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Devīmāhātmya

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

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Synonyms

Caṇḍī ; Caṇḍī Pāṭha ; Durgāsaptaśati ; Glorification of the Goddess

Definition

A Sanskrit text in “glorification of the Goddess” from the Śākta tradition

Glorification of the Goddess

The Devīmāhātmya, or Glorification of the Goddess, is one of the central Sanskrit texts of the Hindu Goddess (Śākta) tradition. It provides some of the oldest extant narrative material that connects all goddess of the tradition with the “Great Goddess” or Mahādevī, and its recitation is central in many goddess-oriented rituals throughout the subcontinent and in diaspora. It is, therefore, one of the most important texts for understanding the history and practices of the goddess traditions in Hinduism.

The Text

The Devīmāhātmya, as we have it today, is comprised of 13 chapters that are contained within the larger Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa(chapters 81–93 within the text). The text, however, has a textual and ritual life of its own and has been reproduced independent of the larger text for centuries and is...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Religious Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Caleb Simmons

Authors
  1. Caleb Simmons
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caleb Simmons .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anthropology, The University of North Texas Dept of Anthropology, Denton, Texas, USA

    Pankaj Jain

  2. The Graduate Theological Union , Berkeley, California, USA

    Rita Sherma

  3. Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for the Study of Comparative Reli Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

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Simmons, C. (2018). Devīmāhātmya. In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_52-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_52-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

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