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Hindu Goddesses : Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition Author: Kinsley, David R

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Hindu Goddesses : Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition Author: Kinsley, David R cover cover next page > title: Hindu Goddesses : Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition author: Kinsley, David R. publisher: University of California Press isbn10 | asin: 0520063392 print isbn13: 9780520063396 ebook isbn13: 9780585334882 language: English subject Goddesses, Hindu. publication date: 1988 lcc: BL1216.2.K56 1988eb ddc: 294.5/211 subject: Goddesses, Hindu. cover next page > file:///C:/...us-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/cover.html[26.08.2009 10:51:16] page_iii < previous page page_iii next page > Page iii Hindu Goddesses Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition With a New Preface David Kinsley < previous page page_iii next page > file:///C:/...-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_iii.html[26.08.2009 10:51:17] page_iv < previous page page_iv next page > Page iv Disclaimer: Some images in the original version of this book are not available for inclusions in the netLibrary eBook University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England First Paperback Printing 1988 Copyright ã 1986 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kinsley, David R. Hindu goddesses: visions of the divine feminine in the Hindu religious tradition / David R. Kinsley Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Goddesses, Hindu. I. Title. BL1216.2K56 1985 294.5'211 84-28000 ISBN 0-520-06339-2 (ppbk) CIP Printed in the United States of America 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 9 8 7 The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally chlorine-free (TCF). It meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper). < previous page page_iv next page > file:///C:/...-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_iv.html[26.08.2009 10:51:18] page_v < previous page page_v next page > Page v To Margaret Airey and Louise Crittenden < previous page page_v next page > file:///C:/...-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_v.html[26.08.2009 10:51:18] page_vii < previous page page_vii next page > Page vii Contents Preface to the 1997 Printing ix Introduction 1 1. Goddesses in Vedic Literature 6 7 Usas * 8 Prthivi* 9 Aditi 10 Sarasvati* 11 Vac* 13 Nirrti* 14 Ratri* 14 Minor Vedic Goddesses 17 Conclusion 2. Sri-Laksmi* 19 19 The Early History of Sri-Laksmi 23 Sri-Laksmi in Later Hinduism 29 Sri-Laksmi in the Pancaratra* and Sri* Vaisnava* Schools 32 The Worship of Sri-Laksmi file:///C:/...Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_vii.html[26.08.2009 10:51:19] page_vii 3. Parvati* 35 36 Early References to Parvati 37 The Mythology of Sati* 41 The Mythology of Parvati 46 Tension and Resolution 52 Devotion and Grace 4. Sarasvati 55 55 Sarasvati As a River 57 Sarasvati in Later Hinduism 5. Sita* 65 65 The Early History of Sita 67 Kings and the Fertility of the Earth 70 The Ideal Wife 78 Ideal Devotee and Intermediary < previous page page_vii next page > file:///C:/...Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_vii.html[26.08.2009 10:51:19] page_viii < previous page page_viii next page > Page viii 6. Radha * 81 82 The Early History of Radha 83 The Gopi* Tradition 85 Radha as Belonging to Another (Parakiya*) 92 Radha as Belonging to Krsna* (Svakiya*) 7. Durga* 95 95 The Warrior Goddess 106 The Worship of Durga 8. Kali* 116 116 Early History 122 The Later History and the Significance of Kali 9. The Mahadevi* 132 133 Central Theological and Philosophical Characteristics 137 Mythological Characteristics and Functions 139 Auspicious and Terrible Forms 10. The Matrkas* 151 151 The Early History of the Matrkas 155 The Matrkas in the Later Tradition 11. Tara*, Chinnamasta*, and the Mahavidyas* 161 file:///C:/...Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_viii.html[26.08.2009 10:51:19] page_viii 161 The Mahavidyas 165 Tara 172 Chinnamasta 12. Goddesses and Sacred Geography 178 178 Earth As a Goddess/India As a Goddess 178 The Sakta* Pithas* 187 The Ganges and the Sacrality of Rivers 13. Village Goddesses 197 198 The Local Rootedness of the Village Goddesses 200 Mythological Themes 204 Festivals 208 Death, Disease, and Ambivalence Appendix: The Indus Valley Civilization 212 Notes 221 Bibliography 253 Index 265 < previous page page_viii next page > file:///C:/...Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_viii.html[26.08.2009 10:51:19] page_ix < previous page page_ix next page > Page ix Preface to the 1997 Printing Looking back to my first thoughts about writing a book on Hindu goddesses, I am somewhat amused (but also pleased) that I had the courage to undertake such a daunting task. Ten years ago the project seemed much more feasible than it would today. In the past ten years there have been several excellent, lengthy, detailed studies of individual Hindu goddesses who were not even mentioned in my book, as well as many fine studies of goddesses who were included. New scholarship has indicated the immense number of Hindu goddesses and has greatly enriched our knowledge of prominent ones. Today, writing a comprehensive book on Hindu goddesses would be a much more ambitious undertaking; the result would be much longer and more detailedand, I suppose, less accessible to the general public. The history of this book, however, pleases me. It was successful in the way I had hoped it would be. In the past decade, many fine scholars have turned their attention to Hindu goddesses. In many cases, this book was influential in attracting them to the field. It continues to serve as a useful introduction to a large and fascinating areathe divine feminine as expressed in the Hindu traditionand I hope it will continue to inspire students to take up its subject. DAVID KINSLEY < previous page page_ix next page > file:///C:/...-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_ix.html[26.08.2009 10:51:20] page_1 < previous page page_1 next page > Page 1 Introduction One of the most striking characteristics of the ancient and multifaceted Hindu religious tradition is the importance of goddess worship. A considerable number of goddesses are known in the earliest Hindu scriptures, the Vedic hymns. In contemporary Hinduism the number and popularity of goddesses are remarkable. No other living religious tradition displays such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship. The Hindu tradition provides the richest source of mythology, theology, and worship available to students interested in goddesses. Although there are several books on the history of goddesses in India, 1 there is still need for a survey of Hindu goddesses which not only describes their main appearances and roles but also interprets the significance of each goddess within Hinduism. Some studies have sought to apply this kind of approach to an individual goddess,2 but to my knowledge there is no study that attempts to describe and interpret all of the central Hindu goddesses. My approach in this book is to provide portraits of the most important goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. I have tried to suggest some of the history of each goddess, to summarize her most important myths and roles, and to show how she illustrates important Hindu (or human) truths. Although common themes occur in the myths, iconography, and functions of several of the goddesses treated in this book, each portrait is intended to be complete and to be appreciated by itself. The book need not be read in its entirety by people interested in just one or two of the Hindu goddesses. My intention is to provide a sourcebook on Hindu goddesses for students of the Hindu tradition and for those interested in goddesses in general. The book also seeks to be a sourcebook for the growing study of women and religion. In recent years, especially in North America, considerable interest has developed in this field. A whole new area of religious studies now focuses on the ways in which women are perceived in < previous page page_1 next page > file:///C:/...-Peter/My%20Documents/eBook%20html/Kinsley,%20David%20R.-%20Hindu%20Goddesses/files/page_1.html[26.08.2009 10:51:21] page_2 < previous page page_2 next page > Page 2 traditional religions and on the status of women within those religions. The importance of goddesses in these traditions is of particular interest to people studying this field. While this book does not attempt to rethink female self-perception in the West in light of Hindu goddesses, 3 I hope that it will make Hindu visions of the feminine accessible to those interested in such pursuits. This book does not pretend to be exhaustive on the subject of goddesses in Hinduism. The number of goddesses in contemporary Hinduism alone is simply overwhelming. Nor does it pretend to be exhaustive of any of the particular goddesses who are included. Most of the ones I discuss have been known and widely worshiped for hundreds of years, some of them for thousands of years. Rather, this book seeks to represent the nature and diversity of goddess worship in Hinduism and to include all of the most important Hindu goddesses. My primary sources have been literary and to some extent iconographical. I am aware that my views of the divine feminine in Hinduism may thus be slanted in the direction of the so-called great tradition, namely, the tradition that is high caste, educated, and predominantly male. In many cases, however, the only information that we have on some goddesses and on certain aspects of other goddesses, or the only information that we have from the past, is found in such sources.
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