Worshipping Viṣṇu’s Twelve Manifestations: A Glimpse into Early Medieval Vaiṣṇava Lay Practice.

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Abstract

The paper traces the history of religious practices devoted to a particular set of the twelve manifestations of Viṣṇu. These practices are mostly monthly observances (vrata), which were widely known and implemented as evident from their description in various textual sources such as the Baudhāyana Sūtras, Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā, the Ṛgvidhāna, the Viṣṇudharma, and appendix passages of the Mahābhārata. They were highly influential even beyond the sectarian borders of Vaiṣṇavism, since they served as a model for the composition of a full calendrical scheme in the Niśvāsamukha, which belongs to the earliest extant Śaiva tantra, the Niśvāsatattvasaṃhitā.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationgurum upapadyamahe
Subtitle of host publication The Volume Dedicated to Professor Gerhard Oberhammer on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday
EditorsMarzenna Czerniak-Drożdżowicz, Ewa Dębicka-Borek
Place of PublicationKrakow
PublisherKsiegarnia Akademicka
Pages165-207
Volume21
Edition1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Publication series

SeriesCracow Indological Studies
Number1
Volume21

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 602018 Indology
  • 603904 Hinduism

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