Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Extremely useful as an entree into an otherwise practically incomprehensible collection of original texts."--Brannon M. Wheeler, Macalester College
"A cause for celebration....A book that can be read for enjoyment, as well as enlightenment, by Indologists and laymen alike....One of the half-dozen most important studies of Indian religion and culture in modern times."--Journal of Asian Studies
"A cause for celebration....A book that can be read for enjoyment, as well as enlightenment, by Indologists and laymen alike....One of the half-dozen most important studies of Indian religion and culture in modern times."--Journal of Asian Studies
About the Author
Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty is at The Divinity School of the University of Chicago.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing,
By
This review is from: Siva: The Erotic Ascetic (Galaxy Books Series Gb P) (Paperback)
This wonderful review of the literature of Siva, by far one of the most interesting and misunderstood of the Indic gods, is already a classic. The contrasts between asceticism and eroticism are carefully and precisely laid out, without the quackery of popular psychological babble. The stories are well translated, with full notes, in such a way as to leave the ambiguities of the original intact. Absolutely lovely.
19 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read,
By
This review is from: Siva: The Erotic Ascetic (Galaxy Books Series Gb P) (Paperback)
This is an excellent source for those interested in all the variant mythologies surrounding Siva. The information is well organized and told with an even objective viewpoint, which is perfect since Siva is fascinating in his own right, so there is no need to flower things up. The multple tellings of the same core myth really drives home the core points and character traits of Siva. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Siva or Hindu Mysticism.
7 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
biased garbage,
By Arya (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Siva: The Erotic Ascetic (Galaxy Books Series Gb P) (Paperback)
If you would like to read about how to denigrate hinduism, wendy doniger is your woman. She has in all her books insulted hinduism. Her lack of intellectual background or cultural understanding and pure racial bias are very obvious in her writings.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
'THAT which cannot be found here exists nowhere'-this was the boast of the author of the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, and it is an excellent description of the Puranas, encyclopedic compendia of hundreds of thousands of Sanskrit verses dealing with every subject under the Indian sun. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
aiva mythology, ascetic ornaments, ithyphallic yogi, performing tapas, ascetic sons, submarine mare, doing tapas, creative tapas, false ascetic, great tapas, sexual creation, fiery seed, naked yogi, incest myth, erotic fire, celestial years, erotic ascetic, ascetic aspect, demon women, triple city, golden seed, ascetic powers, fifth head, coitus reservatus, matted locks Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pine Forest, Seven Sages, Early Indian Mythology, The Interpretation of Hindu Mythology, South Indian, Indus Valley, The Retention of the Seed, The Vedic Antecedents of Siva, Atharva Veda, Motifs of Hindu Mythology, The Interruption of Sexual Activity, The Sexual Destruction of Demons, Abbé Dubois, Jwala Mukhi, Sexual Impersonation, The Adultery of Siva, The Nature of Mythological Contradiction, Lord of Kama, Nanga Baiga New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
'THAT which cannot be found here exists nowhere'-this was the boast of the author of the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, and it is an excellent description of the Puranas, encyclopedic compendia of hundreds of thousands of Sanskrit verses dealing with every subject under the Indian sun. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
aiva mythology, ascetic ornaments, ithyphallic yogi, performing tapas, ascetic sons, submarine mare, doing tapas, creative tapas, false ascetic, great tapas, sexual creation, fiery seed, naked yogi, incest myth, erotic fire, celestial years, erotic ascetic, ascetic aspect, demon women, triple city, golden seed, ascetic powers, fifth head, coitus reservatus, matted locks Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pine Forest, Seven Sages, Early Indian Mythology, The Interpretation of Hindu Mythology, South Indian, Indus Valley, The Retention of the Seed, The Vedic Antecedents of Siva, Atharva Veda, Motifs of Hindu Mythology, The Interruption of Sexual Activity, The Sexual Destruction of Demons, Abbé Dubois, Jwala Mukhi, Sexual Impersonation, The Adultery of Siva, The Nature of Mythological Contradiction, Lord of Kama, Nanga Baiga New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 77
books:
See all 77 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Poems from the Sanskrit (Penguin Classics) by Various in Back Matter
- Religion of the Hindus by H.H. Wilson in Back Matter
- Genesis as Myth by Edmund Leach in Back Matter
- Hindu Mythology: Vedic and Puranic (Deluxe Paper Edition) by W.J. Wilkins in Back Matter
- Mr. Sampath--the Printer of Malgudi (Phoenix Fiction Series) by R. K. Narayan in Back Matter
See all 77 books this book cites
- Aesthetics and Analysis in Writing on Religion: Modern Fascinations by Daniel Gold on 4 pages
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