Devī-Māhātmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess TraditionThe Devi-Mahatmya is well-known to both devotees and scholars of the Indian Great Goddess. It is the first comprehensive account of the Goddess in Sanskrit, and it has maintained its centrality in the Goddess (Sakta) tradition to the present day. Like so much in that tradition, however, the text has until now resisted careful study from an historical perspective. It is this study that the present volume accomplishes.The central task here is to explore how an anonymous Sanskrit text articulates a view of ultimate reality as feminine when there is virtually no precedent in the Sanskrit tradition for such a view. To accomplish this task, an appropriate method of scriptural analysis is developed. This involves an examination of Hindu understanding of the Puranas in general, and of the Devi-Mahatmya in particular, along with consideration of several recent scholarly discussions, in India and elsewhere. Subsequently, a comprehensive inquiry into the Goddess's epithets in this text is undertaken, followed by examination of the earlier history of the myths that the Devi-Mahatmya associates with her. The study culminates in translations of the text's hymns, which are annotated so as to indicate the synthesis that is here being accomplished. The resulting illumination of Sanskritized form of Goddess worship is what Daniel H.H. Ingalls calls in his Foreword a notable scholarly achievement. |
Contents
| 9 | |
| 19 | |
A Purana a Portion of | 25 |
The Dynamics of Composition and the Structure | 69 |
canḍikā | 98 |
nārāyaṇī | 106 |
bhagavati | 114 |
vaisnavi | 123 |
bhadrakali | 190 |
yoganidranidrā | 192 |
visņumāyā | 195 |
sanātani | 196 |
mahadevi | 197 |
viśveśvari | 198 |
bhadraaparăjităalakṣmimahārātri 199 | 199 |
medhapuṣṭisantikṣāntituṣṭi | 202 |
aindri | 132 |
iśvari | 138 |
maheśvari | 144 |
śakti | 145 |
gauri | 153 |
lakṣmi | 157 |
varadă | 160 |
lajjā | 162 |
parameśvari | 163 |
śri | 166 |
śraddha | 169 |
kalyāṇī | 174 |
iśǎ | 176 |
pārvati | 177 |
prakyti | 180 |
katyayani | 186 |
mahāvidyāvidya | 188 |
vārāhi | 189 |
kṛṣṇatāmasi | 203 |
dhātrijagaddhatri | 205 |
narasimhi | 206 |
mahāmārī | 207 |
THE MYTHS 209249 | 209 |
Madhu and Kaiṭabha | 211 |
Mahiṣa | 221 |
3 | 222 |
Śumbha and Niśumbha | 231 |
note 473 | 235 |
The Vamana Purana Account | 241 |
From the Rg Veda | 255 |
CONCLUSION 303309 | 303 |
The Seven Little Mothers | 313 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 330 |
xii | 339 |
INDEX | 349 |
Common terms and phrases
Agni Ambika appears Appendix association Asuras auspicious Banerjea battle Brahma Brāhmaṇa Buitenen tr called Camuṇḍā carita cited constituted text context creatures critical edition cult deity Devi discussion divine DM's Durga epic episode epithet eternal evidence fact feminine Gauri Goddess Goddess who abides gods Gonda Gupta hail Hindu historical hymn hymnic Ibid Indian Indra instances Kaiṭabha Kāli Kamsa Khila Kṛṣṇa Kṛttikās Laksmi literature lotus Madhu Mahābhārata mahāmāyā Mahiṣa MarkP material mātṛs matter māyā Mbh account motifs myth mythology Nārāyaṇī Niśumbha occurs origin Parvati passage praise prakṛti Proleg Purāṇa Purāņas Puranic Rāmānuja recensions reference relationship Religion religious remarks role Rudra śakti Samkhya Sanskrit Scheftelowitz seen seers Seven Little Mothers significance simply Śiva Skanda slay smṛti śraddha Śri śruti suggested Sūkta Sumbha supra Svāhā textual tion tradition translation ultimate reality University usage Veda Vedic verses Visņu word worship
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