 9788120803947 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 296
Book Description
Hindu Goddesses is a valuable sourcebook and reference work for students and scholars of Hindu goddesses and of Hinduism in general. Each goddess is dealt with as an independent deity with a coherent mythology, theology and, in some cases, cult of her own. Within the complex, diverse, and rich goddess traditions of Hinduism, one can find suggestions of nearly every important theme in the Hindu religion. In many ways, this book is as much a study of the Hindu tradition itself as it is a study of one aspect of that tradition. No other living religious tradition has displayed such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship.
Author: R.U.S. Prasad
Author: R.U.S. Prasad
Author: John Stratton Hawley
Author: Shrikala Warrier
Author: David L. Haberman
Author: Prof. Sashi Bhusan Dasgupta
Author: Shyam Kishore Lal
Author: Kailash Nath Seth
Author: David Kinsley
Author: David R. Kinsley