The goddess and the sun in Indian myth : power, preservation and mirrored Māhātmyas in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa / Raj Balkaran.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Balkaran, Raj, author.

Series:

RoutledgeCurzon Hindu studies series

Routledge Hindu studies series

Language:

English

Sanskrit

Subjects (All):

Sūrya (Hindu deity).

Puranas. Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. Devīmāhātmya--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Puranas.

Puranas. Sāmbapurāṇa--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Durg (Hindu deity)--Cult.

Durg.

Sūrya (Hindu deity)--Cult.

Sūrya.

Durg (Hindu deity).

Puranas. Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. Devīmāhātmya.

Puranas. Sāmbapurāṇa.

Hindu mythology.

Cults.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

x, 184 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020.

Language Note:

In English; includes some Sanskrit text and translations.

Summary:

"In analyzing myths glorifying the supremacy of the Sun, Sūrya, which mirror the myths glorifying the Indian Great Goddess, Durgā, found in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, this book argues for an ideological ecosystem at work in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa privileging worldly values, of which Indian kings, the Goddess (Devī), the Sun (Sūrya), Manu and Mārkaṇḍeya himself are paragons. This book features a salient discovery in Sanskrit narrative text: just as the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa houses the DevīMāhātmya glorifying the Indian Great Goddess, Durgā, it also houses a Sūrya Māhātmya, glorifying the supremacy of the Sun, Sūrya, in much the same manner. The author argues the māhātmyas of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa were meaningfully and purposefully positioned there, while previous scholarship has considered this haphazard interpolation for sectarian aims. The book demonstrates that deliberate compositional strategies make up the Saura-Śākta symbiosis that can be found in these mirrored māhātmyas. Moreover, the author explores the 'dharmic double helix' of Brahmanism, most explicitly articulated by the structural opposition between pravṛtti (worldly) and nivṛtti (other worldy) dharmas. The first narrative study of the Sūrya Māhātmya, along with the first study of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (or any Purāṇa), as a narrative whole, this book will be of interest to academics in the field of Religion, South Asian Studies, Goddess Studies, Narrative Theory and Comparative Mythology"-- Provided by publisher.

"In analyzing myths glorifying the supremacy of the Sun, S�urya, which mirror the myths glorifying the Indian Great Goddess, Durg�a, found in the M�arka�n�deya Pur�a�na, this book argues for an ideological ecosystem at work in the M�arka�n�deya Pur�a�na privileging worldly values, of which Indian kings, the Goddess (Dev�i), the Sun (S�urya), Manu and M�arka�n�deya himself are paragons. This book features a salient discovery in Sanskrit narrative text: just as the M�arka�n�deya Pur�a�na houses the Dev�iM�ah�atmya glorifying the Indian Great Goddess, Durg�a, it also houses a S�urya M�ah�atmya, glorifying the supremacy of the Sun, S�urya, in much the same manner. The author argues the m�ah�atmyas of the M�arka�n�deya Pur�a�na were meaningfully and purposefully positioned there, while previous scholarship has considered this haphazard interpolation for sectarian aims. The book demonstrates that deliberate compositional strategies make up the Saura-�S�akta symbiosis that can be found in these mirrored m�ah�atmyas. Moreover, the author explores the 'dharmic double helix' of Brahmanism, most explicitly articulated by the structural opposition between prav�rtti (worldly) and niv�rtti (other worldy) dharmas. The first narrative study of the S�urya M�ah�atmya, along with the first study of the M�arka�n�deya Pur�a�na (or any Pur�a�na), as a narrative whole, this book will be of interest to academics in the field of Religion, South Asian Studies, Goddess Studies, Narrative Theory and Comparative Mythology"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Goddess and King, Goddess and Sun

1. Synchronic Strategy

2. Mirrored Māhāmtyas

3. The Story of Saṃjñā

4. Mapping Mārkaṇḍeya

Conclusion: Paragons of Preservation

Bibliography

Appendix: The Sun Myths of the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (Sanskrit Text)

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780367338053

036733805X

OCLC:

1133125545

Publisher Number:

99984757265