Examines the key role of a hagiographer within a charismatic religious movement.
In this biographical study, Antonio Rigopoulos explores the fundamental role of a hagiographer within a charismatic religious movement: in this case, the postsectarian, cosmopolitan community of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba. The guru’s hagiographer, Narayan Kasturi, was already a distinguished litt...(Read More)
Presents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from his Puranic emergence to modern times.
This book presents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from his Puranic emergence up to modern times. Dattatreya's Brahmanical portrayal, as well as his even more archaic characterization as a Tantric antinomian figure, combines both Vaisnava Saiva motifs. Over the course of time, Dattatreya has come to embody the roles of ...(Read More)
"This book makes available for the first time to readers in North America and much of the English-speaking world an account of one of the most important Indian saints of recent times. It also has the merit of treating its subject in a manner that is scholarly and at the same time respects both the greatness of its subject and the limitations of his accessibility. I found it informative, thought-provoking, and a great joy to read.