The Sacred Marriage of a Hindu GoddessThis book combines systematic textual study with descriptive fieldwork to explore the relationship between the human and the divine in Hindu life. For at least the past two hundred years, Hindus in southern India have celebrated the marriage of the goddess M♯±n♯¿ksh♯± to the Hindu god ¿¿iva. This annual ten-day celebration is among the largest and most famous Hindu festivals, attracting hundreds of thousands of the faithful each year. This work examines this important ritual event from a variety of perspectives, including the history of religions, Sanskrit and Tamil textual traditions, and Hindu culture. Moving beyond traditional understandings of the category of 'sacred marriage' derived from studies of the ancient Near East, the author reveals that sacred marriage in India functions as a devotional metaphor for Hindu devotees, a way of understanding how deities act toward one another and toward those who worship them. |
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Contents
| 1 | |
Sacred Marriage as a Category 1 Metaphors and Their Uses 4 Sacred | 17 |
The Text as Revelation Theology and History 22 The Document in | 39 |
The Birth and Reign of the GoddessQueen Minākși 44 The Marriage | 51 |
58 Motifs of the Madurai Marriage and the PanIndian Sanskrit Tradition | 60 |
Initial Con | 97 |
Marriage as an Antidote to Sacrifice 112 Women as GoddessesGoddesses | 126 |
130 Marriage as Soteriological Act 134 The Order Marriage Brings | 135 |
Kinship Terms in Personal Devotion | 142 |
Devotion as Financial Contract 143 Devotion as Kinship Alliance 146 Sus | 163 |
Selected Sanskrit Names and Terms and Their Tamil | 197 |
| 209 | |
| 227 | |
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Common terms and phrases
alliance appears associated beautiful becomes body Brahmin bride called caste celebrated ceremony Chapter Citrā claim concerned constitutes context daughter deities describe devotees divine elephant event example fact father feet female festival flowers four given gives goddess gods golden hair hand Hindu human husband important India involved king kingdom kinship lineage lives Lord Madurai male marry means metaphor Minākși mother myth mythology notes occasion occurs offerings Pāņdya particular performed person poet possible presented priests procession provides receive referred regarded relations relationship religious ritual role royal rules sacred marriage Saiva Sanskrit sense Śiva Siva's Sacred Games social son-in-law southern speak specific spouse story Street suggest takes Tamil temple tend things tion tradition transformed understand Vaişņava Vişņu wedding wife woman women worship young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Sacred Marriage of a Hindu Goddess Religion in Asia and Africa series |
| Author | William P. Harman |
| Editor | William P. Harman |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1992 |
| ISBN | 812080810X, 9788120808102 |
| Length | 232 pages |
| Subjects | › Religion / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |