Siva: The Erotic Ascetic | Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty

by Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, Wendy Doniger

Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.

406 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2024

About the author

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (also Wendy Doniger) is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School, the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the Committee on Social Thought. She has taught at the University of Chicago since 1978.

Much of her work is focused on translating, interpreting and comparing elements of Hindu mythology through modern contexts of gender, sexuality and identity. She has been called "one of the most distinguished mythologists of our time". Alluding to her Classical training, she has described herself as "a Sanskritist, indeed a recovering Orientalist" and "an old-fashioned philologist".