Devi: Goddesses in Indian Mythology

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Religious rituals play an important role in our lives, yet few today have the time to study or understand the meanings behind these. One reason perhaps is the multitude of deities. In this attractive book, liberally peppered with photographs largely taken by the author, the iconography of female deities, the philosophical conjecture hidden behind these female religious icons, and the mythology behind Hindu goddesses, is shown. The Shakta tradition in Hinduism is explored. This fascinating book covers the links between fertility and a mother goddess, female divinities in the Vedic period, the evolution of goddesses since then and those in the present era.

It fills in the lacuna between an oral rendition and a written, complex philosophical version of religious thought behind these goddesses for those wishing to understand 'why', rather than 'how to'. It beguiles the reader with the old world charm that well written mythology and photographs convey. The goddesses of the Hindu pantheon are many-some ferocious, some gentle. All mirror common human traits and failures - devotion, determination, anger, jealousy and in their mythology echo universal attitudes, morals, ethics and principles.

The number of goddesses in Hinduism is overwhelmingly enormous, and it is a daunting task to incorporate every one of these; rather the central female divinities of import and who have been worshipped over the centuries are included.

Dr. H N Bajaj is a man with varied interests. He is a medical professional, a spine surgeon, a novelist, and a keen gardener, with extensive knowledge of cacti, bonsai, and assorted plants. He enjoys reading and writing about religious iconography and has published books on Hindu mythology, two medical textbooks, and papers in peer-reviewed journals.

He is fond of dogs, and as far as he can remember he has always shared his life with them. He is passionate about travel, good food, and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Philosophy is the very heart of any religion, but philosophical conjecture, being abstract, is often hidden behind more tangible religious deities. This is so true of India where a proliferation of religious icons, central to Hindu religious thought, leads on probing deep, to a system of beliefs and practices prevalent since antiquity. This amalgam is called Hinduism and is a way of life, it incorporates a code of ethics, whose values are eternal and known to Indians as sanatana dharma. Religious deities have been a fundamental and predominant path towards the achievement of a goal, which Hindus call moksha, literally meaning release.

There are numerous deities in India; some originate in the Dravidian cults and beliefs, that held sway before the advent of the Aryans who appeared as invaders around 1800 BCE; the latter were a light skinned race possibly from over the Urals, much addicted to a drink called soma, armed with weapons that were superior than those possessed by the indigenous people, who were dark skinned and scornfully named as 'Dasyus'. The impact of the Aryan invasion was one of the factors that caused the Indus Valley Civilisation to decline. Little is known about the gods worshipped at that time; possibly a cult of worship of fertility goddesses, and phallic worship flourished; the worship of spirits, snakes or Nagas, elements of nature such as trees, water, animals most likely were prominent.

The Aryans brought with them their own religion; over time it incorporated the beliefs and traditions of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Our the knowledge of their religious beliefs stems from the Vedas which were orally transmitted, till they were written. Vedic deities were largely male dominated - Indra, Varuna, Agni, Surya held sway. There was little room for goddesses, but Ushas, Ratri, Aditi, Saraswati were known. The emphasis was on sacrifice and on rituals, which gradually became so e elaborate that a class of specialists, the Brahmins was needed to perform and interpret these. The Vedic period gradually gave ground to what is called the Brahmanic period. The Vedic gods did not entirely fade away, but were pushed into the background as deities such as Shiva and Vishnu became prominent.