The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent [Hardcover]

A critical interpretation of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective.This work is a critical interpretation of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective, and puts a new interpretation on a relatively unexplored religious tradition, while reversing the predominantly androcentric hermeneutics which has prevailed in Sikh scholarship.This work is a critical interpretation of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective, and puts a new interpretation on a relatively unexplored religious tradition, while reversing the predominantly androcentric hermeneutics which has prevailed in Sikh scholarship.This work is an original and critical interpretation of Sikh literature from a feminist perspective. It analyzes the rich feminine imagery and symbolism that pervades the divine-human encounter in this literature, and gives a new authenticity to a relatively neglected religious tradition. Nikky Singh shows convincingly that Sikh Gurus and poets did not want the feminine principle to serve just as a figure of speech or literary device, but was intended, rather, to pervade the whole life of the Sikhs. Her work thus reverses an androcentric approach to Sikhism.Preface; Introduction; 1. The primal paradox: seeing the transcendent; 2. Mother: the infinite matrix; 3. The bride seeks her groom: an epiphany of interconnections; 4. Durg
recalled: transition from mythos to ethos; 5. The maiden weaves: garlands of songs and waves; 6. The woman asks: 'what is life?'; 7. Sundar+: the paradigm of Sikh ethics; 8. R
n+ R
j Kaur: the mystical journey; Conclusion; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index.