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Dattātreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatāra: A Study of the Transformative and Inclusive Character of a Multi-faceted Hindu Deity

Dattātreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatāra: A Study of the Transformative and Inclusive Character of a Multi-faceted Hindu Deity

Paperback

$32.99 USD
$32.99 USD
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DETAILS : 
  • Author : Antonio Rigopoulos 
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 15, 2000
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2000th
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 342 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8170306736 
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9788170306733
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 500 g
ABOUT THE BOOK 

This book presents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from his Puranic emergence up to modern times. Dattatreya's Brahmanical portrayal, as well as his even more archaic characterization as a Tantric antinomian figure, combines both Vaisnava Saiva motifs. Over the course of time, Dattatreya has come to embody the roles of the immortal guru, yogin and avatara in a paradigmatic manner. From the sixteenth century Dattatreya's glorious characterization emerged as the incarnation of the trimurti of Brahma, Visnu, and Siva. Although Maharastra is the heartland of Dattatreya devotion, his presence is attested to throughout India and extends beyond the boundaries of Hinduism, being met with in Sufi circles and even in Buddhism and Jainism via Nathism.

The scarce attention which most Western scholars of Indian religions have paid to this deity contrasts with its ubiquitousness and social permeability. Devotion to Dattatreya cuts through all social and religious strata of Indian society: among his adepts we find yogis, Brahmans, faqirs, Devi worshippers, untouchables, thieves, and prostitutes. This book explores all primary religious dimensions: myth, doctrine, ritual, philosophy, mysticism, and iconography. The comprehensive result offers a rich fresco of Hindu religion as well as an understanding of Marathi integrative spirituality: precisely this complexity of themes constitutes Dattatreya's uniqueness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

  • Antonio Rigopoulos is the author of The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi, also published by SUNY Press.
  • Antonio Rigopoulos is a scholar of Indology and Religious Studies. He is a full professor at the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice.
  • He studied History (with a religious studies orientation) at Ca’ Foscari, then did his MA and PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara, completing his PhD in 1994.
  • His teaching includes Sanskrit, Pāli, Marathi, and the study of the caste system among other areas.
  • Rigopoulos has written extensively on saints/gurus, devotional religious traditions, and the intersections of myth, ritual, and theology in Hinduism. His works include *Dattātreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatāra* and *The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi*.
  • He has also held various academic roles: researcher, associate professor, director of journals etc., reflecting his deep engagement in scholarship and academic leadership. ([Wikipedia][2])
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