Hymns to the Dancing Śiva

Hymns to the Dancing Śiva
Author: Glenn E. Yocum
Publisher: South Asia Books
Total Pages: 338
Release: 1982
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Study of a 9th century Shaivite Tamil verse work.

The Dance of Siva

The Dance of Siva
Author: David Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2003-11-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780521528658

This is a full account of Siva's Dance of Bliss, which has become a popular symbol in the West for Hinduism and Eastern Mysticism. Siva is one of the two main gods of Hinduism, and his worshippers comprise half of all Hindus. Siva's Dance of Bliss is based on a remarkable Sanskrit poem written by Umapati Sivacarya, Saiva theologian and temple priest in Cidambaram, South India, in the fourteenth century. Starting with the bronze image of Nataraja, King of Dancers, thereafter the Cidambaram temple, its myth and its priests are viewed in the light of the poem. Umapati's Saiva theology is discussed in relation to his life and also in relation to Vedanta and yoga. The iconography and mythology of the Goddess and of other forms of Siva provide necessary perspective. Art from Cidambaram and neighbouring sites illuminates the text.

Majesty and Meekness

Majesty and Meekness
Author: John Braisted Carman
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 470
Release: 1994
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780802806932

Poems to Siva

Poems to Siva
Author: Indira Viswanathan Peterson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2014-07-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400860067

Composed by three poet-saints between the sixth and eighth centuries A.D., the Tevaram hymns are the primary scripture of the Tamil Saivism, one of the first popular large-scale devotional movements within Hinduism. Indira Peterson eloquently renders into English a substantial portion of these hymns, which provide vivid and moving portraits of the images, myths, rites, and adoration of Siva and which continue to be loved and sung by the millions of followers of the Tamil Saiva tradition. Her introduction and annotations illuminate the work's literary, religious, and cultural contexts, making this anthology a rich sourcebook for the study of South Indian popular religion. Indira Peterson highlights the Tevaram as a seminal text in Tamil cultural history, a synthesis of pan-Indian and Tamil civilization, as well as a distinctly Tamil expression of the love of song, sacred landscape, and ceremonial religion. Her discussion of this work draws on her pioneering research into the performance of the hymns and their relation to the art and ritual of the South Indian temple. Originally published in 1989. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Shaiva Devotional Songs of Kashmir

Shaiva Devotional Songs of Kashmir
Author: Constantina Rhodes
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 1987-07-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0791495647

Utpaladeva was considered a siddha, a "perfected being," one of the masters of the tantric tradition in Kashmir, and he is best known for his philosophical treatises. The Shivastotravali reflects Utpaladeva's philosophy, known as the Pratyabhijna school. And yet it is unique among the author's works in its not being a straightforward philosophical treatise but instead, as Dr. Bailly points out in her introduction, more of a spiritual diary of one who is actually treading the path of Shiva. The path that Utpaladeva has chosen does not require leaving one's home and heading for a mountain cave; instead it calls for changing one's view of the world, for leading a life of divine recognition while carrying on with ordinary life. In clearly written, lucid prose Dr. Bailly illuminates the many facets of Utpaladeva's quest. At the core of his spiritual journey is the enigmatic relationship between devotion and grace: how much does spiritual attainment depend upon the individual's efforts, and how much is a divine gift? And how are these to be realized while living in the midst of society, maintaining worldly obligations and lifestyle? For over a thousand years the Shaiva community of Kashmir has used in its worship the hymns of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali. Here for the first time these hymns are presented in translation as English verse along with the Sanskrit, a clear and lively introduction, two appendices on special aspects of Kashmir Shaivism, and additional notes.

Singing the Body of God

Singing the Body of God
Author: Steven Paul Hopkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2002-04-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780198029304

This is the first full-length study of the devotional poetry and poetics of the fourteenth-century poet-philosopher Vedantadesika, one of the most outstanding and influential figures in the Hindu tradition of Sri-Vaishnavism (the cult of Lord Vishnu). Despite their intrinsic beauty and theological importance, the poetry and philosophy of Vedantadesika have received very little scholarly attention. But for the millions who belong to the Vaishnava tradition, those poems are not just classical literature; they are committed to memory, recited, sung, and enacted in ritual both in India and throughout the Hindu diaspora. Steven Hopkins here offers a comparative study of the Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil poems composed by Vedantadesika in praise of important Vaishnava shrines and their icons--poems that are considered to be the apogee of South Indian devotional literature.

Hymns to the Goddess and Hymns to Kali

Hymns to the Goddess and Hymns to Kali
Author: Sir John Woodroffe
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 8178224488

The hymns to the Devi in this volume (introduced by a stotra to Her Spouse, the Kalabhairava) are taken from the Tantra, Purana, Mahabharata, and Sankaracarya, who was "the incarnation of devotion" (bhaktavatara) as well as a great philosopher; a fact which is sometimes ignored by those who do not wish to be reminded that he, whose speculative genius they extol, was also the protagonist of the so-called "idolatrous Hinduism." As his great example among many others of differing race and creed tell us, it is not, from the view of religion, the mark of discernment (even though it be the mode) to neglect or disparage the ritual practice which all orthodoxies have prescribed for their adherents. Of the Hymns now published, those from the Mahabharata and Candi have already been translated; Adyakalisvarupastotra has also been previously published as part of a rendering of the Mahanirvana Tantra. It is necessary to study the Hindu commentators and to seek the oral aid of those who possess the traditional interpretation of the Sastra. Without this and an understanding of what Hindu worship is and means, absurd mistakes are likely to be made. The author has therefore availed himself of the Commentaries of Nilakantha on the Mahabharata, of Gopala Chakravarti and Nagogi Bhatta on Candi, and of Nilakantha on the Devibhagavata.

Transformation Of Shiva From Myth To Man

Transformation Of Shiva From Myth To Man
Author: Dr. Seema Devi
Publisher: Abhishek Publications
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2023-04-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9356521751

The present book Transformation of Shiva from Myth to Man is an effort to decode the symbols related to the Shiva of Devdutt Pattanaik and Amish Tripathi in the light of mythological stance and present the most humane side of him. He is studied as a myth, as a man, a family man and God of transformation. His blue throat, Somras as Evil, Number Three, God of Destruction and Ash Bearer, Snake or Nagas, Aum, Ardhnarishwar, snow-clad mountain, all these core symbols that enwrap persona of Shiva are elucidated. Its an effort to demystify the myth of this ancient lord and awake young generation about enriched and the most valued Indian culture.

Shiva to Shankara

Shiva to Shankara
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Publisher: Indus Source
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9788188569045

Many modern scholars say Shiva linga is a phallic symbol. Most devotees disagree. Who is right? To make sense of a mythological image one has to align the language heard stories] with the language performed rituals], and the language seen symbols]. This book also looks at the sexual metaphors.

Songs of Wisdom and Circles of Dance

Songs of Wisdom and Circles of Dance
Author: Tazim R. Kassam
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 452
Release: 1995-08-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1438408412

Coursing though cultures and time, tuneful verse has given moving expression to the human longing for the divine. As poetry strung on sweet melodies, hymns bear testimony to the religious life of the devout, and to the inspiring teachings of minstrels and saints. Such is the ginan tradition of the Satpanth Isma'ilis, Indian successors of the Fatand Nizari Isma'ili sect of the Shi'ah Muslims. Traditionally recited during daily ritual prayers, ginans have been revered for generations among the Satpanth Isma'ilis as sacred compositions. This work offers for the first time an extensive translation of hymns attributed to the Isma'ili saint-composer, Pir Shams (ca. 13th century), who is at once one of the most pivotal and yet most enigmatic figures of this literary tradition. It also presents a cogent historical reconstruction of the beginnings of Satpanth Isma'ilism--a phase of Isma'ili history that has spanned over eight centuries.