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Making Sakti: Controlling (natural) impurity for female (cultural) power
Journal article

Making Sakti: Controlling (natural) impurity for female (cultural) power

Usha Menon
Ethos (Berkeley, Calif.), v 30(1/2), pp 140-157
01 Mar 2002
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.2002.30.1-2.140

Abstract

Culture Families Females Feminism Gender Hinduism Hindus Indic languages Men Power Women
According to the story told in the temple town, the icon refers to a time when the buffalo demon, Mahisasura, had became so powerful that he tortured everyone on earth and heaven. No Oriya Hindu woman would suggest that these are easy things to do, but many of the explicitly recognized duties of married women are encompassed by this idea of giving service. [...]cooking, serving, and taking care of members of the extended family-all are expected of married women and all are thought to help women develop self-control. According to local talk, Phula-devi's husband's mother who was alive when her only son died had such faith in her son's wife's character and managerial abilities that she insisted that the young widow play an active role in the management of family property. [...]there are certain Hindu ideals that do provide coherence and unity to a Hindu worldview. [...]Maya, whose world is undeniably far removed from that of the Oriya Hindu women I have been describing, would understand perfectly the concept of dharmik sakti because she herself lives by a moral code that values duty, self-control, and service to others, and because through her actions over time she has developed her dharmik sakti such that everyone around her recognizes it and respects her accordingly.

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Web of Science research areas
Anthropology
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
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