Ritual in an oscillating universe : worshiping Siva in medieval India / Richard H. Davis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Richard H., author.

Series:

Princeton legacy library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Siva (Hindu deity)--Cult--India--History.

Siva (Hindu deity).

India--Religious life and customs.

India.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (217 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [1991]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Saiva liturgy is performed in a world that oscillates: a world permeated by the presence of Siva, where humans live in a condition of bondage and where the highest aim of the soul is to attain liberation from its fetters. In this account of Indian temple ritual, Richard Davis uses medieval Hindu texts to describe the world as it is envisioned by Saiva siddhanta and the way daily worship reflects and acts within that world. He argues that this worship is not simply a set of ritualized gestures, but rather a daily catechism in which the worshiper puts into action all the major themes of Saiva philosophy: the cyclic pattern of cosmic emission and reabsorption, the human path of attaining liberation, the manifestation of divinity in the world, and the proper interrelationship of humanity and god. In re-creating the convictions and intentions of a well-versed worshiper of the twelfth century, Davis moves back and forth between philosophical and ritual texts, demonstrating the fundamental Saiva belief that the capacities of humans to know about the world and to act within it are two inter-related modalities of the unitary power of consciousness.Originally published in 1991.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.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION. Locating the Tradition

CHAPTER ONE. Ritual and Human Powers

CHAPTER TWO. Oscillation in the Ritual Universe

CHAPTER THREE. Becoming a Siva

CHAPTER FOUR. Summoning the Lord

CHAPTER FIVE. Relations of Worship

CONCLUSION

Notes

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (pages [189]-193) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-691-63249-9

0-691-60308-1

1-4008-6238-8

OCLC:

889252569