Read more
Using numerous interviews and extensive research, this book explores the devotional movement of the enduring religious figure, Anandamayi Ma, venerated both as a guru and an incarnation of the Divine on Earth. Orianne Aymard asks what happens to a charismatic movement after the death (mahasamadhi) of the guru.
List of contents
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Aspects of the Postmortem Cult of the Guru
- Chapter 2: The Cult of Relics in Hinduism
- Chapter 3: Death of the Guru
- Chapter 4: Presence of the Guru
- Chapter 5: Sustainability of the Postmortem Cult
- Conclusion
- Appendix
- Notes
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
About the author
Orianne Aymard has been a Visiting Scholar at the South Asia Institute of Columbia University. She is currently a Research Associate at the Centre détudes et de recherche sur lInde, lAsie du Sud et sa diaspora (CERIAS), in Montreal
Summary
Ma Anandamayi is generally regarded as the most important Hindu woman saint of the twentieth century. Venerated alternately as a guru and as an incarnation of God on earth, Ma had hundreds of thousands of devotees. Through the creation of a religious movement and a vast network of ashramsunprecedented for a womanMa presented herself as an authority figure in a society where female gurus were not often recognized. Because of her widespread influence, Ma is one of the rare Hindu saints whose cult has outlived her. Today, her tomb is a place of veneration for those who knew her as well as new generations of her followers. By performing extensive fieldwork among Ma's current devotees, Orianne Aymard examines what happens to a cult after the death of its leader. Does it decline, stagnate, or grow? Or is it rather transformed into something else entirely? Aymard's work sheds new light not only on Hindu sainthoodand particularly female Hindu sainthoodbut on the nature of charismatic religious leadership and devotion.
Additional text
Orianne Aymards study of the cult of Sri Anandamayi Ma is among the best works to date on the fate of contemporary post-charismatic religious movements. Through interviews with Mas devotees, Aymard illustrates the fundamental Hindu belief in the presence of a saint after his or her death. She also describes the perils inherent in the institutionalization of the saints charisma by her surviving devotees. A tour de force!
