The Graceful Guru: Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United StatesKaren Pechilis A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi. |
Contents
3 | |
1 Sita Devi an Early Vaishnava Guru | 51 |
2 The Life of Gauri Ma | 65 |
3 Anandamayi Ma the BlissFilled Divine Mother | 85 |
Jayashri Ma and the Primordial Mother | 119 |
5 Mother Meera Avatar | 129 |
6 Gurus and Goddesses Deities and Devotees | 149 |
Other editions - View all
The Graceful Guru: Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United States Karen Pechilis Limited preview - 2004 |
The Graceful Guru: Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United States Karen Pechilis No preview available - 2004 |
The Graceful Guru: Hindu Female Gurus in India and the United States Karen Pechilis No preview available - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
Advaita Acharya America Amma Ammachi Anandamayi ascetic ashram Asian Aurobindo avatar Baba Bengal biography body brahmacharini brahman Calcutta Chaitanya Chidvilasananda context cultural darshan deity disciples discussion divine Mother Durga embodiment example experience feminine feminist followers Gaudiya Gaudiya Vaishnava Gauri Ma's Gauri Mata gender Gita Goddess guru's Gurumayi Hindu Hindu female gurus Hindu Temple Hindu tradition Hinduism husband Ibid incarnation India initiation Jaya Sati Bhagavati Jaya's Jayashri Karunamayi Kashi Krishna Lakshmi leadership lineage lives Maa's male gurus mantra married meditation Mirabai Mother Meera movement Mridani Neem Karoli Baba Nityananda path person puja Radha Ramakrishna relationship religious ritual role sacred sadhana sannyasa Sanskrit Sarada Devi Satyananda says Shakti shaktipat Shiva Shree Maa Siddha Yoga Sita Devi social South Fallsburg spiritual practice Sri Sri status stories Swami Muktananda SYDA tantric teacher teachings Vaishnava Vedanta Vivekananda wife woman women devotees women gurus Women Saints worship York Press