| Popis: |
According to South Asian Hindu tradition, what traits or actions lead to a woman becoming “a living goddess”? To answer that question, this chapter considers an ancient Tamil legend known as The Legend of Ponnivala. In that epic story, a mother and daughter are described as living goddesses. Present-day parallels for these two legendary females are then considered. The Ponnivala mother is compared to a living woman known as “Amma” or the “hugging” goddess, who now lives (primarily) in North America. The Ponnivala daughter, by contrast, is compared to a widely known, young virgin kumārī goddess, a tradition practiced for centuries in Kathmandu. A biography of a still-living kumārī is referenced for discussion purposes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how all “living goddesses” earn their status through personal trials, a perceived development of visionary (sometimes violent) powers, plus an expression of exceptional empathy for the suffering of others. |
