The Goddess Re-discovered : Gender and Sexuality in Religious Texts of Medieval Bengal

Chakravarty, Saumitra

Routledge India（2022/08発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 190 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780367721244
• DDC分類 200.820954

Full Description

The book critically analyses questions of gender and sexuality in the medieval religious texts of Bengal. It analyses the emergence of religious cults in patriarchal contexts, the humanization of the goddess figure as a wife and mother who is subject to social and ethical codes, and demythologization of folk epics.

This book discusses the folk genre of the Mangal Kavyas such as the Chandi Mangal and the Manasa Mangal, against the perspectives of Sanskrit texts like the Devi Mahatmya and the Devi Bhagavata Purana, and compares and contrasts the Kalika Purana against the texts and practices of the Tantric cult, to shed light on the paradoxes and parallels in the images of Kali found in the texts and practices dominant in the eastern region of India. The author also highlights the centrality of Chaitanya in the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, the social and religious revolution he brought with the philosophy of raganuga bhakti along with the androgynous aspects in his relationships; explores the concept of mystical eroticism in the love of Radha and Krishna as seen in the song sequences of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas; and discusses women's Rama-kathas found in a variety of languages across India.

Rich in archival material, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of gender studies, women's studies, literature, medieval history, social history, cultural anthropology, religious studies, cultural studies, South Asia studies, and those interested in the history of medieval Bengal.

Contents

Acknowledgements

1 The Medieval Period in Bengal: A Brief Introduction

PART I

Shakta Literature in Bengal

2 Hindu Goddesses and Patriarchal Politics: Unveiling Goddess Imagery in the Chandi Mangal, the Devi Mahatmya and the Srimad Devi Bhagavata Purana

3 Suppression and Resistance: Celebrating Manasa in Text, Performance and Ritual

4 Kali, Goddess Power and Sexuality: The influence of Tantra on the Kalika Purana

PART II

Vaishnava Literature in Bengal

5 Radha as a Social Rebel: Female Sexuality in the Vaishnava Padavalis of Bengal

6 The Concept of Androgyny in the Chaitanya Hagiographies of Bengal

PART III

Interpreting the Epics: Anuvada Sahitya or Itihasa Sahitya

7 Empowering the Silenced Voices: The Paradox of Female Chastity in Krittivasa's Ramayana

8 Women's Ramayanas: Chandraboti's Folk Ballad

Index