01337nam a22002057a 450000500170000000800410001702000180005802800350007608200140011110000230012524501050014826000410025330000220029436500070031652007350032365000200105865000190107865000130109770000210111020250721105847.0250721b        |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  a9780788501999  aDonated by Prof. Romila Thapar  a294.5 KUM  a Kumar, P. Pratap.  aThe Goddess Laksmib: The Divine Consort in South Indian Vaiṣṇava Tradition.c/ P. Pratap Kumar.  a, Georgiab: Scholars Pressc, 1997.  ax, 186p.c: 22cm.  b00  aThe Hindu Goddess Laksmi is the consort of the great God Vishnu. This book looks at the relationship between Laskmi and Vishnu in South Indian tradition. In some other sub-traditions, P. Pratap Kumar shows, the Goddess is seen as a mediator between devotees and God. Others put her on a par with her male counterpart. In yet other traditions she is worshiped as an independent deity in her own right. South Indian Vaisnavism views the Goddess in all of these ways, with the result that theological debates have flourished. Clarifying these debates and the assumptions behind them, Kumar contributes not only to our understanding of this particular tradition, but also to an understanding of gender issues in the study of religion.  a Divine Consort  aGoddess Laksmi  aReligion  aP. Pratap Kumar