Lord Who Is Half Woman

Ellen Goldberg is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

• List of Illustrations Introduction 1. Ardhanarisvara in Indian Iconography 2. Ardhanarisvara and Hathayoga 3. Ardhanarisvara in Devotional Poetry 4. An Indian and a Feminist Perspective of Androgyny 5. Sakti and Parvati: A New Interpretation Notes Bibliography Index

"As a contribution to Indology and religious studies the book offers a careful reading of the iconography of the androgyne (or perhaps, 'gynandro'), an innovative connection between ritual image and practice in the context of hathayoga, and a set of thoughtful reflections on the possibilities and limits of religion in re-imagining gendered identities." — Journal of the American Academy of Religion"A very sympathetic but also very critical look at the image from a variety of sophisticated hermeneutical perspectives. Goldberg is able to move through the image itself to the much broader issues of sexual differentiation, sexual justice, gender construction, androgyny across cultures, and more. The icon, in other words, acts as a kind of lens through which the author and her readers can 'see anew' the world. I loved this book. It has the potential to become a classic Indological work." — Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of Kali's Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna