Reciting the Goddess presents the first critical study of the Svasthanivratakatha (SVK), a sixteenth-century Hindu narrative textual tradition. The extensive SVK manuscript tradition offers a rare opportunity to observe the making of a specific, distinct Hindu religious tradition. Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz argues that the SVK serves as a lens through which we can observe the creation of modern 'Hinduism' in the Himalayas, as the text both mirrored and informed key moments in the self-conscious creation of Nepal as the 'world's only Hindu kingdom' in the late medieval and early modern period. Birkenholtz mines the literary historiography that is contained within the SVK text itself, chronicling the text's literary and narrative development as well as the development of the Svasthani goddess tradition. She outlines the process whereby the SVK gradually transformed into a Purana text, and became a critical source for Nepali Hindu belief and identity. She also examines the elusive character of the goddess Svasthani whose identity is tied to the pan-Hindu goddess tradition, and the representation of women in the SVK and the ways in which the text influenced local and regional debates on the ideal of Hindu womanhood. Reciting the Goddess presents Nepal's celebrated SVK as a micro-level illustration of the powerful ways in which people, place, and literature intersect to produce new ideas and concepts of identity and place, even in a historically non-literate culture.

Coburn provides a fresh and careful translation from the Sanskrit of this fifteen-hundred-year-old text. Drawing on field work and literary evidence, he illuminates the process by which the Devī-Māhātmya has attracted a vast number of commentaries and has become the best known Goddess-text in modern India, deeply embedded in the ritual of Goddess worship (especially in Tantra). Coburn answers the following questions among others: Is this document "scripture?" How is it that this text mediates the presence of the Goddess? What can we make of contemporary emphasis on oral recitation of the text rather than study of its written form? One comes away from Coburn's work with a sense of the historical integrity or wholeness of an extremely important religious development centered on a "text." The interaction between the text and later philosophical and religious developments such as those found in Advaita Vedanta and Tantra is quite illuminating. Relevant here are the issues of the writtenness and orality/aurality of 'scripture,' and the various ways by which a deposit of holy words such as the Devī-Māhātmya becomes effective, powerful, and inspirational in the lives of those who hold it sacred.

He was either too unlucky or too lucky. On the day he lost his job, he was hit by a car. In the moment of life and death, he was implanted with the seventh generation life evolution system from another planet. What? Letting him evolve to a super human on earth within 5 years, success will be rewarded, failure ... Turn into mud?

Heiresses of the Goddess In a constantly changing world, more and more women are seeking feminine deities with whom they deeply identify. This book reveals the global growth of the Goddess cults, reviving feminine deities worshipped in antiquity across various cultures. Discover the stories and myths of Greek Goddesses, Norse Goddesses, Celtic Goddesses, Hindu Goddesses, African Goddesses, and Andean Goddesses, each symbolizing fertility, wisdom, and power. Through rituals and spiritual practices, uncover how these divine figures offer healing, empowerment, and a renewed sense of belonging to the cosmos. This book celebrates the renaissance of the sacred feminine, showing how Goddess worship is spreading worldwide, inspiring a new generation to reconnect with the divine feminine essence and find balance and strength in their lives.

In Vedic Sciences, the Sanskrit word Puja means honoring of a force more powerful than you for inner gains. The goddess Ganga represents the powerful element of water. Water is so powerful that without it we cannot taste the pleasures of the universe. It is the ultimate cleansing agent and as the ocean it can absorb tons of impurities but yet remain clean. The power of its divine karmic cleansing is used in a Goddess Ganga Puja to rid the performer of all his or her karmic impurities, so that life can be enjoyed prosperously again.

Edrun, Jina and the council agree that something needs to be done about the mysterious disappearances of young women of the Clans of the DrummGrissa. But late that night, before a plan of action can be agreed, a local guest-house becomes a raging inferno. All within perish; amongst them Harane, a Princess of a powerful clan and a Priestess of the Goddess Lute who was travelling to Hazek. Is there a conspiracy at work, one that extends into the highest echelons of both the Clans and the Temples? Digging too deeply might set the whole of the Kalion Islands alight with civil war. One man, it seems, is the key to everything--Edrun's old enemy Halgar Rassvorea, who's determined to finish Edrun off once and for all.

Objective of Astrology is to give accurate predictions about future but its utility lies in the correct and effective solutions to our problems. Astrology is highly beneficial because with the help of this knowledge we come to know about our future and forth coming good or bad events. Rightly has some body affirmed, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed”. When we know it in advance that something negative is likely to happen to us we prepare ourselves to face that or avert that by equipping ourselves with necessary tools and weapons for our protection. Here in this book of AIFAS the readers are informed with all the remedial measures and spiritual products. These spiritual products are also known as astrological Products or remedial Products. These products are not very easily available in the market but organizations like Future Point Pvt. Ltd. is catering to these requirements as it has been quite up to the mark in removing the cob webs from the minds of the people in general by providing adequate information, expertise and genuine spiritual products. ‘Encyclopedia of Astrological Remedies’ is a consolidated effort to combine the various types of remedial measures available in Vedic Astrology, vedas, mythology, mantra shastra, Lal Kitab, gemology, science of yantras and other reliable sources of our cultural heritage which include the uses of gems, rudraksha, yantras, rosaries, crystals, rudraksha kavach, parad, rings, conch, pyramids, coins, lockets, fengshui, remedial bags, colors, talismans, fasting and meditation with mantras

This book on the Tripurārahasya, a South Indian Sanskrit work which occupies a unique place in the Śākta literature, is a study of the Śrīvidyā and Śākta traditions in the context of South Indian intellectual history in the late middle ages. Associated with the religious tradition known as Śrīvidyā and devoted to the cult of the Goddess Tripurā, the text was probably composed between the 13th and the 16th century CE. The analysis of its narrative parts addresses questions about the relationships between Tantric and Purāṇic goddesses. The discussion of its philosophical and theological teachings tackles problems related to the relationships between Sākta and Śaiva traditions. The stylistic devices adopted by the author(s) of the work deal uniquely with doctrinal and ritual elements of the Śrīvidyā through the medium of a literary and poetic language. This stylistic peculiarity distinguishes the Tripurārahasya from many other Tantric texts, characterized by a more technical language. The book is intended for researchers in the field of Asian Studies, Indology, Philosophical, Theological or Religious Studies, Hindu Studies, Tantric Studies and South Asian Religion and Philosophy, in particular those interested in Śākta and Śaiva philosophic-religious traditions.

This book seeks to understand the major mythological role models that mark the moral landscape navigated by young Hindu women. Traditionally, the goddess Sita, faithful consort of the god Rama, is regarded as the most important positive role model for women. The case of Radha, who is mostly portrayed as a clandestine lover of the god Krishna, seems to challenge some of the norms the example of Sita has set. That these role models are just as relevant today as they have been in the past is witnessed by the popularity of the televised versions of their stories, and the many allusions to them in popular culture. Taking the case of Sita as main point of reference, but comparing throughout with Radha, Pauwels studies the messages sent to Hindu women at different points in time. She compares how these role models are portrayed in the most authoritative versions of the story. She traces the ancient, Sanskrit sources, the medieval vernacular retellings of the stories and the contemporary TV versions as well. This comparative analysis identifies some surprising conclusions about the messages sent to Indian women today, which belie the expectations one might have of the portrayals in the latest, more liberal versions. The newer messages turn out to be more conservative in many subtle ways. Significantly, it does not remain limited to the religious domain. By analyzing several popular recent and classical hit movies that use Sita and Radha tropes, Pauwels shows how these moral messages spill into the domain of popular culture for commercial consumption.

Goddess religion was widespread in the world of the Bible and is reflected in many biblical texts. This provocative and reliable book, based on thorough analyses of primary sources, examines the role of the feminine deity in religious piety in three areas: Asia, the ancient Mediterranean, and in three contexts today.