عنوان

The Heads of the Godhead The Number of Heads/Faces of Yoginīs and Bhairavas in Early Śaiva Tantras

شماره

LA112371

زبان متن نوشتاري يا گفتاري و مانند آن

انگلیسی

عنوان اصلي

The Heads of the Godhead The Number of Heads/Faces of Yoginīs and Bhairavas in Early Śaiva Tantras

نام عام مواد

[Article]

نام نخستين پديدآور

Judit Törzsök

محل نشرو پخش و غیره

Leiden

نام ناشر، پخش کننده و غيره

Brill

متن يادداشت

This paper examines the prescriptions for multi-headed representations of śaiva deities, in particular of yoginīs and Bhairavas, in early tantric or āgamic literature. Multi-headed deities appear mostly in the prescriptions of mantra images, usually without any discussion of their material representation. The paper shows that the four-faced mantric representation of Śiva, Bhairava and other divine creatures precedes the five-headed one, as is observable in epic literature and in art history. The fifth head is associated with tantric or āgamic śaivism, whose supreme deity is the five-headed Sadāśiva. As the five-headed mantra image becomes the standard, texts are rewritten to conform to this norm. Moreover, female deities are also often assimilated to this god and can be assigned four or five heads depending on the context. It is suggested as a hypothesis that the four-faced Śiva, or rather Īśvara, was perhaps adopted from the proto-tantric currents of the Atimārga (or from one particular current), from a representation whose Eastern or frontal face represented Śiva as half man, half woman (ardhanārīśvara). This paper examines the prescriptions for multi-headed representations of śaiva deities, in particular of yoginīs and Bhairavas, in early tantric or āgamic literature. Multi-headed deities appear mostly in the prescriptions of mantra images, usually without any discussion of their material representation. The paper shows that the four-faced mantric representation of Śiva, Bhairava and other divine creatures precedes the five-headed one, as is observable in epic literature and in art history. The fifth head is associated with tantric or āgamic śaivism, whose supreme deity is the five-headed Sadāśiva. As the five-headed mantra image becomes the standard, texts are rewritten to conform to this norm. Moreover, female deities are also often assimilated to this god and can be assigned four or five heads depending on the context. It is suggested as a hypothesis that the four-faced Śiva, or rather Īśvara, was perhaps adopted from the proto-tantric currents of the Atimārga (or from one particular current), from a representation whose Eastern or frontal face represented Śiva as half man, half woman (ardhanārīśvara).

تاريخ نشر

2013

توصيف ظاهري

133-155

عنوان

Indo-Iranian Journal

شماره جلد

56/2

شماره استاندارد بين المللي پياييندها

1572-8536

مستند نام اشخاص تاييد نشده

Judit Törzsök

شماره بازیابی

10.1163/15728536-0000002

نام الکترونيکي

فرمت انتشار

p

نوع ماده

[Article]

کد کاربرگه

275578

سطح دسترسي

a

تكميل شده

Y