Mother of Bliss - Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982) (Hardcover)

Some feminist theologians in the West have suggested that a move toward powerful yet compassionate female religious imagery, inspired by ancient goddess cultures, would empower women and create a more balanced and humane society. Yet India has one of the oldest continuous traditions of goddess worship in the world, a tradition which is very much alive today. In fact, the Hindu tradition holds that the Divine Mother can take form as an apparently human being. Moreover, Hindu women throughout the centuries have been considered to be living saints and venerated as such.
This book examines the life of one such woman, Anandamayi Ma, who by the time of her death in 1982 was widely revered as a saint, guru, and incarnation of God. Born into a poor brahman family in Bengal in 1896, Anandamayi Ma became one of the most renowned Hindu holy women of modern times. Ma found her religious vocation early, and by 1926, she had begun her ceaseless travels through India, attracting devotees wherever she went, among them such prominent figures as Kamala Nehru and her daughter, Indira Gandhi. By the time of her death Ma's devotees numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and today they continue to worship her daily in their homes and gather to participate in spiritual practices in her name. Drawing on extensive interviews, literature from Ma's community, and a vast array of other sources, Lisa Hallstrom paints a fascinating and vivid portrait of this extraordinary woman, her teachings, and her continuing influence. In the process, Hallstrom sheds new light on a wide range of important themes in the Hindu tradition, and examines the capacity of a powerful female religious figure to serve as a model for women when she is perceived as divine, and, therefore, beyond gender.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	July 1999
First published:	July 1999
Authors:	Lisa Lassell Hallstrom (Assistant Professor of Religion)
Dimensions:	241 x 165 x 26mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	318
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-511647-2
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Hinduism Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies > Women's studies > General Books > Biography > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Hinduism Promotions
LSN:	0-19-511647-X
Barcode:	9780195116472

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!