AAS 256 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Shaktism, Upanishads, Puranas

• School: Stony Brook University
• Department: Asian & Asian American Studies
• Course: AAS 256
• Professor: Andrew Nicholson

Document Summary

Puranas: means ancient" and these are texts that were created in the late epic and medieval periods. They retail the myths of gods and goddesses and there are 18 major puranas (6 visnu, 6 brahma, Murukan = skanda (siva"s older son, war god, arrives on a peacock) Ecstasty standing outside (shaman possessed with an outsider) Enstasy standing within (yogi - meditating with himself) Antinomian against the rules certain practices are so powerful/sacred that they would violate the rules of their religion. Sakta takes the goddesses as their main god. Durga inaccessible, invincible, 10 arms and weapons and kills mahesha ( Kali means black or blue, intoxicated eyes, dancing on the corpse of siva (goddess of death and time) Sarasvati goddess of knowledge, music, arts, and wisdom. Paravati goddess of fertility, love and devotion. Marriage control controlling the sakti of women. Prakrti nature (feminine) / purusa spirit (masculine)