Making Virtuous Daughters and Wives: An Introduction to Women's Brata Rituals in Bengali Folk Religion

Exploring the folk religion of India and the role of girls and women within it author June mcdaniel focuses on the br At a (Vrata) ritual in which moral lessons are taught and goddesses are revealed. Br At as are performed to gain such goals as a healthy family a good husband and a happy life. They are also performed so that the performers (br At in is) develop such virtues as devotion humility and compassion.This book presents data from fieldwork along with br At a stories songs poems and ritual activities. It discusses Bengali folk religion offers an example of ritual worship in folk Hinduism and surveys a variety of br At as. The author analyses the similarities and differences among these rituals in low-caste village life and in high-caste Hindu tradition and notes that the development of these rituals involves a form of continuing divine revelation with women as the primary transmitters. Br At as Act to maintain traditional Hindu values but also emphasises the power of women whose virtues can save their husbands from hell worlds and their families from disasters.