Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess: The Liturgy of the Durga Puja With Interpretations

434 Pages·2003·4.28 MB·English

by  Hillary Rodrigues

Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess
McGill Studies in the History of Religions,
A Series Devoted to International Scholarship
Katherine K. Young, editor
Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess
THE LITURGY OF THE DURGÅ PU¯JÅ
WITH INTERPRETATIONS
Hillary Peter Rodrigues
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2003 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic,
magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, address State University of New York Press,
90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207
Production by Diane Ganeles
Marketing by Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rodrigues, Hillary, 1953–
Ritual worship of the great goddess : the liturgy of the Durgå Pºjå with interpretations /
Hillary Peter Rodrigues.
p. cm. — (McGill studies in the history of religions)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7914-5399-5 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5400-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Durgå (Hindu deity)—Cult. 2. Durgå-pºjå (Hindu festival) I. Title. II. Series.
BL1225.D82 R63 2002
294.5'38—dc21 2001049444
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my mother

Contents
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xiii
A Note on Transliteration and Pronunciation xv
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Genesis of this Study 3
The Durgå Pºjå 7
PART I: CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW
Chapter 2: The Setting 15
Which Navaråtra? 15
Which Goddess? 16
Which Durgå Pºjå? 17
Durgå Pºjå in Bengal 18
Durgå Pºjå in Banåras 21
Bengali Bråhmaœas in Banåras 24
The Ritual Performer (Purohita) 27
The Audience 28
Ritual Manuals 30
English Literature on the Durgå Pºjå 31
This Description of the Durgå Pºjå 31
Chapter 3: Overview of the Durgå Pºjå 35
General Comments on Pºjå 35
Overview of the Ritual 37
vii
viii Contents
PART II: DESCRIPTION OF THE DURGÅ PU¯JÅ
Chapter 4: The Durgå Pºjå 71
4.1: Preliminaries 71
4.2: Bodhana 84
4.3: Adhivåsa 120
4.4: Saptamª 132
4.5: Mahå߆amª 194
4.6: Sandhi Pºjå 210
4.7: Mahånavamª 224
4.8: Vijayå DaÍamª 236
PART III: INTERPRETATIONS
Chapter 5: The Nature of Pºjå 251
Chapter 6: The Nature of the Great Goddess 261
Gynomorphic Forms of the Goddess 262
Yantric Forms of the Devª 267
The Devª as Elemental Substances 273
The Devª as Life Forms 276
Chapter 7: Functions of the Durgå Pºjå 287
Cosmic Rejuvenation 287
Empowerment: Personal, Sovereign,
Communal, Political, Economic 288
Controlled Fertility 296
Religious Ritual as Illustrated by the Durgå Pºjå 303
Notes 313
Glossary 357
Bibliography 363
Index 385
Contents ix
Illustrations
Figure 1.1. Commercial lithograph of the Great Goddess Durgå slaying
the Buffalo Demon, Mahißa.
Figure 1.2. Pandit Hemendra Nath Chakravarty, scholar and ritualist. (All
unacknowledged photos are by the author).
Figure 1.3. A traditional Bengali clay image complex. Durgå, her lion,
and the demon, as well as the attendant deities, are grouped in
a single arrangement topped with a painted arch.
Figure 1.4. Large clay images installed in a community (sårvajanªna)
group’s temporary shrine (paœ˚al).
Figure 2.1. Priests (purohita) perform the Durgå Pºjå at the site of the
oldest celebration in Banåras, the Mitra family’s home in
Chaukhamba. (Photo: Ruth Rickard)
Figure 3.1. The Lahiris’ ritualist, Pandit Nitai Bhattacharya, performs yogic
breath control (pråœåyåma) as part of the bhºta Íuddhi, an
internal purification rite.
Figure 3.2. An artisan ensnares the demon Mahißa with Durgå’s snake
noose in his workshop, as he puts the finishing touches on the
clay images prior to their delivery to the pºjå sites.
Figure 4.2.1. The jar form of the Goddess is established atop the
sarvatobhadra maœ˚ala at the purohita’s home.
Figure 4.2.2. The purohita assumes the dhyåna/yoni mudrå, a ritual gesture
that accompanies the meditative visualization of a deity.
Figure 4.2.3. The purohita performs årati by ringing a bell and passing an
honorific flame before Durgå during the awakening (bodhana)
rite.
Figure 4.3. The purohita prepares to perform the anointing (adhivåsa) rite
of the clay image complex at the patron’s home.
Figure 4.4.1. The purohita is formally commissioned by the patron (yajamåna).
Figure 4.4.2. The purohita bathes the Cluster of Nine Plants (navapatrikå).
ix