000			01836nam a2200193Ia 4500
999			_c67945 _d67945
005			20211220161105.0
008			200204s9999 xx 000 0 und d
020			_a9780195649604
082			_a299.934 HAL
100			_a"Hallstrom, Lisa Lassell"
245		0	_a"Mother of bliss : anandmayi ma, (1896-1982)"
260			_aNew Delhi
260			_bOxford University Press
260			_c1999
300			_a299 p.
520			_aFeminist theologians in the West have urged a reappropriation of ancient goddess traditions, arguing that such female religious images would empower women and create a more balanced and humane society. In India, however, goddess worship is very much alive today. A continuous tradition dating back thousands of years in regions where the worship of the Goddess is most prevalent, it is believed that She can take birth as a human being. This book examines the life of one such figure, AnandamayI Ma, who, until her death in 1982, was widely revered as a saint, guru, and incarnation of God. Born into a poor brahman family in 1896, Anandamayi Ma became one of the most renowned Hindu holy women of modern times. Finding her religious vocation early, by 1926, Ma had begun her ceaseless travels around India, attracting devotees wherever she went, among them such prominent figures as Kamala Nehru and her daughter Indira Gandhi. By the time of her death, Ma's devotees numbered in the thousands and today they continue to worship her daily in their homes and gather each week to participate in spiritual practices in her name. Drawing on extensive interviews, literature from Ma's movement, and a vast array of other sources, Lisa Hallstrom paints a fascinating and vivid portrait of this extraordinary woman, her ideas, and her continuing influence.
650			_aTheologists
942			_cB _2ddc