Philip Lutgendorf
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195309225
- eISBN:
- 9780199785391
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309225.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This book offers a comprehensive introduction to one of the most beloved and widely worshiped of Hindu deities: the “monkey-god” Hanuman. It details the historical expansion of Hanuman's religious ...
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This book offers a comprehensive introduction to one of the most beloved and widely worshiped of Hindu deities: the “monkey-god” Hanuman. It details the historical expansion of Hanuman's religious status beyond his role as helper to Rama and Sita, the divine hero and heroine of the ancient Ramayana storytelling tradition. Additionally, it surveys contemporary popular literature and folklore through which Hanuman's mythological biography is celebrated, and describes a range of religious sites and practices that highlight different aspects of his persona. Emphasizing Hanuman's role as a “liminal” deity who combines animal, human, and divine qualities, and as a “middle-class” god within the Hindu pantheon, the book argues that such mediatory status has made Hanuman especially appealing to upwardly-mobile social groups as well as to Hindus of many sectarian persuasions.Less
This book offers a comprehensive introduction to one of the most beloved and widely worshiped of Hindu deities: the “monkey-god” Hanuman. It details the historical expansion of Hanuman's religious status beyond his role as helper to Rama and Sita, the divine hero and heroine of the ancient Ramayana storytelling tradition. Additionally, it surveys contemporary popular literature and folklore through which Hanuman's mythological biography is celebrated, and describes a range of religious sites and practices that highlight different aspects of his persona. Emphasizing Hanuman's role as a “liminal” deity who combines animal, human, and divine qualities, and as a “middle-class” god within the Hindu pantheon, the book argues that such mediatory status has made Hanuman especially appealing to upwardly-mobile social groups as well as to Hindus of many sectarian persuasions.
Wendy Doniger
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199360079
- eISBN:
- 9780199377923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199360079.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter examines the different approaches to death and rebirth in Hinduism, first by looking at what the Rig Veda says about death and the afterlife, as well as recurring death or ‘re-death’ and ...
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This chapter examines the different approaches to death and rebirth in Hinduism, first by looking at what the Rig Veda says about death and the afterlife, as well as recurring death or ‘re-death’ and rebirth in the Brahmanas. It then discusses the relation between karma and rebirth, heaven and hell in the Mahabharata, rebirth in the Puranas, and the major myths of death that characterize each of the great Hindu gods and goddesses such as Vishnu and Shiva. It also discusses the views of Hindus and non-Hindus about reincarnation.Less
This chapter examines the different approaches to death and rebirth in Hinduism, first by looking at what the Rig Veda says about death and the afterlife, as well as recurring death or ‘re-death’ and rebirth in the Brahmanas. It then discusses the relation between karma and rebirth, heaven and hell in the Mahabharata, rebirth in the Puranas, and the major myths of death that characterize each of the great Hindu gods and goddesses such as Vishnu and Shiva. It also discusses the views of Hindus and non-Hindus about reincarnation.
Wendy Doniger
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199360079
- eISBN:
- 9780199377923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199360079.003.0023
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter examines the evidence and significance of bisexuality and transsexuality among the Hindu gods such as Vishnu and Shiva. It first considers a few myths about bisexual or transsexual Hindu ...
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This chapter examines the evidence and significance of bisexuality and transsexuality among the Hindu gods such as Vishnu and Shiva. It first considers a few myths about bisexual or transsexual Hindu gods and supernatural beings, including one in the Mahabharata where Vishnu took on an enchanting (mohini) illusion, the marvelous body of a woman, and Shiva found it difficult to catch and embrace him because he is not really a woman. It also looks at Shiva’s apparent heterosexuality and his own connection with androgyny, along with the transsexuality of Parvati’s worshipper. In addition, it cites the story of Queen Chudala in the Yogavasishtha as a brilliant example of female to male transsexuality, and back again.Less
This chapter examines the evidence and significance of bisexuality and transsexuality among the Hindu gods such as Vishnu and Shiva. It first considers a few myths about bisexual or transsexual Hindu gods and supernatural beings, including one in the Mahabharata where Vishnu took on an enchanting (mohini) illusion, the marvelous body of a woman, and Shiva found it difficult to catch and embrace him because he is not really a woman. It also looks at Shiva’s apparent heterosexuality and his own connection with androgyny, along with the transsexuality of Parvati’s worshipper. In addition, it cites the story of Queen Chudala in the Yogavasishtha as a brilliant example of female to male transsexuality, and back again.
Hoshang Merchant
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199465965
- eISBN:
- 9780199086962
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199465965.003.0017
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
The essay is based on Sappho’s fragments ending with ‘I say what I love is beautiful to you’. This is a definition of beauty and love that exonerates gay love. Sappho is anti-war, that is, anti-male, ...
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The essay is based on Sappho’s fragments ending with ‘I say what I love is beautiful to you’. This is a definition of beauty and love that exonerates gay love. Sappho is anti-war, that is, anti-male, which is the reason for her exile. In India, where even bestiality is depicted on temple walls, lesbianism is allowed but the offending lesbian’s two fingers are to be cut off. Christ is masculine but not male. The Hindu gods are androgynous. In the Koran, God is beyond gender. In the Rig Veda, the earth is a mother. Paramhamsa’s androgyny is only a copy of androgynous Siva and Shakti. In Vilipuram, the cult of Aravan encourages men to cross-dress. Ayappa and Vavar’s friendship is celebrated against the latter’s stepmother at Sabrimala.Less
The essay is based on Sappho’s fragments ending with ‘I say what I love is beautiful to you’. This is a definition of beauty and love that exonerates gay love. Sappho is anti-war, that is, anti-male, which is the reason for her exile. In India, where even bestiality is depicted on temple walls, lesbianism is allowed but the offending lesbian’s two fingers are to be cut off. Christ is masculine but not male. The Hindu gods are androgynous. In the Koran, God is beyond gender. In the Rig Veda, the earth is a mother. Paramhamsa’s androgyny is only a copy of androgynous Siva and Shakti. In Vilipuram, the cult of Aravan encourages men to cross-dress. Ayappa and Vavar’s friendship is celebrated against the latter’s stepmother at Sabrimala.
