Mythology and Iconography

· Doniger-O'Flaherty, Siva: The Erotic Ascetic, Oxford University Press, New York, 1973.

This book is an extensive examination of the mythological depiction of Siva. The text focus primarily upon Siva's paradoxical attributions, examining in incredible depth his erotic/ascetic polarities. The text links Siva to the Vedic depiction of Indra, Rudra and Agni and has subsequent textual evolution throughout the Hindu mythological canon. Doniger implements a unique methodological approach which outline numerous "motifs" and subsequently develops and elucidates them through her examination of Sanskrit literature.

· Doniger-O'Flaherty, Wendy, Hindu Myths, Penguin Books, London 1975.

Trough textual analysis Doniger elucidates the nature of main deities within the Hindu mythological complex including Prajapati, Brahma, Indra, Agni, Rudra, Visnu and his Avatars, Devi and numerous others. The style of the text tends to offer her interpretation of a specific myth followed by an English translation of a Sanskrit source. Overall, an excellent introduction to the corpus of Hindu mythology.

· Hawley, John and Donna Marie Wulff, The Divine Consort: Radha and the Goddess of India, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1982.

The focus of this collection of essays is a representation of the feminine aspect of divinity. The first half of the book deals primarily with Radha, Krsna's lover, her history and legacy. The second half of the book deals more broadly with other female deities including Parvati, Kali, Devi, Ganga, Sita, Sri and Pinnai. The essays span a gamete of perspectives, ranging from sacred geography, to the balance of power in Siva/Sakti relationships.

· Jitendra, Nath Banejea, The Development of Hindu Iconography, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, 1956.

This text is a useful theoretical as well as informational tool. The work is split primarily in two different categories. The first of these deals with specific icons and their analysis and the other section is a general introduction to this type of study. It contextualizes the icons and their subsequent study. It contains sections on iconographic terminology, the origin and development of image worship, and the canons of inconometry.

· Kinsley, David, Hindu Goddesses: Visions of The Divine Feminine In the Hindu Religious Tradition, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988.

This text is a comprehensive introduction to goddess worship within the Hindu religious tradition. While he cannot survey the entire pantheon of Goddesses, he has constructed a fairly thorough representation of major goddesses including the Vedic goddesses, Sri-Laksmi, Parvati, Sarasvati, Sita, Radha, Durga, Kali, and numerous others. He has, I feel, satisfactorily resisted the reductive tendency to equate each of these goddesses to different manifestations of the same "Mahadevi." As a result, he has focused upon the individual intricacies of the various goddesses.

· Kinsley, David, The Sword and the Flute, Kali and Krsna: Dark Visions of the Terrible and the Sublime in Hindu Mythology, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1975.

In the course of this book, Kinsley blends his own personal experience (perhaps not as much as could be profitable) with textual resources and scholarly ingenuity to juxtapose the uniquely different characters of Krsna and Kali. Depicting Krsna as the divinely beautiful ethereal bliss, Kinsley characterizes Kali as the polar opposite, a manifestation of pain, fear, and death.

· Rao, Gopinatha, Elements of Hindu Iconography, 2 Volumes, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1985.

This text is an extensive collection of relevant iconography and an analysis of its meaning contained within two large volumes. Both texts contain numerous photographs of the imagery and the textual commentaries are based largely upon these photos. The text as a whole is largely bifurcated dividing the imagery along the line of Saiva and Vaisaivite worship. It is not restricted simply to anthropomorphic imagery, but also includes a discussion of Yantra.

· Wilkins, W.J., Hindu Mythology, B.R. Chawla Heritage Publishers, New Delhi, 1991.

This text filled, not only with textual depictions but also with numerous iconographic representations. It is organized in terms of major texts. That is, the first third of the book is devoted to Vedic deities, and the second to Puranic Deities and the final section includes descriptions of numerous inferior deities including the planets, Rishis and sacred animals. First published in 1882 I believe that this is the first comprehensive and systematic collection of Hindu mythology published in English. The authorial style allows, for the most part, the Sanskrit texts to speak for themselves adding additional only elicitation sparingly.

· Zimmer, Heinrich, Myth and Symbols in Indian art and Civilization, Harper Torchbooks, Washington DC, 1946.

A brilliantly lucid exploration of myth and symbol. Zimmer, using a psychoanalytic methodology, explores many ideas throughout the course of this book. He provides an excellent introduction to the mythological and iconographic representations of Siva, Visnu and the Goddess.