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Rituals (Doctrine of Devotion and Sacrifices in Sakta Cult)
Author
Dr Seema Parihar
Specifications
  • ISBN 13 : 9788193845738
  • year : 2019
  • language : English
  • binding : Hardbound
Description
Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Origin and evolution of Sakti and Sakti worship in India. 3. Nature of ritual and significance in human life. 4. Doctrine of rituals and possessions in Sakti worship. 5. Animal sacrifices, Bali system and human attitude towards Bali in religious rituals. 6. Science and rituals. 7. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index. Rituals and spirituality are the soul of Hinduism. This book is a collection of rituals and mantras on rituals of Sakti. These rituals are prescribed principles, mentioned in Indian religious works for worship of female divinities. It includes the Vedas, the Puranas, Upanishads, Dharmashastras and some other text works of ancient India as well as of the contemporary society. Besides the ritual performances through different types of yajna, there are also various types of practices of animal sacrifices, which were the part of Indian society since the times of Vedas. Even today, people are enthusiastic towards these practices and are committed to these practices as a social order. Hindus are the believers of trinity of Brahma Visnu and Siva. These male deities have been considered as creators, preservers and destroyers. However, according to ancient Hindu mythological beliefs, these powers work through their female counterparts. These are Maha Sarasvati (Source of wisdom and knowledge), Maha Laksmi (Source of wealth and prosperity) and Maha Kali (Source of power and energy). These are the universal powers, who further take birth into different forms. People invoke these Goddesses through different types of puja rituals and according to tem, their worship brings good luck and they shower their blessings. For the Hindus and people from some other communities, these Goddesses and belief in their worship rituals is source of positive energy. Through this work, an effort has been made to throw light on the Puja (worship) rituals. As for the conviction or devotion of the people towards their deities, these deities are their teachers, doctors, psychiatrists and directors, as most of the problems of the people are solved through their deities and their worship. Main objective of present work is to study some significant aspects of ritualistic performances prevailing in the Sakti temples and at homes. The emphasize has been given to rituals in Indian mythological belief which appeared to be probably the most representative feature of the popular religious life and manifested some very significant development especially in these ritualistic interests. In these rituals, preference has been given to different types of sacrifices, evolution and people’s attitude towards these sacrifices.