Although menstruation is a biological process that occurs for women of a sexually
mature age, many cultures associate it with symbols that shape and affect women's lives
within these societies. This thesis examines orthodox Hindu beliefs about the origin and
meaning of menstruation, which is fundamentally viewed negatively (i.e., adharmically).
Drawing upon sources from the earliest to more recent Dharmasastra literature, the thesis
demonstrates that orthodox Hindu menstrual taboos derive from menstruation's adharmic
associations, which in turn affect attitudes towards women. The Dharmasastras also
attempt to realign women with dharma by prescribing appropriate roles for them and act
in tandem with the Hindu goddess tradition. Orthodox interpretations of Hindu goddesses
configure these deities to serve as dharmic models "for" and " o f women, thereby
transmitting dharma to women in ways that are perhaps more meaningful, accessible, and
effective than the sastric literature alone.
iv / viii, 102 leaves , 3 leaves of plates : ill. ; 29 cm
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:ALU.w.uleth.ca/dspace#10133/2600 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Hembroff, Nicole, University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science |
| Contributors | Rodrigues, Hillary |
| Publisher | Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Religious Studies, c2010, Arts and Science, Department of Religious Studies |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Relation | Thesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science) |
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