{"product_id":"9783319963907","title":"Living Mantra Mantra, Deity, and Visionary Experience Today","description":"\u003ch3\u003eContemporary Anthropology of Religion\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eLiving Mantra\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMantra, Deity, and Visionary Experience Today\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eMani Rao\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eSocial Science \/ Anthropology \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiving Mantra \u003c\/i\u003eis an anthropology of mantra-experience among Hindu-tantric practitioners. In ancient Indian doctrine and legends, mantras perceived by \u003ci\u003erishis \u003c\/i\u003e(seers) invoke deities and have transformative powers. Adopting a methodology that combines scholarship and practice, Mani Rao discovers a continuing tradition of visionaries (\u003ci\u003erishis\u003c\/i\u003e\/seers) and revelations in south India’s Andhra-Telangana. Both deeply researched and replete with fascinating narratives, the book  reformulates the poetics of mantra-practice as it probes practical questions. Can one know if a vision is real or imagined? Is vision visual? Are deity-visions mediated by culture? If mantras are effective, what is the role of devotion? Are mantras language? \u003ci\u003eLiving Mantra\u003c\/i\u003e interrogates not only theoretical questions, but also those a practitioner would ask: how does one choose a deity, for example, or what might bind one to a guru? Rao breaks fresh ground in redirecting attention to the moments that precede systematization and canon-formation, showing how authoritative sources are formed.    \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMani Rao, PhD, is a poet and independent scholar. She has nine poetry books and two books in translation from Sanskrit including \u003ci\u003eThe Bhagavad Gita \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eKalidasa for the 21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Century Reader\u003c\/i\u003e. See manirao.com for links and updates.    \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e01 October 2018\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSpringer International Publishing\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePalgrave Macmillan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9783319963907\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e215\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Springer International Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51032122949772,"sku":"9783319963907","price":80.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9783319963907.jpg?v=1782484492","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9783319963907","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}