About the Book The Goddess or Devī is God in Its Mother aspect. Devī, who is existence, consciousness and bliss, is thought of as a female, a male or pure Brahman. This volume Hymns to the Goddess is an endeavour of Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) to translate the Sanskrit hymns in praise of the Goddess or Devī, scattered in Tantra and Purāṇa texts, Mahābhārata, and in the hymns of Śaṅkarācārya, who was an incarnation of devotion and a great philosopher, Vālmīki and Indra. After a general introduction, the book starts with a hymn to Kālabhairava, the spouse of Devī, followed by Devī stotras. In these hymns, Devī is praised as Bhairavaī, Bhuvaneśvarī, Ādyakālī, Lakṣmī, Tārā, Mahiṣamardinī, Aṇṇapūrṇā, Sarasvatī, Durgā, Tripurā in Tantra texts; Sarvaviśvajananī, Ambikā, Caṇḍikā, Mahādevī and Jagadambikā in Purāṇas; Durgā, Āryā, Durgā in Mahābhārata; Tripurasundarī, Gaṅgā, Ānanadalaharī, Yamunā, Narmadā and Mahālakṣmī. Hymn to Kālī (Karpūrādi Stotra), another book within the book, is a celebrated Kaula stotra, having commentary on the hymns. It, in addition to mantroddhāradhārā, contains stotras of dhyāna, yantra, sādhanā, madya, māṁsa, maithuna and phala-śruti matters. About the Author Sir John George Woodroffe (1865–1936), also known by pseudonym Arthur Avalon, was a British Orientalist whose work helped to develop in the West a deep and wide interest in Hindu philosophy and yogic practices. A lawyer by profession, he developed parallel interest in Sanskrit, Indian philosophy and religion. Sir Woodroffe wrote or translated more than a dozen books: Introduction to the Tantra Sastra; Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahanirvana Tantra); Hymns to the Goddess; The Serpent Power; Hymn to Kali: Karpuradi-Stotra; The World as Power; The Garland of Letters; Principles of Tantra (2 vols) and Is India Civilized? Essays on Indian Culture are some of them.

Those who love poetry will appreciate the wildly metaphysical, allegorical, and yet intensely honest and personal songs of the eighteenth-century poet and saint Ramprasad. These songs vividly present the mystery of the Feminine Divine, an intimate experience of the Mother, and a vast play of energy sustained by the Goddess Kali.

She is seen as one and as many: as it were, but one moon reflected in countless waters.She exists, too, in all animals and inorganic things, since the universe, with all its beauties, is, as the Dev Pura says, but a part of Her. All this diversity of form is but the infinite manifestations of the flowering beauty of the one Supreme Life--a doctrine which is nowhere else taught with greater wealth of illustration than in the kta stras and Tantras. The great Bharga in the bright sun, and all Devat, and, indeed, all life and being are worshipful, and are worshipped, but only as Her manifestations. And he who worships them otherwise is, in the words of the great Devbhgavata, "like unto a man who, with the light of a clear lamp in his hands, yet falls into some waterless and terrible well." It is customary nowadays to decry external worship, but those who do so presume too much. The ladder of ascent can only be scaled by those who have trod all, including its lowest, rungs. The aktirahasya summarises the stages of progress in a short verse, thus: "A mortal who worships by ceremonies, by images, by mind, by identification, by knowing the self, attains kaivalya." Before brahma-bhva can be attained the sdhaka must have passed from pjbhva through hymns and prayer to dhyna-bhva. The highest worship for which the sdhaka is qualified (adhikri) only after external worship, and that internal form known as sdhra is described as nirdhra. Therein Pure Intelligence is the Supreme akti who is worshipped as the Very Self, the Witness freed of the glamour of the manifold universe. By one's own direct experience of Mahevar as the Self, She is, with reverence, made the object of that worship which leads to liberation.

Fiercely Bright One, Beautiful Lady, Queen of Heaven, Giver of Wealth, Great of Magic, Mother of God. These are some of the titles given to Aset, the ancient Egyptian Goddess commonly known as Isis. She is a goddess of kingship, sovereignty of Heaven and Earth, magic, knowledge, healing, divination and owns Ra's Hidden Name. Presented here is a collection of over 100 hymns, prayers and inscriptions from various Ancient Egyptian temples and papyri praising and petitioning the goddess Aset. Many of these works have never been translated into English.

La 4e de couverture indique : "The Eye of Ra is a title of many ancient Egyptian Goddesses. The Eye of Ra protects Ra and all of Egypt from enemies. The Eye of Ra is a solar goddess associated with the cycles of the sun, solar eclipses, the star Sirius, Venus, the Morning Star, and the full moon. All the Eye goddesses are associated with solar rays, flame and starlight-in both restorative and destructive capacities. The Eye Goddesses are associated with snakes, cobras, lionesses, leopards and cats."

"Covers iOS5.1 on iPad, iPad 2, and iPad 3rd generation." -- Cover.

Although all that is best in Hindu culture is embedded in Sanskrit, it is a pity that scant attention is paid to its study. Hymns too, not withstanding their power for spiritual upliftment, are consigned to oblivion. For those who are not conversant with Sanskrit and yet consider the hymns a great help in their spiritual life, this book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, provides the English translation of fifty representative hymns, which is sure to go a long way in helping the readers attune themselves to the divine.

A multi-faceted portrait of Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Includes translations of verses used to invoke this goddess.