Living Mantra

Mani Rao, PhD, is a poet and independent scholar. She has nine poetry books and two books in translation from Sanskrit including The Bhagavad Gita and Kalidasa for the 21st Century Reader. See manirao.com for links and updates.

• Part 1: Preparation.- 1. Introduction.- 2. A Mountain of Scholarship.- 3. Crossing Over.- 4. Are there Revelations Today? - Part 2: Fieldwork.-  5. Body-Yantra: Sahasrakshi Meru Temple, Devipuram.- 6. Self-Made: Svayam Siddha Kali Pitham, Guntur.- 7. "I am in Mantra, Mantra is in me": Nachiketa Tapovan, Kodgal.- Part 3.- 8. Understanding Mantra Again.

“This is a valuable book for scholars of Religious Studies, South Asian Studies, and Anthropology— one that should inspire further ethnographic engagement with these vital traditions.” (Finnian M.M. Gerety, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 46 (3), September, 2020)“Rao dovetails scholarship and practice to grapple with the captivating, eye-opening, mind-blowing narratives of the practitioners … Living Mantra documents the modern-day existence of seers (rishis), thus underscoring the open, ongoing nature of divine revelation in Hindu traditions.” (Raj Balkaran, New Books network, newbooksnetwork.com, February 01, 2019)