Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth in Song and Ceremony

Notes

Notes Introduction 1. Íåradå is the Sanskrit word for autumn and is also a name of the goddess. 2. D¥vål¥ is the vernacular name for D¥påval¥, a Sanskrit name meaning “rows” (åval¥) of “lamps” (d¥pa). 3. Ghee is clarified butter. 4. For a fascinating study of popular worship of Hanumån that includes paddhatis, see Lutgendorf, “Five Heads and No Tale.” 5. For further discussion of this feature of Sanskrit texts, particularly in the Ír¥ S¶ktam and in the Dev¥ Måhåtmyam, see Coburn, Dev¥ Måhåtmya: Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition, 1–86. Chapter 1 1. Detailed discussions of the early iconography of the Indian lotus goddess may be found in a number of excellent sources, such as (listed alphabetically): Coomaraswamy, Yakƒas, 155–160; Gupta, Elephant in Indian Art and Mythology, 19–24; Kinsley, Goddesses’ Mirror, 53–70; Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses, 19–22; Maury, Folk Origins of Indian Art, 101–126; Shaw, Buddhist Goddesses of India, 94–109; Våstu Íåstra, ed. Shukla, 311–312; Singh, Iconography of Gaja-Lakshm¥, 24–58; Sircar, Studies, 94–104; and Zimmer, Myths and Symbols, 90–102. 2. Hymn to Lakƒm¥ (Lakƒm¥ S¶ktam) 1. 3. Qtd. in Slocum and Robinson, Water Gardening: Water Lilies and Lotuses, 13. 4. One of the first Europeans to master Sanskrit, British scholar Sir William Jones (1746–1794) was a key figure in advancing the academic study of Sanskrit in the West. 5. It has generally been held that the §g, Såma, and Yåjur Vedas date from 1500 to 1200 BCE, and that the Athårva Veda dates from 1200 to 1000 BCE, though these have not been determined with certainty. Recent investigations argue for much earlier dates for all four Vedas. For a richly detailed study 249 of this debate, see Bryant, Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture. 6. For details of the independent identities of the two goddesses in the Vedic period, see Gonda, Aspects of Early Viƒ£uism, 176–225. 7. This linguistic factor may inform the concepts of “polytheism” and “kathenotheism” (or “henotheism”) in fascinating new ways that are beyond the scope of our present discussion. 8. Gonda, Aspects of Early Viƒ£uism, 186–87. 9. Kane, History of Dharmaßåstra, Vol. II, Part II, 1215, and Vol. III, 79. Chapter 2 1. Most accounts list eighteen classical Puråˆas, although there is also an expanded list of 108 Puråˆas, which includes works on yoga and other esoteric topics. 2. B®hadåra£yaka Upa£iƒad 3.9.1–9. 3. The term Vaiƒ£ava refers to a worshiper or system of worship recognizing Vi∑ˆu as the Supreme Reality; dozens of rich and varied traditions (sampradåya) of Vai∑ˆavism have developed over the centuries. Those who recognize Íiva as the Supreme Reality are called Íaiva, and those who recognize the Goddess (Íakti) as the Supreme Reality are called Íåkta. These categories, however, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. 4. The earliest and most complete version of this story occurs in Viƒ£u Purå£a. It also appears in various other Puråˆas and in the Mahåbhårata. 5. The Sanskrit word am®ta and the English word immortal are close cognates. 6. The long-a grammatical endings on the nouns padmå, tulas¥, ketak¥, and målat¥, for example, reiterate their feminine designations, as do the names of rivers. 7. Song for the Glorious Lotus Goddess (Ír¥ Kamalå Stotram) 12. 8. The Heavenly Gods’ Praise-Song for Lakƒm¥ (Ír¥ Daivak®ta Lakƒm¥ Stotram ) 3. “Emanation” is kalå, that is, an extension or a ray, as in the rays of the sun. 9. Praise-Song for the Lotus Goddess (Kamalå Stotram) 8. Though this song has been placed with the Tantric texts in our volume, it illustrates the same point. 10. The Heavenly Gods’ Praise-Song for Lakƒm¥ (Ír¥ Daivak®ta Lakƒm¥ Stotram ) 9. These designations are reiterated elsewhere. 11. For further discussion, see Bailly, “Ír¥-Lak∑m¥: Majesty of the Hindu King.” 12. For brief overview, see Bailly, “Devadås¥s.” For detailed study, see Marglin, Wives of the God-King. 13. Song for the Glorious Lotus Goddess (Ír¥ Kamalå Stotram) 7. 14. Women’s vratas (vows and fasts) vary in length and complexity. For women’s vows in Bengal (including some for Lak∑m¥), see McDaniel, Making 250 NOTES TO CHAPTER 2 [18.191.181.231] Project MUSE (2024-04...