Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition

Tracy Pintchman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Theology at Loyola University of Chicago.

"I like very much the way in which Pintchman carefully establishes the interrelationships between saakti, maya, and prakrti concepts that might not at first appear to be closely connected. This book nicely reveals their organic integration, an integration that Hindu culture itself recognized and elaborated only gradually over the centuries. She avoids reading later Sakta or Tantric theological ideas back into the earlier literature, yet she convincingly demonstrates how the later ideas are firmly rooted in the ancient traditions. Thus, the book provides the reader with a sense both of the continuities involved in the development of the Great Goddess concept, as well as the major transformations of tradition that such a development entailed." — C. Mackenzie Brown"There are two complementary, arresting features of this book. One is the broad sweep of the author's inquiry into the history of three concepts that are fundamental to the Great Goddess. She follows a thread of continuity that has never been so crisply delineated. The result is kind of a conceptual "adventure story" told in flashbacks: we know what the mature conception is, as it is now common knowledge. Where it came from makes for very interesting reading. The second striking feature is the provocative, suggestive linking of this history to contemporary issues regarding gender and women." — Thomas B. Coburn"The author provides a thorough discussion of the main concepts relating to the feminine principle in the intellectual, literary traditions of Hinduism. She shows that goddess worship is not a marginal expression but is central to even the most orthodox elements of Hinduism. She also brings together much far-flung scholarship from India, Europe, and the United States without duplicating any of it." — Kathleen M. Erndl

• Acknowledgements Introduction Setting the StageTextual IssuesSummary of the BookOne The Feminine Principle in The Vedas Cosmogony, Cosmology, and Goddesses in the VedasSamhitasThe WatersEarthAditiVirajVac (and Sarasvati)Saci/IndraniBrahmanasThe WatersEarth/Aditi/VirajVac/SarasvatiIndraniUpanisadsThe WatersEarthVacTwo Prakrti, Maya, and Sakti: The Feminine Principle in Philosophical Discourse PrakrtiThe Term Prakrti In Early Vedic, Grammatical, And Ritual ContextsPrakrti As A Material PrinciplePrakrti In Vedic And Proto-Samkhya ContextsThe Marriage Of Vedic And Proto-Samkhya Materials In The MahabharataPrakrti In Classical SamkhyaMayaMaya In Vedic And Early Post-Vedic ContextsMaya In Advaita VedantaSaktiVedic RootsSakti In Philosophical LiteratureSakti In Grammatical LiteratureSakti In Tantric LiteratureThree The Feminine Principle In Puranic Cosmogony and Cosmology Introduction To The Goddess Materials In The Epics And PuranasThe Devi-MahatmyaCosmogony And Goddesses In The PuranasPrimary Creation (Sarga): Basic CosmogonySamkhya-Type Accounts Of CosmogonyReconciliation Of Competing Philosophical Systems In Accounts Of Primary CreationSecondary Creation (Pratisarga)Creation Of The WorldsCreation Of ProgenyThe Explicit Introduction Of The Feminine Element In Creation: Prakrti/Sakti As The Consort Of GodReferences Outside Of Accounts Of CosmogonyIntegration Of The Feminine Principle In Accounts Of Cosmogony: Sarga And PratisargaVaisnava Puranas And Vaisnava Sections Of Cross-Sectarian PuranasSaiva Puranas And Saiva Sections Of Cross-Sectarian PuranasSakta PuranasFour Concluding Remarks ResumeContextual IssuesThematic IssuesHistorical IssuesInterpretive IssuesFurther Implications Of The Study: Historical And Socio-Political ImplicationsFurther Implications Of The Study: Cultural ImplicationsThe Relationship Between Goddesses And WomenThe Ambiguous GoddessSakti/MayaPrakrti/MayaThe Ambiguous Female: From Divine To HumanWomen And Creation Of The Social OrderWomen And Maintenance Of The Social OrderNotes Bibliography Index