Devi: Goddesses of India (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society) (Volume 7) - Softcover

Hawley, John Stratton Stratton; Wulff, Donna Marie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520200586 ISBN 13: 9780520200586

Publisher: University of California Press, 1996

Synopsis

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.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"Demonstrating the range and complexity of feminine imagery in Hindu tradition, Devi offers to scholars and beginners alike a fascinating and useful anthology."―Elaine Pagels, author Gnostic Gospels

"Thought-provoking and new, yet containing a few classics as well, Devi is a most valuable addition to studies of India―society, religion, culture, and art."―Vidya Dehejia, Smithsonian Institution

"A wonderfully informative group of essays about the main goddess figures of India. These sometimes dominate the male and sometimes stand alone, and they range from the fertile river Ganga to the awesome Kali, who is transforming herself in the West."―Ninian Smart, University of California, Santa Barbara

About the Author:

John S. Hawley is Professor of Religion at Barnard College and Director of the the National Resource Center for South Asia at Columbia University. Donna M. Wulff is Professor of Religion at Brown University. Together they edited The Divine Consort: Radha and the Goddesses of India (1986).

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0520200586
• ISBN 13: 9780520200586
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 366