Siva: The Erotic AsceticOriginally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama. |
Contents
PROBLEMS AND METHODS II | 11 |
MOTIFS OF HINDU MYTHOLOGY | 21 |
E THE NATURE OF MYTHOLOGICAL CONTRADICTION | 33 |
ASCETICISM AND EROTICISM IN EARLY INDIAN | 40 |
THE VEDIC ANTECEDENTS OF STVA | 83 |
AGNI THE EROTIC FIRE | 90 |
OPPOSITION AND IDENTITY | 111 |
Siva and kAma | 141 |
Siva as ascetic and householder | 210 |
THE CONTROL AND TRANSFORMATION | 255 |
CYCLES OF ASCETICISM AND SEXUALITY | 293 |
THE PENDULUM OF EXTREMES | 314 |
APPENDIX B MAJOR OCCURRENCES OF THE MAIN | 321 |
APPENDIX E BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTES | 341 |
375 | |
381 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
2iea 2oea Agastya Agni Andhaka androgyne anger apsaras ArundhatI ascetic asceticism ashes aspect Atharva Veda beautiful became become beget beheading body born Brahma Brahmana Brahmavaivarta Brahmin burning burnt Kama Calcutta castration chaste chastity cited created creation curse Cyavana Daksa daughter demon desire destroyed Devi Dharma Dharmasamhita earth Elwin episode erotic fire Ganges gods Haracarita Himalaya Hindu husband i6cd incest Indian Indra interruption iocd Jalandhara Kama Kama's killed king Krttikas Kurma linga lust Mahabharata marry Matsya Mohini motif multiform mythology Narada Padma Parvati passion performed tapas phallus Pine Forest myth Prajapati Purana Rati Rg Veda role Rsyasrnga Rudra Saiva Sanskrit Satapatha Sati says seduce seed of Siva Seven Sages sexual Siva Siva and Parvati Siva appears Siva's Siva's seed Skanda Soma sons story Svaha symbolism Tantric TaravatI tejas theme third eye variant Vdmana Vedic Visnu wife wives woman women yoga yogi
Popular passages
Page 2 - The layered structure of myth to which I draw attention... allows us to look upon myth as a matrix of meanings which are arranged in lines or columns, but in which each level always refers to some other level, whichever way the myth is read. Similarly, each matrix of meanings refers to another matrix, each myth to other myths.