Encountering the Goddess

Thomas B. Coburn is Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies and Classical Languages at St. Lawrence University. He is the author of Devi-Mahatmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition.

• IllustrationsPreface 1. Introduction PART I: The Text in Its Context 2. The Historical Setting 1. Introduction2. Sanskrit and Sanskritization3. The Names of the Goddess4. The Myths in the Devi-Mahatmya5. The Divine Protector or Protectress 3. The Text in Translation 1. A Note on the Translation2. The Translation Part II: Encounters With the Goddess 4. The Legacy of a Text 5. Encounter with the Text I—The Ritual and Philosophy of the Angas 1. Introduction2. The Armor, the Stopper, the Bolt: Kavaca, Argala, and Kilaka3. The Secrets Pertaining to Primordial Matters, Subsequent Modifications, and Forms: The Pradhanika, Vaikrtika, and Murti Rahasyas 6. Encounter with the Text II—The Commentaries 1. Introduction2. Bhaskararaya and Nagoji Bhatta3. Bhaskararaya's Guptavati: "Containing What is Hidden"4. Comparative Considerations 7. Encounters in the Contemporary World 1. Introduction2. Scholar and Translator3. Pujari and Professor4. "Standing at the Feet of the Mother"5. Conclusion Appendix: Translation of the AngasNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

"Encountering the Goddess is likely to be the standard scholarly translation for years to come."—C. Mackenzie Brown, Trinity University