12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A deep and comprehensive scholarly treatment of the Mahavidyas., June 18, 2008
This review is from: Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas (Paperback)
This is probably the most comprehensive scholarly book on the Mahavidyas easily accessible within the English reading community. The Author explores one of the most fascinating themes in Hinduism, namely the
Ten Goddesses supposed to grant supreme Knowledge, unveil the mystery
of existence, drive humans towards liberation.
Prof. Kinsley follows an approach which is predominantly scriptural,
but also considering iconography, and anthropological aspects.
He develops most of his arguments from Sanskrit sources, with
extensive citations from the prominent Tantric and Puranic literature,
but he also adds some information obtained on the field,
through interview and direct experience. The result is an extremely
pleasant read which may satisfy scholars of Hinduism and practitioners alike. I read this book seven years ago for the first time,
and I keep finding new information in it.
The books starts investigating the Mahavidyas as a collective
entity, and five mythological and philosophical versions of the
origin of this collective entity are presented.
The idea that the Mahavidyas may be conceived as aspects of
a Great Cosmic Goddess, MahaDevi, be She represented as Sati,
Parvati, Kali, Durga or Satakshi, is introduced.
Then chapters on the individual Mahavidyas provide a rich
repository of primary sources, iconographical representations,
and liturgical details.
The concluding reflections explore the possible impact of this
kind of worship from philosophical, psychological and
sociological perspectives.
The book, as good scholarly texts should be, is somewhat detached and dispassionate, presenting evidence in an un-opinionated and rational manner.
However, the Author is able, through a careful choice of quotations from Tantras, to insert at least one very profound concept which may be useful also to practitioners. This is focused on what is perhaps one of
Hinduism's crucial points, namely the relationship between the One
and the Many.
Strictly speaking, Hinduism has a very complex approach on the issue
of One versus Many Gods. I am convinced that to characterize Hinduism
as simply polytheistic or monotheistic is partial and superficial.
Various Hindu traditions point at a substantial One-ness existing
beyond Time and Space, but simultaneously portray a multiplicity of Spiritual Entities, layered through a stratified cosmos in which the
Many dominate.
The essence of Shaktism, (and of other Hindu traditions as well) is
to realize the Oneness through Multiplicity. Unlike other Faiths which proclaim One Transcendent God, separated from, and not immerse and immanent in Nature, the Godhead of these Hindu traditions is -both- Transcendent and Immanent. It is Transcendent `before' Creation and `after' Dissolution, self-embraced in its timeless Unity. But it is immanent when conceived through the manifestation of Time and Space,
Name and Form, and Multiplicity.
The Ten Mahavidyas offer a wonderful symbolic depiction of this complex
and sophisticated system. Each Mahavidya appears as an emanation of a Transcendent principle, a supreme Feminine concept existing on a remote plane beyond existence, space, and time.
So each Mahavidya is a subset of the Supreme Godhead. Yet, each Mahavidya
is a full universe on Her own, and the practitioner who tries to approach Her through Sadhana could experience, starting from the Multiplicity in which the sensible world is immersed, the Oneness with the Supreme Godhead.
The Mahavidyas appear from the point of view of the One as a fraction
of It. Yet, from the point of view of the human, they are complete, self-sufficient, without a second.
Somewhat as a fractal geometry, in which the exact same structure can be recognized while zooming into a detail, so the intricate cosmic perception of esoteric Hinduism should allow humans to recognize the entire Universe into one of its fragments.
By carefully selecting and referring to the appropriate sources, Prof. Kinsley is able to subtly hint at this very profound and complex concept of Hindu philosophy. This is per se a remarkable achievement for a book conceived within the academic framework, supposed to document a tradition
and not necessarily to provide spiritual teachings.
The reason why I give only four stars instead of five just reflects my
own personal bias. I do consider the most wonderful book on the Mahavidyas the work by Shankaranarayanan (Ten Cosmic Powers) which is completely centered on Sadhana. Since I am no scholar of Hinduism, I gained the most from that work.
But if one has to evaluate Professor Kinsley's excellent work from a strictly academic and scholarly perspective, I am convinced that it deserves the maximum rating: a truly excellent work from a truly
excellent scholar.
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