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From the NITYANANDA INSTITUTE NEWS Fall 2003

Visiting Scholar Wendy Doniger Speaks on the Mythology of Siva

by Mary Pat Crum

In January we had the pleasure of meeting Professor Wendy Doniger and hearing a lively and educational talk on the origins of yoga and the mythology of Siva. Professor Doniger is engaging, unassuming and articulate—and a wonderful storyteller.

Professor Doniger is on the faculty of the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, where she has been a full professor since 1978. She is recognized as an outstanding scholar and teacher as well as a prolific author and editor. Her research and teaching interests revolve around Hinduism and mythology. Her courses in mythology address themes from cross-cultural perspectives, and she has been called “the greatest living scholar of comparative mythology.”

In her session here, she placed Shaivism in a cultural, philosophical and political context. She discussed the central paradox of the mythology of Siva—that Siva is portrayed in some myths as overtly erotic and in others as chastely ascetic. She explained that the contradictions in the mythology portray different aspects of human nature and spirituality.

Professor Doniger’s work in comparative mythology is wide-ranging. Her books include Siva: The Erotic Ascetic, Other People’s Myths: The Cave of Echoes, The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth, and The Bedtrick: Tales of Sex and Masquerade. She has also translated Sanskrit texts, such as the Rig Veda, Laws of Manu, and the Kama Sutra, and she has edited several works on mythology.

I met Professor Doniger through my University of Chicago alumni group and was fortunate to be able to coordinate her visit to the ashram. Professor Doniger said that she really enjoyed speaking to people who were so interested in what she had to say.

Her lecture was made possible through the efforts of several Institute students who held individual fundraisers: Wally Chapman, Meg Pennock, John Sulahian, and Lindsay Titus. We’re hoping to invite Professor Doniger to come back this fall, and we’re looking for sponsors for that visit. If you are interested in helping, please contact Patty Slote.

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