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Devi: The Mother Goddess - An Introduction
This is an attempt to understand the meaning of goddess worship in our time. Written in simple narrative style, it takes us through Shakta imagery, philosophy, beliefs, customs, history, folklore and myth.
The book reaches to young and old alike, bringing together tales of Adi-Maya-Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Kali, Durga as well as several village-goddesses such as Kanyakumari, Vaishnav-devi, Bahucharmata and heroines such as Anasuya, Arundhati and Savitiri.
Highlights include lucid explanations and a pictorial key to numerous symbols associated with Shakta customs and Tantrik rituals, a map showing important Devi temples, a bibliography for those interested in learning more and over 150 illustrations.
“Let me meditate on the supreme goddess who is existence itself, who sits on the lotus, who rides the tiger, who plays the lute, whose divine form dazzles gods, demons and humans, whose womb contains Time and Space, who embodies cosmic energy, who holds in her hands the implements of life and the instruments of death, who spins the cycle of existence as she creates and destroys all that is, was and will be and who empowers and enriches devotees with the ability to accept and appreciate the unfathomable universe.”
The book reaches to young and old alike, bringing together tales of Adi-Maya-Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Kali, Durga as well as several village-goddesses such as Kanyakumari, Vaishnav-devi, Bahucharmata and heroines such as Anasuya, Arundhati and Savitiri.
Highlights include lucid explanations and a pictorial key to numerous symbols associated with Shakta customs and Tantrik rituals, a map showing important Devi temples, a bibliography for those interested in learning more and over 150 illustrations.
“Let me meditate on the supreme goddess who is existence itself, who sits on the lotus, who rides the tiger, who plays the lute, whose divine form dazzles gods, demons and humans, whose womb contains Time and Space, who embodies cosmic energy, who holds in her hands the implements of life and the instruments of death, who spins the cycle of existence as she creates and destroys all that is, was and will be and who empowers and enriches devotees with the ability to accept and appreciate the unfathomable universe.”
- GenresMythologySpirituality
126 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
7 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Devdutt Pattanaik
287 books3,333 followersDr. Devdutt Pattanaik (born December 11, 1970) is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010).
He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.
He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India
He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.
He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2016
Pattanaik is both an excellent writer and an interesting man. His introductions to Hindu deities series is a good entrance point to his work.
This book has a lot more depth than I expected, given its low page-count, high picture content, and title. It not only helps to familiarize the reader with several Indian goddesses and story traditions, but also provides some good limited context and analysis for the stories of Hindu lore.
It can often be confusing to encounter a contradictory collection of narratives, such as with the village goddess traditions of India, but the book does an excellent job of explaining the phenomenon, even if it doesn't go into great detail about many village goddesses.
A feminist reading of this book could be very educating, I think. In that sense it would connect to another one of Pattanaik's books, The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales of Hindu Lore (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies), which is written from a gratifyingly progressive perspective.
The only thing I can think of that is wrong with this book is the section at the end on goddess traditions in the rest of the world. It's overly brief, misleading and misrepresentative of some religious traditions, doesn't serve as a good topical introduction, and just generally feels unnecessary. Stick to your topic, Pattanaik.
As someone who is highly interested and highly informed about Hinduism and other Indian religions, I can say that I very much enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit from it. I'm not sure that this book quite reaches the level where it would be understandable by the average person with no knowledge whatsoever of the subject, but it does provide a good overview of various deities and stories, as well as contextualizing goddess worship within India. For this reason, I would highly recommend this book (and all of Pattanaik's books, really) to anyone interested in Hinduism. If you already are a Hindu, obviously you will gain little from this book. For the non-initiate in religious studies, this book would certainly be worth a read as well, and you definitely won't end up confused. You'll probably just gain more from the earlier and more general sections but less from the retold stories and village goddess segments.
This book has a lot more depth than I expected, given its low page-count, high picture content, and title. It not only helps to familiarize the reader with several Indian goddesses and story traditions, but also provides some good limited context and analysis for the stories of Hindu lore.
It can often be confusing to encounter a contradictory collection of narratives, such as with the village goddess traditions of India, but the book does an excellent job of explaining the phenomenon, even if it doesn't go into great detail about many village goddesses.
A feminist reading of this book could be very educating, I think. In that sense it would connect to another one of Pattanaik's books, The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales of Hindu Lore (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies), which is written from a gratifyingly progressive perspective.
The only thing I can think of that is wrong with this book is the section at the end on goddess traditions in the rest of the world. It's overly brief, misleading and misrepresentative of some religious traditions, doesn't serve as a good topical introduction, and just generally feels unnecessary. Stick to your topic, Pattanaik.
As someone who is highly interested and highly informed about Hinduism and other Indian religions, I can say that I very much enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit from it. I'm not sure that this book quite reaches the level where it would be understandable by the average person with no knowledge whatsoever of the subject, but it does provide a good overview of various deities and stories, as well as contextualizing goddess worship within India. For this reason, I would highly recommend this book (and all of Pattanaik's books, really) to anyone interested in Hinduism. If you already are a Hindu, obviously you will gain little from this book. For the non-initiate in religious studies, this book would certainly be worth a read as well, and you definitely won't end up confused. You'll probably just gain more from the earlier and more general sections but less from the retold stories and village goddess segments.
August 29, 2019
Being a Hindu and having a keen interest in Indian Mythology, I knew a lot about Hindu Gods and Goddesses. I was surprised when this book was able to offer me something more. It connected a lot of dots between stories and was able to explain some of the things I have always been curious about.
June 8, 2011
Fascinating. Devdutt Pattanaik does not disappoint in his endeavors to make the infinitely exotic Hindu faith, and its myriad legends, rituals, and beliefs comprehensible and accessible to everyone.
March 13, 2023
Informative and fun to read, and I liked the writing style. It got a little repetitive towards the end but other than that really interesting. Sort of have a complex about my name now but what can you do.
August 22, 2022
Everything is Nature, the dancing Goddess.
Mother, thank you for this life.
Mother, thank you for this life.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews