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

Hallstrom, Lisa Lassell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019511647X ISBN 13: 9780195116472

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

Lisa Lassell Hallstrom has taught Religion and Asian Studies at Bard, Mt. Holyoke, and Smith colleges.

Review:

"Hallstrom...employs critical analysis, with insightful self-reflection. Includes extensive excerpts from interviews. A long biography at times verging on hagiography. For all libraries."--Religious Studies Review

"I cannot imagine a better, more scholarly, and yet respectful study of a Hindu woman saint. This book should be read by everyone interested in women and religion, Hindu women, Hindu goddesses, and the comparative categories of saint, religious teacher, and incarnation....fascinating
reading....this book is a tour de force, a marvelous example of sensitive scholarship."--The Journal of Asian Studies

"Hallstrom...employs critical analysis, with insightful self-reflection. Includes extensive excerpts from interviews. For all libraries." --Religious Studies Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 019511647X
• ISBN 13: 9780195116472
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328