Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas

The Hindu pantheon is rich in images of the divine feminine-deities representing a wide range of symbolic, social, and meditative meanings. David Kinsley's new book documents a highly unusual group of ten Hindu tantric goddesses, the Mahavidyas, many of whom are strongly associated with sexuality and violence. What is one to make of a goddess who cuts her own head off, or one who prefers sex with a corpse? The Mahavidyas embody habits, attributes, or identities usually considered repulsive or socially subversive and can be viewed as "antimodels" for women. Yet it is within the context of tantric worship that devotees seek to identify themselves with these forbidding goddesses. The Mahavidyas seem to function as "awakeners"-symbols which help to project one's consciousness beyond the socially acceptable or predictable. Drawing on a broad range of Sanskrit and vernacular texts as well as extensive research in India, including written and oral interpretations of contemporary Hindu practitioners, Kinsley describes the unusual qualities of each of the Mahavidyas and traces the parallels between their underlying themes. Especially valuable are the many rare and fascinating images he presents-each important to grasping the significance of the goddesses. Written in an accessible, engaging style, Kinsley's book provides a comprehensive understanding of the Mahavidyas and is also an overview of Hindu tantric practice.

Table of Contents:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS     Introduction PART I. THE MAHAVIDYAS AS A GROUP The Ten Mahavidyas; Typical Literary and Iconographic Contexts; The Mahavidyas as Forms of the Mahadevi; Mahavidya Origin Myths; Interrelationships among the Mahavidyas; Worship of the Mahavidyas; The Mahavidyas and Magical Powers; The Significance of the Term Mahavidya; Concluding Observations PART II. THE INDIVIDUAL MAHAVIDYAS Kali: The Black Goddess     Tara: The Goddess Who Guides through Troubles     Tripura-sundari: She Who Is Lovely in the Three Worlds     Bhuvanegvari: She Whose Body Is the World     Chinnamasta: The Self-Decapitated Goddess Bhairavi: The Fierce One     Dharnavati: The Widow Goddess     Bagalamukhi: The Paralyzer     Matarigi: The Outcaste Goddess     Kamald: The Lotus Goddess     PART III. CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS Corpses and Cremation Grounds 233; Skulls and Severed Heads; Sexuality and Awakened Consciousness; The Conjunction of Death and Sexual Imagery; The Roles of Women and Reverence for Women; The Potentially Liberating Nature of Social Antimodels NOTES     GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY     INDEX

About the Author :
David Kinsley is Professor of Religion at McMaster University, Canada. He is the author of Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition (California, 1985), and The Sword and the Flute: Kali and Krisna, Dark Visions of the Terrible and Sublime in Hindu Mythology (California, 1975).