The presence of Śiva
One of the three great gods of Hinduism, Siva is a living god. The most sacred and most ancient book of India, The Rg Veda, evokes his presence in its hymns; Vedic myths, rituals, and even astronomy testify to his existence from the dawn of time. In a lively meditation on Siva--based on original Sanskrit texts, many translated here for the first time--Stella Kramrisch ponders the metaphysics, ontology, and myths of Siva from the Vedas and the Puranas. Who is Siva? Who is this god whose being comprises and transcends everything? From the dawn of creation, the Wild God, the Great Yogi, the sum of all opposites, has been guardian of the absolute. By retelling and interweaving the many myths that keep Siva alive in India today, Kramrisch reveals the paradoxes in Siva's nature and thus in the nature of consciousness itself. -- Back cover
Print Book, English, 1992, ©1981
2nd print., for the Mythos paperback ed View all formats and editions
Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., 1992, ©1981
works of art
x, 514 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
9780691019307, 0691019304
54780142
I. The Primordial Scene. 1. Raudra Brahman
- 2. The Lord of Animals
- 3. The Lord of Yoga
- 4. Rudra, the Fire
- 5. The Avenger
II. The Archer. 1. The Archer Krsanu
- 2. Sarva, the Archer
- 3. Rudra, the Healer
- 4. The Hunter of the Antelope and the Hound of Heaven
III. Vastospati, the Lord of the Dwelling. 1. The Remainder at the Site of the Lake of Sperm
- 2. The Residue at the Site of the Sacrifice
- 3. Residence and Residue
- 4. The Potency of the Residue
- 5. The Architect's Myth of Vastupa
IV. Manifestations and Realizations of Rudra. 1. Satarudriya: the Hundred Forms and the Host of Rudras
- 2. The God of Darkness
- 3. Encounters with Rudra
V. The Birth from Rudra. 1. The Birth from Prajapati
- 2. The Birth from Brahma
VI. The Refusal to Procreate and the Encounters With Death. 1. Sthanu, the Pillar
- 2. The Creation of Death and the Cycles of Time
- 3. Rudra Plunges into the Waters and Castrates Himself
- 4. The Meetings with Kavya Usanas
- 5. The Swallowing of the World Poison
VII. Linga. 1. The Falling of the Linga in the Deodar Forest
- 2. Transfiguration of the Linga: The Pillar of Flames
- 3. The Establishment of the Linga on Earth
- 4. The Meaning of the Linga
- 5. The Linga and the Face of Siva
- 6. Linga, Mantra, Time, and Eternity
VIII. The Androgyne God. 1. Prolegomena to the Creation of the Great Goddess
- 2. The Divided God
- 3. The Genealogy of Desire
- 4. The Birth of Sati
- 5. Creation of Woman, Sex, and Sensual Fulfillment
- 6. Yoni and Linga
IX. Bhairava. 1. One, Four, Five Heads of the Creator
- 2. The Severed Head: The Cause of Its Fall
- 3. Time, Death, and Timelessness: Kala and Mahakala
- 4. Siva's Dance for Rsi Mankanaka
- 5. The Breakthrough from Time to Eternity
- 6. The Wanderings of Bhairava as the Supreme Beggar
X. The Family of Siva. A. The Lineage of Daksa, the Progenitor
- B. The Lineage of Parvata, the Mountain
XI. The Demons. 1. Demons of Sex
- 2. Siva's Demon
- 3. Cosmic Demons
XII. The Presence of Siva. 1. Conspectus
- 2. Visnu and Siva
- 3. Siva's Dance
Appendix: The Great Cave Temple of Siva on the Island of Elephanta
"Published in cooperation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art"--Preliminary page
Includes glossary