Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal [Hardcover]

June McDaniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2004

In Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls, June McDaniel provides an exhaustive, accessibly written overview of Bengali goddess worship or Shakti. McDaniel identifies three major forms of goddess worship, and examines each through its myths, folklore, songs, rituals, sacred texts, and practitioners. She traces these strands through Bengali culture and explores how they are interwoven with each other as well as with other forms of Hinduism and other forms of religion. McDaniel also discusses how Shakti practices have been reinterpreted in the West, where goddess worship has gained the values of sexual freedom and psychological healing, but lost its emphases on devotion and asceticism. She takes the reader inside the lives of practicing Shaktas, including religious professionals, hymn singers, philosophers, visionaries, gurus, and even a businessman, and offers vivid descriptions of their rituals, practices, and daily lives. Drawing on years of fieldwork and extensive research, McDaniel paints a rich, expansive portrait of this fascinating religious tradition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A well-researched and documented study. ... Highly recommended."--Choice

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

June McDaniel is at College of Charleston.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195167902
• ISBN-13: 978-0195167900
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,131,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure of information, May 25, 2008

By 

Oreste Reale (Laurel, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal (Kindle Edition)

This magnificent book is a fascinating
journey among a variety of spiritual traditions which can be broadly encompassed under the name of Bengali Shaktism.

The Introduction provides a `classification'
of various Shakta types. Albeit a bit artificial
(these categories should be not taken rigidly because
much overlapping is possible), the use of these `strands'
in the book is a useful tool to emphasize
and appreciate the profound differences existing
between various Shakta types.

Most important, from the anthropological perspective, is the evidence
provided in the First Chapter of some surviving types of
Bengali Shaktism (Folk Shaktism) among the so-called
`tribals' or Adivasis (i.e., those who were in the
land first) which are obviously completely outside the mainstream
of traditional Hinduism. They are `outside' from the scriptural
perspective, mythological perspective, and ritual perspective.
Yet, they are Hindus.
Under the name of `folk' Shaktism the Author reports a complex set of believes incorporated into Hinduism, but still preserving
memories and a heritage of an incredibly ancient, pre-Hindu, past.
The remnant of a Shamanic component, [after Eliade's seminal
work, Shamanism cannot be possibly regarded with contempt, as it
was a century ago] is extremely fascinating and
indirect proof of enormous Antiquity.
The existence of forms of Hinduism among Bengali tribals
which have a surprisingly different mythology,
is a profound evidence of how rich and varied
and intrinsically encompassing true Hinduism is.
Hinduism can incorporate infinite amount
of varieties within, some philosophical (just consider
the immense amount of contrasting philosophical
literature produced during the Puranic age) and some,
as in the case of Adivasi Shaktism, ethnic and regional.

The Second Chapter emphasizes a Sanskrit-based Shakta Tradition,
and those texts in particular that have contributed
to create it, such as the Kularnava Tantra. It is important to stress how the `Tantric', Kaula tradition in the sense in which it is understood in Bengal is often
misunderstood, misjudged and slandered outside of Bengal.
This, I suspect, may be a remnant of last centuries foreign dominations
(Shaktism was the less tolerated of the various schools of Hinduism)
but this is not necessarily the opinion supported by the Author, who reports the problem but does not speculate on historical causes.

The third chapter summarizes the version of Skaktism
based on a `bhakti' sentiment, bearing some similarity
perhaps with Vaishnava, Krishna-centered Bhakti, except that
it is focused on Kaali, Durgaa, or regional varieties
of Hindu Devis. I find this section particularly fascinating
because it fills a gap in the western literature. Whereas
books on the Sanskrit Shaktism, from Woodroffe's onwards,
are available in the west, it is perhaps more difficult
to access documents on the immense amount of religious
literature produced in Bengali. This literature ranges
from the Mangal-Kavyas, [particularly appealing is
the beautiful story of the Goddess Manasaa, on which a comparative
mythologist could perhaps write an entire encyclopedia!]
to the moving biographies of the many Shakta saints. This chapter,
by documenting such vast amount of Bengali literature,
is truly a homage to the vast spiritual and cultural
heritage of Bengal.

The Fourth Chapter discusses in greater detail the
importance of Durgaa and Kaali
in Bengal. Albeit fascinating, this Chapter is
perhaps not unique, for there are several other books on this subject,
and on Durga Puja specifically, available in the English language.

The Fifth chapter is an attempt to describe some
of the changes imposed on Shaktism when incorporated
in New Age believes. The Author reports some of these appropriations
with an attempted cold, dispassionate and scholarly style, but there seems to be an occasional underlying polite irony, when
somewhat hilarious quotations from Authors such as Selby or Condron are
inserted. On the other hand, I personally found
the report of a former student of the Author,
who felt a profound call towards Durgaa, to be
very impressive and convincingly `real'.

I think that a few points should be emphasized:
The Author seems to suggest that some of the Shakta
traditions are endangered, and may disappear soon.
This applies to both the Sanskrit-based tradition
(Kaula Tantra), and to the Shakta traditions of the Adivasi.
A coalition of opposers, coming partly from the Communist Bengali
government, partly from an attitude sadly nourished by
some Orthodox Hindus, partly because of a secularist
tendency within India which is taking its aim on Shaktism
particularly, seems to converge against the Shaktas.
Particularly sad is the report that many Adivasis
perceive the role of Indians from the central government
as a form of `colonialism'. This feeling (which has been
successfully exploited by foreign missionaries in
other States such as Tripura or Nagaland where many Adivasis have
been converted to Christianity and have therefore lost their ancestral
spiritual knowledge forever) is a serious problem and should be
taken very seriously by all Hindus of all traditions, be
Vaishnavas, Shaivas, Skaktas or Smartas... if they don't want
a precious part of the Hindu heritage disappear.

Hinduism has been among the most tolerant
religions *because* it does not consider a problem to worship the Divine
under many aspects. What appears to be contradictory
in our limited minds is not such from the perspective
of the Divine. To have Myths in which one
God does not appear in a favorable light as in other
Mythological Sources shows the complexity, the variety,
the immense amount of possibilities of the Human Paths
towards the Divine. That beyond the humans, Apsaras,
Yakshas, Asuras, Devas and Devis exist a
Substance, or a `Condition', be it called Atman, Brahman, or Shakti, from which All is made, is one fundamental Hindu belief. That
the -particular- path one chooses, or the particular
Deities one chooses to worship, will lead there,
as long as one follows the Dharma with sincerity and devotion,
is also a Hindu tenet.

On this matter, I need to comment on a couple
of Reviewers who, in my opinion, have used unnecessarily
harsh words against the Author. It is certainly true
that some western Authors write on Hinduism with
little knowledge, and is even truer that some western Authors
have profoundly slandered the Hindus. But I strongly believe
that these accusations should not be brought against Dr. McDaniel.

To document Shakta traditions which do not depict Shiva as depicted in
the Shaiva Puranas is -not- an insult to Shiva, as one negative
and very superficial Reviewer suggests. Nor it means that the
Author endorses specifically any of these traditions. It is instead
simply an attempt to provide information on existing, little known,
aspects of that multiform planet named Hinduism. Hinduism
is immensely rich -because- such traditions exist,
and the tendency of eradicating un-orthodox traditions, so dominant in other religions, has never really appealed -so far- the Hindu mind.

As for accusing the Author of `ignorance', I really
believe that is a perplexing accusation. The reviewer who thinks so,
should perhaps scroll the reference and note
list, [which encompasses Maha- and UpaPuranas, Tantric Sanskrit text,
medieval Bengali literature (Mangalkavyas), a vast amount
of scholarly books and articles written by Indian scholars,
often in Bengali] and compare it with references in other
books on Hinduism published in the West.

As for accusing the Author of being disrespectful to Hinduism,
the last page of her Conclusions shows very clearly her
sympathy and her love for India and the Indian culture.
Quite an unexpectedl conclusion for a book which a Reviewer
accuses to be offensive to Hinduism, indeed.

I am not a scholar of Hinduism, but I have continuously
nourished an interest in Hinduism for 30 years, and
on Shaktism for the last 10 years. I can surely
say that I found an immense amount of information in
Professor McDaniel's book,
which is a precious addition to my library on Hinduism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great insight, February 25, 2008

By 

Sapna S. Nair - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal (Paperback)

This book is a great way to understand the worship of the great goddess Kali. I like the fact that the written has given varies examples of her worhip through out india. I think it's a great book for people who would like to get to know the goddess Kali.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb overview of Bengali women's religious practices, September 15, 2004

By 

Fenton Johnson, professor, University of Arizona - See all my reviews

This review is from: Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal (Paperback)

Professor McDaniel's "Offering Flowers" presents an exhaustively researched but eminently readable overview of the religious and spiritual practices of the women of rural Bengal. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to learn more about Indian culture as it manifests itself outside of the institutionalized forms. An enjoyable and vivid journey back in time -- or maybe outside of time -- to a place where religious beliefs and rituals are still directly connected to the tangible natural world.