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The Brahmayamalatantra or Picumata. Volume I: Chapters 1–2, 39–40 & 83. Revelation, Ritual, and Material Culture in an Early Saiva Tantra

The Brahmayamalatantra or Picumata. Volume I: Chapters 1–2, 39–40 & 83. Revelation, Ritual, and Material Culture in an Early Saiva Tantra

$68.00
Author:Shaman Hatley
ISBN 13:9782855392318
Binding:Softcover
Language:Sanskrit and English
Year:2018
Subject:Philosophy and Religion

About the Book

The Brahmayāmala or Picumata is one of the earliest surviving goddess-oriented (śākta) tantras, its core probably dating back to the late seventh or early eighth century. Though long forgotten, it is thus crucial to understanding the early history of the Tantric traditions. Spanning more than twelve-thousand verses and 104 chapters, this monumental work is transmitted in a beautiful Nepalese palm-leaf manuscript of the eleventh century, which forms the principal basis for this critical edition. Complementing volume II, edited by Csaba Kiss in the same series, this volume includes the first published edition and annotated translation of five chapters of the Brahmayāmala. The volume also presents pioneering studies on topics these chapters illuminate: Tantric Śaiva conceptions of revelation and the canon, the history of Tantric coital ritual, the mythology of Bhairava, and the iconography and symbolism of the skull-staff (khaṭvāṅga). As with other texts published in the Early Tantra Series, study of the Brahmayāmala helps reshape our knowledge of Tantric Śaivism and religion in early medieval India.