Anout The Author
Dr. Ranjini M V was born in Kannur district of Kerala. She completed her master degree in Sanskrit Sahitya from Sree Sakaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Kerala. She obtained her Ph.D. degree for her study on Worship of Female Deities in Kerala Tantric texts- A Scio- Cultural Study. She has published many articles on Sanskrit Literature, Mythology and Cultural Studies in many books and journals. She has also presented various papers in National and International Seminars on Sanskrit Language and Literature, Socio-Cultural history, Mythology and other subjects. Now she is working as the Assistant Professor (on Contract) in the Department of Sanskrit Sahitya, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Kerala.
Anout The Book
A notable characteristic feature of Kerala Tantra is that it gives less stress to the philosophical aspects of Tantra. Instead, the emphasis is on performing the rituals as perfectly as they are prescribed. This tradition has been preserved intact orally for generations and it is firmly grounded on a rich textual tradition. Therefore, the Tantric literature in Kerala is vast and varied. More than twenty-five Sanskrit works have been written in the field by Kerala authors. The commentaries on these texts are also in plenty. A large number of Malayalam works too are available in this field. A major part of this literature is unpublished, which remains in manuscript form mainly in private collections. This book is an analysis based on the textual tradition and practices prevailing in Kerala at present, in the worship of female deities in different temples. One such area of study done in this book isbased on the form and mode of worship of female deities referred to in the Kerala Tantric texts. Such a study will make it clear that the survival of the culture of the tribal past has been an important characteristic of the tradition of Kerala history.
Introduction
The Tantric tradition of India has three main streams based on the religious orientation, namely the Kashmir, the Bengal, and the Kerala systems. The Kashmir and Bengal traditions are more based on Vämamärga, which is considered as non-Vedic in nature giving predominance to Śaiva and Śākteya cults. In Kashmir tradition, Siva is the most important deity while the Bengal tradition is based on the worship of Sakti. Kerala system of Tantra, on the other hand, is mainly based on Dakșinamārga, which is more related to Vedic tradition. This is centered on the worship of seven deities termed Saptadevatās, namely Vişnu, Siva, Durgā, Šāsta, Ganapati, Subrahmanya, and Sankaranārayaņa.A notable characteristic feature of Kerala Tantra is that it gives less stress to the philosophical aspects of Tantra. Instead, the emphasis is on performing the rituals as perfectly as they are prescribed. This tradition has been preserved intact orally for generations and it is firmly grounded on a rich textual tradition. Therefore, the Tantric literature in Kerala is vast and varied. More than twenty-five Sanskrit works have been written in the field by Kerala authors. The commentaries on these texts are also in plenty. A large number of Malayalam works too are available in this field. A major part of this literature is unpublished, which remains in manuscript form mainly in private collections. Apart from these works, innumerable shorter treatises are also available in this field. These works are freely composed based on the standard texts written by earlier writers. These are serving as manuals to priests of Kerala and are mostly written in the regional language which is Malayalam. Currently, more than twenty-five Brahmin families perform Tantric rituals in the temples of Kerala. Several of them have their ritual manuals handed down through generations. The respective family members are accepted to follow their ritual manuals. But, with the emergence of Tantrasamuccaya (TS) of Narayana, these different traditions were, to a great extent, unified and this text with its supplement Šeşasamuccaya (SS), was accepted as the basic text. Nowadays, the non-Brahmins, who perform Tantric rituals in temples in Kerala, also follow the texts, Tantrasamuccaya and Śeşasamuccaya, as authoritative manuals of Kerala Tantra now. The worship of female deities, especially that of Kālī or Bhadrakāļī, is very much popular in Kerala from the earlier ages itself. Nevertheless, most of the Tantric texts treat all the female deities under the tag of Durga. Some text such as Prapañcasāra (PS) attributed to Srī Śankara, Iśānaśivagurudevapaddhati (ISGP), Tantrasamuccya, and Šeşasamuccaya, a supplement of Tantrasamuccya, deal with several female deities separately. Mātrsadbhāva (MS) is a text which is devoted to the description of the worship of Rurujit, a form of Bhadrakaļī herself. Therefore, this study entitled Worship of Female Deities in Kerala Tantric Texts- A Socio-Cultural Study focuses on the five mentioned texts. The peculiarities of Kerala Tantric tradition and the socio-cultural background of its development have attracted scholars and several studies have been carried out in this field. Some of these studies focus on different aspects that are dealt within the Tantric texts while other some studies concentrate on the rituals and practices prevalent in temples in Kerala.
Vedas (1216)
Upanishads (507)
Puranas (634)
Ramayana (759)
Mahabharata (372)
Dharmasastras (167)
Goddess (518)
Bhakti (251)
Saints (1558)
Gods (1310)
Shiva (392)
Journal (181)
Fiction (62)
Vedanta (383)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist