Siva: The Erotic Ascetic

By Wendy Doniger

Book Overview

Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195202503
• ISBN13: 9780195202502
• Release Date: May 1981
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent read

This is an excellent source for those interested in all the variant mythologies surrounding Siva. The information is well organized and told with an even objective viewpoint, which is perfect since Siva is fascinating in his own right, so there is no need to flower things up. The multple tellings of the same core myth really drives home the core points and character traits of Siva. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Siva or Hindu Mysticism.

Amazing

This wonderful review of the literature of Siva, by far one of the most interesting and misunderstood of the Indic gods, is already a classic. The contrasts between asceticism and eroticism are carefully and precisely laid out, without the quackery of popular psychological babble. The stories are well translated, with full notes, in such a way as to leave the ambiguities of the original intact. Absolutely lovely.