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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Hinduism
A classic first-person account of spiritual awakening, now in a
revised and expanded edition. Krishna tells of his awakening to
kundalini, a spiritual force said to be asleep in every human being
which finds expression in the form of spiritual knowledge, mystical
vision, psychic powers and enlightenment.
Annually during the months of autumn, Bengal hosts three
interlinked festivals to honor its most important goddesses: Durga,
Kali, and Jagaddhatri. While each of these deities possesses a
distinct iconography, myth, and character, they are all martial.
Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri often demand blood sacrifice as part
of their worship and offer material and spiritual benefits to their
votaries. Richly represented in straw, clay, paint, and decoration,
they are similarly displayed in elaborately festooned temples,
thronged by thousands of admirers. The first book to recount the
history of these festivals and their revelry, rivalry, and
nostalgic power, this volume marks an unprecedented achievement in
the mapping of a major public event. Rachel Fell McDermott
describes the festivals' origins and growth under British rule. She
identifies their iconographic conventions and carnivalesque
qualities and their relationship to the fierce, Tantric sides of
ritual practice. McDermott confronts controversies over the
tradition of blood sacrifice and the status-seekers who compete for
symbolic capital. Expanding her narrative, she takes readers beyond
Bengal's borders to trace the transformation of the goddesses and
their festivals across the world. McDermott's work underscores the
role of holidays in cultural memory, specifically the Bengali
evocation of an ideal, culturally rich past. Under the thrall of
the goddess, the social, political, economic, and religious
identity of Bengalis takes shape.
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