The Lalita Cult

Author : V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Religion
ISBN : 8120814983

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The Lalita Cult by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Pdf

The Lalita Cult has figured and still figures prominently among the countless cults of ancient India. Lalita is looked upon by the Hindus as a divine manifestation of the goddess Durga. The cult of Lalita is intimately associated with the Sakti cult or the worship of the Divine as Energy in the feminine form. The present book studies the cult of Lalita from a historical point of view. Though this study is mainly based on the Lalitopakhayana section of the Brahmanda Purana, an endeavour is made to review other phases of the Sakti cult and its place in Vedic literature, and particularly to examine its philosophical basis. The study also aims to remove certain misconceptions and improved theories which have obscured the true import and value of the Sakti cult.

Author : V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 100 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 1942
Category : Shaktism
ISBN : OCLC:28029937

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The Lalitā Cult by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Pdf

Author : David Gordon White
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 662 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 8120817788

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Tantra in Practice by David Gordon White Pdf

Tantra in Practice is the eight volume of Princeton Readings in Religions and the first substantial anthology of Tantric works ever to appear in English. The thirty-nine contributors, drawn from around the world, are leading scholars of Tantra. Each contributor has provided a translation of a key work, in most cases translated here for the first time. Each chapter in the volume begins with an introduction in which the translator discusses the history and influence of the work, identifying points of particular difficulty or interest. David White has provided a general introduction to the volume that serves as an ideal guide to the riches contained between the covers of this book. He has organized the volume thematically, providing fascinating juxtapositions of works from different regions, periods, and traditions. Two additional tables of contents are provided, organizing the works by tradition and by country of origin. The range of works represented here is remarkable, spanning the continent of Asia and the traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam over more than a millennium. With the publication this volume, the long disparaged and neglected Tantric traditions of Asia receive the attention they so rightly deserve. This is a groundbreaking work.

Author : Beane
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 302 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 1977
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004642867

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Myth, Cult and Symbols in Sakta Hinduism by Beane Pdf

Author : V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 412 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : History
ISBN : 8120810236

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The Mauryan Polity by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Pdf

Author : Rajeshwari Ghose
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 474 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Religion
ISBN : 812081391X

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The Tyāgarāja Cult in Tamilnāḍu by Rajeshwari Ghose Pdf

Tiruvarur in the Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu was the centre of Saiva and Sakta worship from very ancient times. The Saiva cult revolved around the Tyagaraja icon enshrined in a temple bearing the name of the image. Interestingly, Tyagaraja is not the principle deity but a processional icon and is in fact an amalgam of three deities--Siva his consort Uma and their child Skanda. Tyagaraja is a Somaskanda and the first visual representation of this composite deity can be traced to the time of Pallava rule.

Author : V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
Page : 704 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Puranas
ISBN : 8120912748

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The Puraṇa Index by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Pdf

Author : Katherine Anne Harper,Robert L. Brown
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2012-02-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780791488904

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The Roots of Tantra by Katherine Anne Harper,Robert L. Brown Pdf

Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, Tantra has been the most difficult to define. Almost everything about it—its major characteristics, its sources, its relationships to other religions, even its practices—are debated among scholars. In addition, Tantrism is not confined to any particular religion, but is a set of beliefs and practices that appears in a variety of religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. This book explores one of the most controversial aspects of Tantra, its sources or roots, specifically in regard to Hinduism. The essays focus on the history and development of Tantra, the art history and archaeology of Tantra, the Vedas and Tantra, and texts and Tantra. Using various disciplinary and methodological approaches, from history to art history and religious studies to textual studies, scholars provide both broad overviews of the beginnings of Tantra and detailed analyses of specific texts, authors, art works, and rituals.

Author : Karen Pechilis
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780195145373

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The Graceful Guru by Karen Pechilis Pdf

A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi.

Author : Ludo Rocher
Publisher : Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
Page : 294 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Hindu literature, Sanskrit
ISBN : 3447025220

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The Purāṇas by Ludo Rocher Pdf

Author : Annette Wilke,Oliver Moebus
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
Page : 1137 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-01-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9783110240030

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Sound and Communication by Annette Wilke,Oliver Moebus Pdf

In Hindu India both orality and sonality have enjoyed great cultural significance since earliest times. They have a distinct influence on how people approach texts. The importance of sound and its perception has led to rites, models of cosmic order, and abstract formulas. Sound serves both to stimulate religious feelings and to give them a sensory form. Starting from the perception and interpretation of sound, the authors chart an unorthodox cultural history of India, turning their attention to an important, but often neglected aspect of daily religious life. They provide a stimulating contribution to the study of cultural systems of perception that also adds new aspects to the debate on orality and literality.

Author : Tārāpada Bhaṭṭācāryyeṇa
Publisher : Varanasi : Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1969
Category : Brahman
ISBN : UOM:39015050953846

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The Cult of Brahmā by Tārāpada Bhaṭṭācāryyeṇa Pdf

Author : Sthaneshwar Timalsina
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2015-11-19
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781317606338

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Tantric Visual Culture by Sthaneshwar Timalsina Pdf

Indian culture relies greatly on visual expression, and this book uses both classical Indian and contemporary Western philosophies and current studies on cognitive sciences, and applies them to contextualize Tantric visual culture. The work selects aspects of Tantric language and the practice of visualization, with the central premise to engage cognitive theories while studying images. It utilizes the contemporary theories of metaphor and cognitive blend, the theory of metonymy, and a holographic theory of epistemology with a focus on concept formation and its application to the study of myths and images. In addition, it applies the classical aesthetic theory of rasa to unravel the meaning of opaque images. This philosophical and cognitive analysis allows materials from Indian culture to be understood in a new light, while engaging contemporary theories of cognitive science and semantics. The book demonstrates how the domains of meaning and philosophy can be addressed within any culture without reducing their intrinsic cultural significance. By addressing these key aspects of Tantric traditions through this approach, this book initiates a much-needed dialogue between Indian and Western theories, while encouraging introspection within the Indic traditions themselves. It will be of interest to those studying and researching Religion, Philosophy and South Asian Culture.

Author : Benjamin Walker
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 840 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2019-04-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780429624193

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Hindu World by Benjamin Walker Pdf

This work, first published in 1968, presents the fabulous world of Hinduism in its entirety in two volumes. It is the first general encyclopedia of Hinduism covering every major aspect of Hindu life and thought, embodying the results of modern scholarship yet not ignoring the traditional point of view. It contains over 700 articles, each of which gives a comprehensive account of the subject, and by a system of cross references interlinks all topics related to it, so that a single theme may be traced in all its ramifications through the whole book. An index of over 8,000 items, which in itself forms a veritable treasury of Sanskrit terms and names, will further assist the researcher finding their way among the lesser topics treated in the work.

Author : Sanjukta Gupta
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass
Page : 494 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2013-01-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9788120835429

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The Cosmic Play of Power by Sanjukta Gupta Pdf

In Hindu theology, Divine Power is conceived as a divine woman-the Goddess. Sometimes she is wholly autonomous and sometimes she is the divine spouse of the creator God, Siva or Visnu. She is also held to be the evolving material source of every created phenomenon. Religious texts like Puranas and Tantras have thoroughly investigated the mysterious nature of the Cosmic Goddess. Tantra as a religious practice endeavoured to show how through ritual and Yoga one may achieve the realization of the mystery of the Supreme Goddess. Authors in Sanskrit and modern Indian languages have poured out their ecstatic devotion to the Goddess. She is close to the heart of the passionate devotee, who adores her as mother or daughter - a mortal emotional bond with the divine so peculiar to Hindus. She is also sovereign Power a little part of which reigning royalties covet to possess in order to be good rulers. AS the divine woman she is represented in all women. Therefore women should be holding a high position amongst Hindus. But the question is, do they? In spite of the obvious contrary evidence, women do succeed in carving out a very important position in Hindu religious practices by having their alternative religious rituals highly valued by Hindu women have a very complex interrelationship. The book focuses on the great cosmic Goddess and her ritual worship, Tantric theology and praxis in a wider sense, the attitude of her devotees towards her authority and the social character of the Tantric practitioners, and the position of Bhakti. It also figures out the position of women inside the Tantric and non-Tantric Hindu religious milieu. The Goddess symbolizes the supreme divine authority that activates the creation, protection and governance and necessary dissolution of the world in accordance with the ancient Indian concept of cyclical time. But She also discharges the divine sovereign privilege of punishing evil-doers and rewarding true devotees. Finally, the relevant forms of the Cosmic Goddess in this book are Sri/Tripurasundari/ Lalita; Goddess Kali and Her various emanations; and Laksmi and Her powers in the Pancaratra canonical texts.