The Life of Hinduism »

John Stratton Hawley is Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Religion at Barnard College. He is the editor of Saints and Virtues and Devi: Goddesses of
India (both from UC Press), among other books. Vasudha Narayanan is Professor of Religion at University of Florida. Her books include The Tamil Veda: Pillan's
Interpretation of the Tiruvaymoli and The Vernacular Veda: Revelation, Recitation, and Ritual.

"Hawley and Narayanan have shaped the presentation of this volume in an elegant, graceful way; the framework is brilliant, original, and compelling. These articles are very accessible, informative, diverse, and complex in argumentation. The collection of readings, carefully sifted from the repertoire of books and articles over the past generation, brings together items that are factually accurate and just great reads in their own right."—Paul B. Courtright, co-editor, From the Margins of Hindu Marriage: Essays in Gender, Religion, and Culture

List of Illustrations A Note on Transliteration
Introduction

PART I WORSHIP
1 The Experience: Approaching God
2 The Deity: The Image of God
3 The Miraculous: The Birth of a Shrine

PART II THE LIFE CYCLE
4 Marriage: Women in
India
5 Death beyond Death: The Ochre Robe

PART III FESTIVAL
6 Divali: The Festival of Lights
7 Holi: The Feast of Love

PART IV PERFORMANCE
8 An Open-Air Ramayana: Ramlila, the Audience Experience
9 A Ramayana on Air: "All in the (Raghu) Family," A Video Epic in Cultural Context
10 Possession by Durga: The Mother Who Possesses

PART V GURUS
11 Anandamayi Ma: God Came as a Woman
12 Radhasoami: The Healing Offer

PART VI CASTE
13 A Dalit Poet-Saint: Ravidas
14 A Brahmin Woman: Revenge Herself

PART VII DIASPORA
15 Hinduism in Pittsburgh: Creating the South
Indian "Hindu" Experience in the United States
16 A Diasporic Hindu Creed: Some Basic Features of Hinduism

PART VIII IDENTITY
17 Militant Hinduism: Ayodhya and the Momentum of Hindu Nationalism
18 Tolerant Hinduism: Shared Ritual Spaces—Hindus and Muslims at the Shrine of Shahul Hamid
19 Hinduism for Hindus: Taking Back Hindu Studies
20 Hinduism with Others:
Interlogue

List of Contributors 301

Index 307