Sarasvatī riverine goddess of knowledge: from the manuscript-carrying vīṇā-player to the weapon-wielding defender of the Dharma

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PREFACE; ABBREVIATIONS; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; INTRODUCTION; PART ONE VEDIC SARASVATI; VEDIC LITERATURE; CHAPTER ONE RG VEDA; CHAPTER TWO ATHARVA VEDA; CHAPTER THREE YAJUR VEDA; CHAPTER FOUR BRAHMANAS; VEDIC SARASVATI IN RETROSPECTIVE; PART TWO EPIC AND PURANIC SARASVATI; EPIC AND PURANIC LITERATURE; CHAPTER FIVE MAHABHARATA; CHAPTER SIX PURANAS; EPIC AND PURANIC SARASVATI IN RETROSPECTIVE; PART THREE BUDDHIST SARASVATI; SARASVATI IN BUDDHIST SUTRAS; CHAPTER SEVEN SUTRA OF GOLDEN LIGHT; CHAPTER EIGHT GREAT ELOQUENCE DEITY; CHAPTER NINE BATH; CHAPTER TEN KAUNPINYA'S PRAISES;Drawing on textual and art historical sources, this book traces the conceptual and iconographic development of the Indian riverine goddess of knowledge Sarasvati from sometime after 1750 BCE to the seventh century CE. PREFACE ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS INTRODUCTION PART ONE VEDIC SARASVATI VEDIC LITERATURE CHAPTER ONE RG VEDA CHAPTER TWO ATHARVA VEDA CHAPTER THREE YAJUR VEDA CHAPTER FOUR BRAHMANAS VEDIC SARASVATI IN RETROSPECTIVE PART TWO EPIC AND PURANIC SARASVATI EPIC AND PURANIC LITERATURE CHAPTER FIVE MAHABHARATA CHAPTER SIX PURANAS EPIC AND PURANIC SARASVATI IN RETROSPECTIVE PART THREE BUDDHIST SARASVATI SARASVATI IN BUDDHIST SUTRAS CHAPTER SEVEN SUTRA OF GOLDEN LIGHT CHAPTER EIGHT GREAT ELOQUENCE DEITY CHAPTER NINE BATH CHAPTER TEN KAUNPINYA'S PRAISES THE SUTRA'S SARASVATI IN RETROSPECTIVEPART FOUR IMAGES OF SARASVATI IDENTIFICATION OF IMAGES AND GODDESSES CHAPTER ELEVEN EARLY IMAGES OF SARASVATl CHAPTER TWELVE IMAGES CORRESPONDING TO YIJING'S GODDESS IMAGES IN RETROSPECTIVE CONCLUSION APPENDIX A SARASVATI CHAPTER OF THE SUTRA OF GOLDEN LIGHT APPENDIX B HERB LISTS FOR THE BATH TAUGHT BY SARASVATI IN THE SUTRA OF GOLDEN LIGHT BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOURCES AND WORKS CITED INDEX