The Sacred Feminine in Indian Thought A Critique and a Rediscovery in the Light of Hindu Tantra Yoga of the Sacred Female in the Spiritual, Sexual and Aesthetic Paradigms of India

includes index and biblioraphy

The sacred feminine in the Paradigms of spirituality and sexuality in Indian Thought....20 The sacred feminine in the paradigms of Aesthetics in Indian thought....133 1. Agamic and vedic texts that point to a relationship between spirituality and art.......196 2. The same terms and symbols refer to spirituality and aesthetics in Indian discourse ...201 3. Abhyasa or practice is the same for the poet and the yogin to attain to Transcendence ..208 4. Kundalini yoga : High point of convergence between spirituality and creativity.212 5. Rasa : A participatory foretaste of bliss at liberation.............214 The sacred feminine in the paradigms of spirituality, sexuality and aesthetics in saundaryalahari..260 Part I . The cyclical Patterns of descent and ascent : The source of spirituality and sexuality...274 A. The spirituality of descent...274 B. The spirituality of Ascent.290 C. Heroic Spirituality.307 Part II. A. Cyclical Patterns of Sakti`s Descent to the universe of Saudaryalahari and the poet`s ascent to higher centres: the source of aesthetic vision....311 B. Saundaryalahari: An aesthetic theophany-an apparition of devi in the inner vision of the poet...329 Part III. Convergence between spirituality, Sexuality and aesthetics in Saundaryalahari....342 A. Convergence between the spiritual and the Aesthetic- A structural design in Saundaryalahari...343 B. Convergence between tantra-transformed sexuality and srngara rasa-caused Mystical Spirituality in saundaryalahari.....352 C. Saundaryalahari and the elements of Bhakti viewed as a Trend....364