On Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 5:46 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Krish Ashok [29/09/08 23:02 +0530]: >> >> Almost all vedic rituals involved slaughter of some kind. The Yajur veda >> is particularly detailed on, for instance, which rib of a slaughtered bull >> is to be offered to which deva (deity). I suspect the "vegetarianizers" of >> the past had quite a bit of a job to do
perhaps why there exists a derivative (off-shoot ??? if you must) in the upanishads which are more puritan(?) according to some Uni/history(?) scholars. The word mahishasuramardhini [1][2][3], means slayer of the demon called Mahisha and a whole stotra (among others) extols her valor in slaying evil men. Funny, there are few female asuras ... atleast much below in terms of ratio (assuming that female population was around 50%). Does that mean that evil-ness was a typical masculine trait back then too? [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga [2] http://forumhub.com/indcmusic/21473.12.32.55.html [3] http://meerasubbarao.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/mahishasura-mardini-stotra/ > Ha.. and there are these shlokas to Durga that go "madhupreetha, > maamsaishta" etc etc.. chanted with a lot of piety by old ladies who > wouldnt even dream of going anywhere near the stuff, but extol Durga > as liking wine and meat .. Typically every sloka extols her (as Durga or kali) as the possessor of (perceived) masculine traits like killing, slaying, drinking blood (like wine?) of the demons, and suchlike. Besides all her avatars, or rather a majority of female godesses are always depicted in an aggressive warrior form [atleast one weapon(s) in hand]. I wonder how she would fit within modern societal expectations of today. ...Interesting !!!
