A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher, but is often worshipped as an embodiment of the divine. In the past these gurus have almost always been men. Today, however, female gurus are a noticeable presence, especially in the United States. This collection of nine all new essays looks at the phenomenon of the female guru both in its original Indian context, where Hindu women leaders have been
unusual but not unknown, and as it has evolved on the American scene. Each chapter is devoted to a particular female guru, ranging from the fifth-century Tamil saint Karaikkal Ammaiyar to Gurumayi, who today presides over the worldwide movement of Siddha Yoga, headquartered in the Catskill resort town
of South Fallsburg, New York. The biographies of these special women are both fascinating in their own right and shed important new light on issues of gender and religious authority.
- ISBN10 0195145380
- ISBN13 9780195145380
- Publish Date 19 August 2004
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
- Format Paperback
- Pages 288
- Language English