


Paperback
Published: 1st January 2002
ISBN: 9781560231813
Number Of Pages: 165
A god transforms into a nymph and enchants another god.A king becomes pregnant.A prince discovers on his wedding night that he is not a man.Another king has children who call him both father and mother. A hero turns into a eunuch and wears female apparel. A princess has to turn into a man before she can avenge her humiliation. Widows of a king make love to conceive his child. Friends of the same sex end up marrying each other after one of them metamorphoses into a woman. These are some of the tales from Hindu lore that this unique book examines. The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore is a compilation of traditional Hindu stories with a common thread: sexual transformation and gender metamorphosis. In addition to the thought-provoking stories in The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore, you'll also find:
Preface | p. xi |
Acknowledgments | p. xiii |
Introduction: Placing Stories in Context | p. 1 |
Universality of Queer Narratives | p. 1 |
Differences in Queer Narratives | p. 2 |
Hindu versus Biblical Paradigm | p. 4 |
Structured Society Within Fluid Philosophy | p. 5 |
The Hindu Way of Life | p. 6 |
Hindu Response to Queer Sexuality | p. 8 |
Adoption of the Colonial Discourse | p. 10 |
The Third Sex and Gender in India | p. 10 |
An Ancient Legacy | p. 12 |
What About the Women? | p. 13 |
Representation in Narratives | p. 15 |
Interpretation of Narratives | p. 16 |
Structure and Aim of the Book | p. 17 |
Women Who Become Men | p. 19 |
Bhisma: The Son Who Swore Celibacy | p. 21 |
Avikshita: The Prince Who Believed He Was a Woman | p. 22 |
Amba's Quest for Manhood | p. 23 |
Children of the Man with Queer Virility | p. 25 |
Shikhandini Gets a Male Body | p. 26 |
The Raja's Daughter Who Became His Son | p. 28 |
The Girls Who Got Married | p. 29 |
The Inseparable Girls | p. 31 |
Man Who Was a Woman | p. 33 |
The Woman Who Became a Man and Then a Woman | p. 35 |
Sariputra's Sex Change | p. 38 |
Malli Who Became Malli-Natha | p. 39 |
Pregnant Kings | p. 41 |
Bhangashvana: The Man Who Was Father and Mother | p. 41 |
Somavat: The Male Wife | p. 43 |
Son of a Eunuch | p. 44 |
The Forest Where Men Became Women | p. 45 |
The Dawn-God Becomes a Woman | p. 49 |
Riksharaja's Dip into Womanhood | p. 49 |
Narada Becomes a Woman | p. 51 |
Yuvanashva: The Pregnant King | p. 54 |
Ravana's Pregnancy | p. 56 |
Shiva Gives Birth to Shukra | p. 57 |
Kavya Gives Birth to Kacha | p. 58 |
Birth of Kartikeya | p. 61 |
Kartikeya Turns Away from Women | p. 63 |
Cross-Dressing Tricksters | p. 65 |
Mohini Tricks Bhasma | p. 66 |
Mohini Fools the Asuras | p. 68 |
Mohini Kills Virochana | p. 71 |
Mohini Enchants the Sages | p. 71 |
Vishnu Arouses Shiva | p. 72 |
Death of Adi | p. 73 |
The Son of Shiva and Vishnu | p. 75 |
Kali Becomes Krishna | p. 77 |
Shiva, the Milkmaid | p. 78 |
Krishna Wears Radha's Clothes | p. 81 |
Krishna Kills Araka | p. 83 |
Krishna and Arjuna As Mother and Daughter | p. 84 |
Ghatotkacha in Women's Clothes | p. 84 |
Bhima in Women's Clothes | p. 85 |
Santoshi and Her Brother | p. 86 |
Krishna Becomes Aravan's Wife | p. 87 |
Samba's Pregnancy | p. 88 |
Ravana's Harem | p. 91 |
Past Lives of the Milkmaids | p. 92 |
Castrated Men and Women | p. 95 |
Brihanalla: The Eunuch Dancer | p. 95 |
Urvashi Castrates Arjuna | p. 98 |
Bahuchara Emasculates Her Husband | p. 99 |
Bahuchara Cuts Her Breasts | p. 101 |
Kannagi Plucks Out Her Breast | p. 102 |
Shiva Castrates Himself | p. 103 |
Sages Castrate Shiva | p. 104 |
Indra Loses His Manhood | p. 105 |
Laxmana Mutilates Surpanakha | p. 106 |
Emasculation of Jamadagni's Sons | p. 107 |
Chelliamman's Female Companion | p. 109 |
The Man Who Had Never Seen a Woman | p. 111 |
Neither This nor That | p. 113 |
Narasimha | p. 113 |
Creation of Ganesha | p. 115 |
Two Queens Conceive a Child | p. 116 |
Ganesha Remains Single | p. 118 |
The Separation of the Three Worlds | p. 120 |
Rama's Return | p. 121 |
Purusha Splits into Two | p. 122 |
Brahma Sees the Half-Woman God | p. 123 |
Shiva Makes Parvati His Left Half | p. 125 |
Shiva Fuses with Parvati | p. 125 |
Shiva Cursed to Become an Androgyne | p. 128 |
Bhrungi Tries to Separate the Androgyne | p. 128 |
Shiva-Linga | p. 129 |
The Prince Who Married His Left Half | p. 130 |
Afterword | p. 133 |
Notes | p. 135 |
Glossary | p. 141 |
Bibliography | p. 153 |
Index | p. 157 |
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9781560231813
ISBN-10: 1560231815
Series: Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 165
Published: 1st January 2002
Publisher: HAWORTH PR INC
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 20.96 x 14.61
x 1.27
Weight (kg): 0.34
Edition Number: 1