Invoking Lakshmi

Rhodes, Constantina Eleni:
Invoking Lakshmi : the goddess of wealth in song and ceremony / Constantina Rhodes. - Albany : SUNY Press, 2010. - 208 S.
ISBN 978-1-4384-3321-9
US$ 70,00 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4384-3322-6
US$ 20,00 (eBook)
DDC: 294.52114
-- Die Printausgabe ist angekündigt für Oktober 2010, die eBook-Ausg. ist im September 2010 erschienen --

Beschreibung
Beautiful, beloved Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, happiness, and abundant good fortune. This fascinating book is the first comprehensive guide to this celebrated goddess, her worship, and the deeper spiritual domain of prosperity she reveals. Constantina Rhodes presents over five hundred elegantly translated Sanskrit verses, including devotional songs, mantras, visualizations, and ceremonial instructions that devotees use to invoke Lakshmi.
   Rhodes uses these texts to develop a richly detailed portrait of Lakshmi, revealing unexpected dimensions of this enigmatic deity. Even as Lakshmi is best known as a goddess of wealth and well-being, she also maintains a strong esoteric presence, expressing herself as Siddhi, the magnificent Tantric goddess of spiritual power, and as Kundalini Shakti, the transformative cosmic force that exists within each individual. These identities express the “prosperity consciousness” that is the essential nature of the goddess and the divine source of all wealth. Invoking Lakshmi is not only a matter of calling upon the external form of the goddess but also of aligning one’s consciousness with the very essence of prosperity. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
Acknowledgements. xi
INTRODUCTION: THE GODDESS ARRIVES IN DELHI. 1
   - What Does It Mean to Invoke a Goddess? 3
   - On the Format of This Book. 6
   - Sources: Sanskrit Texts and Popular Worship Manuals. 8
PART ONE: THE DIVINE PERSONALITIES OF LAKSMĪ. 13
1. The Awseome Power of Auspiciousness: Lakṣmī of the Vedic Traditions. 15
   - The Primordial Lotus Goddess. 15
   - The Goddess of Auspiciousness: Śrī's Essence, Lakṣmī's Form. 18
   - Alakṣmī the Inauspicious. 20
2. Living the Good Life: Lakṣmī of the Purānic Traditions. 23
   - The Burgeoning World of the Purānas. 23
   - Lakṣmī and the Lords of the Three Realms: Indra, Viṣṇu, and Bali. 24
   - All Women are Embodiments of Lakṣmī. 26
   - Laksmi, Embodiment of the "Four Wealths" (Caturārtha). 30
   - The Absence of Lakṣmī: Is Lady Luck a Fickle Goddess? 42
3. Living the Powerful Life: Lakṣmī of the Tantric Traditions. 47
   - The World According to Tantra. 48
   - Lakṣmī as Kuṇḍalinī. 49
   - Lakṣmī, Śiva, and the "Ten Great Wisdom Goddesses" (Daśamahāvidyās). 52
   - The Grace-Bestowing Mother. 56
   - Lakṣmī as Siddhi: Magical Attainment, Spiritual Power. 58
PART TWO: THE POWER OF POETRY TO SUMMON THE GODDESS. 61
4. The Power of the Vedic Hymns: Generating Auspiciousness. 63
   - Reciting the Hymns (Sūktas). 63
   - Ritual Application of the Vedic Hymns. 65
5. The Power of Purāṇic Songs: Drawing Down the Goddess. 67
   - Reciting the Songs of Praise (Stotras). 67
   - The Propitious Glance of the Goddess. 68
   - Fruits of the Recitations (Phala). 69
6. The Power of Tantric Songs: Waking Up the Goddess. 71
   - Alchemy of the Goddess: The Magic of Transformation. 71
   - Vibratory Essence: Engaging the Sound Forms of Lakṣmī. 76
   - The Potency of a Woman's Recitations. 81
   - Literary Genres of the Tantric Songs. 82
   - Structure of Tantric Songs. 83
PART THREE: CEREMONY. 91
Introduction: Invoking Lakṣmī In Ceremony: Lakṣmī Pūjā. 93
   - Creating Space to Receive the Goddess. 93
   - The Ancient Art of Hospitality. 96
   - Structure of the Ceremony. 97
Lakṣmī Pūjā Text. 99
   - Preparation and Purification. 99
   - Heart of the Ceremony: Receiving the Goddess. 104
   - Outline of the Lakṣmī Pūjā. 116
PART FOUR: SONG. 119
Vedic Hymns to Lakṣmī. 121
   - Hymn to Śri (Śrī Sūktam). 121
   - Hymn to Lakṣmī (Lakṣmī Sūktam). 124
Purāṇic Songs of Lakṣmī. 127
   - Song for Lakṣmī, Gracious Bestower of Blessings (Prasannavaradā Śrī Lakṣmī Stotram). 127
   - Song for the Glorious Lotus Goddess (Śrī Kamalā Stotram). 133
   - Lord Indra's Song for Lakṣmī (Devarāja Indrakrta Lakṣmī Stotram). 137
   - The Heavenly Gods' Praise Song for Lakṣmī (Śrī Daivakrta Lakṣmī Stotram). 143
   - Eight Verses Praising Mahālakṣmī (Mahālakṣmyaṣṭakam Stotram). 146
Tantric Songs to Lakṣmī. 149
   - The Secret Heart of Lakṣmī (Śrī Mahālakṣmī Hṛdayam). 149
   - Praise-Song for the Bestower of Wealth (Dhanadā Stotram). 169
   - Song-Amulet of the Bestower of Wealth (Dhanadā Kavacam). 170
   - Praise-Song for the Lotus Goddess (Kamalā Stotram). 171
   - 108 Names of the Glorious Lotus Goddess (Śrī Kamalā Aṣṭottaraśatanāma Stotram). 177
   - Song-Amulet of the Lotus Goddess (Kamalātmikā Kavacam). 181
   - Song for the Lakṣmī of Spiritual Power (Śrī Siddhalakṣmī Stotram). 186
   - Song for the Glorious "Eyes of Indra" (Śrī Indrāksī Stotram). 190
   - Song-Formulary of the Glorious Mahālakṣmī (Śrī Mahālakṣmī Pañjara Stotram). 194
   - Secret Lakṣmī Incantation That Yields Immediate Results (Sadyaḥ Phaladā Lakṣmīstava Hṛdayam). 200
Epilogue: The Goddess Returns Home. 203
Transliterated Sanskrit Texts. 207
   - Lakṣmī Pūjā Text. 207
   - Vedic Texts. 211
   - Purāṇic Texts. 213
   - Tantric Texts. 222
Notes. 249
Bibliography. 265
Index. 275

Autorin

CONSTANTINA RHODES teaches in the Program in Religion at the City University of New York’s Hunter College. Her books include Shaiva Devotional Songs of Kashmir: A Translation and Study of Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali and Meditations on Shiva: The Shivastotravali of Utpaladeva, both also published by SUNY Press.

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