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[German Version] ̣The Rāmāyaṇa is one of Hinduism’s two most important Sanskrit epics; the other is the Mahābhārata. The oldest parts of the epic date from the 5th century bce; by the 3rd century ce, the text of the Rāmāyaṇa probably existed in a relatively complete form. It describes the life of Rāma, the hero after whom the text is named. For many Hindus the Rāmāyaṇa is a religious text; its main figures, Rāma, Sītā, and Hanumat (also known as Hanumān), have divine status. Sītā is considered the ideal of a faithful wife. Indian tradition lauds the metrical text, which comprises some 24,000 ¶…

Is Pārvatī more than just “Śiva’s faithful spouse”? Is she more than a “benevolent manifestation” of the Great Goddess (Mahādevī)? Whoever is concerned with the mythology of the Hindu goddess Pārvatī (“Daughter of the Mountain”), with her earlier existence as Satī (“The Good Woman”), or with her numerous local appearances must face these questions. It has proved difficult to make unambiguous statements about either the character or the significance of individual goddess figures. Their status in …

[English Version] ist neben dem Mahābhārata eines der beiden bedeutendsten Sanskrit-Epen des Hinduismus. Die ältesten Teile des Epos datieren in das 5.Jh. v.Chr.; im 3.Jh. n.Chr. dürfte das R. in einer relativ abgeschlossenen Textgestalt vorgelegen haben. Es beschreibt den Lebenslauf des Titelhelden Rāma. Für viele Hindus ist das R. ein rel. Text, seine Hauptgestalten Rāma, Sı̄tā und Hanumat (auch: Hanumān) haben göttlichen Status. Sı̄tā gilt als das Ideal einer treuen Ehefrau. Die indische Tradit…