Female Ascetics in Hinduism
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Female Ascetics in Hinduism provides a vivid account of the lives of women renouncerswomen who renounce the world to live ascetic spiritual livesin India. The author approaches the study of female asceticism by focusing on features of two dharmas, two religiously defined ways of life: that of womanashouseholder and that of the ascetic, who, for various reasons, falls outside the realm of householdership. The result of fieldwork conducted in Va ran\|a si (Benares), the book explores renouncers' social and personal backgrounds, their institutions, and their ways of life. Offering a firsthand look at and an insightful analysis of this littleknown world, this highly readable book will be indispensable to those interested in female asceticism in the Hindu tradition and women's spiritual lives around the world.Author Biography: Lynn Teskey Denton (19491995) was Assistant Professor of Religion at Concordia University and also taught at McMaster University.
Foreward1The religious life of woman-as-householder232The woman who is not a householder : widowhood, unmarriageability, and female asceticism413Unity and diversity I : basic terminology574Unity and diversity II : sectarian affiliation, spiritual path, and ascetic mode775Socioreligious aspects of female asceticism in Varanasi1036Sainthood, society, and transcendence : legends and poetry of women saints139Glossary of Hindi and Sanskrit terms189Supplemental bibliography203
