The Triumph of the Snake Goddess

by Kaiser Haq, Wendy Doniger (Introduction)

Overview

Snakes exist in the myths of most societies, often embodying magical, mysterious forces. Snake cults were especially important in eastern India and Bangladesh, where for centuries worshippers of the indigenous snake goddess Manasa resisted the competing religious influences of Indo-Europeans and Muslims. The result was a corpus of verse texts narrating Manasa’s struggle to win universal adoration.

The Triumph of the Snake Goddess is the first comprehensive retelling of this epic tale in modern English. Scholar and poet Kaiser Haq offers a composite prose translation of Manasa’s story, based on five extant versions. Following the tradition of mangalkavyas—Bengali verse narratives celebrating the deeds of deities in order to win their blessings—the tale opens with a creation myth and a synopsis of Indian mythology, zooming in on Manasa, the miraculous child of the god Shiva. Manasa easily wins the allegiance of everyone except the wealthy merchant Chand, who holds fast in his devotion to Shiva despite seeing his sons massacred. A celestial couple is incarnated on earth to fulfill Manasa’s design: Behula, wife to one of Chand’s slain sons, undertakes a harrowing odyssey to restore him to life with Manasa’s help, ultimately persuading Chand to bow to the snake goddess.

A prologue by Haq explores the Bengali oral, poetic, and manuscript traditions behind this Hindu folk epic—a vibrant part of popular Bengali culture, Hindu and Muslim, to this day—and an introduction by Wendy Doniger examines the history and significance of snake worship in classical Sanskrit texts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674365292
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	10/12/2015
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Kaiser Haq is Professor of English at the University of Dhaka.

Wendy Doniger is Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Sympathy for the Devi: Snakes and Snake Goddesses in Hinduism Wendy Doniger 1

Prologue 29

Part 1 In the Divine Realm

Creation 59

The Revenge of the Valakhilyas 69

The Menace of Taraka 81

The Birth of Parvati and Her Marriage with Shiva 83

The Birth of Ganesha and Kartikeya 98

The Slaying of Taraka the Asura 101

The Birth of Chandradhara 104

Shiva's Dalliances 108

The Birth of Manasa 114

Manasa's Forest Exile 126

The Churning of the Seas 131

The Marriages of Manasa and Neta 148

The Sarpa Satra 153

Looking Earthward 160

Part 2 In the Realm of the Merchant King

Winning over Cowherds 167

The Battle with Hassan and Hossein 171

Jalu and Malu 186

Neutralizing Chand's Occult Power 190

The Slaying of Shankha-Dhanvantari 195

The Killing of Dhona and Mona 211

Eliminating Chand's Six Sons 217

Usha and Aniruddha Press-Ganged by Padma 229

The Birth of Lakshmindar and Behula 241

The Adventures and Misadventures of Chand the Merchant King 253

The Return Voyage 269

The Marriage of Behula and Lakshmindar 291

Death in the Steel Chamber 311

Behula's River Journey 318

The Resolution 328

Notes 339

Sources 345

Glossary 347

Acknowledgments 351

Editorial Reviews

Kaiser Haq’s The Triumph of the Snake Goddess is essential reading for all of us who grew up with stories of snakes as objects not just of fear and fascination, but also of veneration, respect, even worship.

The Hindu - Tabish Khair

A rendition so rich in detail and so replete with humor that the narrative comes alive again for new readers in unexpected ways.

Times Literary Supplement - Rosinka Chaudhuri

Both an impeccable scholarly venture and a sparklingly imaginative literary work in its own right, Kaiser Haq’s composite edition—and brilliant translation—of Manasamangal tells the gripping (and frequently hilarious) story of Manasa, the snake-goddess, and the contestation of a minor deity’s rights and privileges by a human. Manasa reminds us of the stubborn immortality of the folk and the non-canonical when faced with the literary and canonical. This is a revelatory, fascinating, and compelling book.

Neel Mukherjee

In The Triumph of the Snake Goddess, Haq provides an informative and authoritative introduction to the Manasa traditions of premodern Bengal while creating a highly readable composite narrative of his own. The text is further animated by Doniger’s introduction, which vividly situates the regional particularities of Manasa against the pan-Indian mythic backdrop.

Brian A. Hatcher

Noteworthy in Haq’s translation are the pleasant descriptive language…and modern vernacular touches… The lengthy introduction (from University of Chicago history of religions professor Wendy Doniger) and prologue are excellent scholarly tools. This book will appeal to students of comparative religion, but can be read with equal enjoyment by laymen in search of engaging storytelling. Even today in South Asia itinerant performers act out the Manasa stories, and women leave out bowls of milk for snakes to pray for fertility. The snake goddess’s triumph is complete.

Wasafiri - Rebecca Foster