Because It Gives Me Peace of Mind: Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women.

Albany, NY State University of New York Press, 1996. Hardcover First Edition Thus; First Printing indicated. First Edition Thus; First Printing indicated. Near Fine in Wraps: shows only very minor indications of use: just a touch of wear to the corner tips; a very faint 'wrinkle' in the wrapper cover near the lower front corner; the mildest rubbing. The binding leans very slightly, but remains perfectly secure; the text is clean. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 315pp. Seventeen page section of duotone photographs. (McGill Studies in the History of Religions). University Press Paperback. This is the first book-length study that explores the history and nature of vratsotive fasting rites--the role these rites play in the religious lives of Hindu women in North India, and the meanings these women attribute to them. By placing vrats within the context of various Hindu religious categories such as concepts of time; types of religious activities; goals; notions of purity and pollution; auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, the book demonstrates how the concept of vrat provides a lens to the Hindu worldview. Accordingly, it offers insight into the nature of Hindu popular religion in general and women's religion in particular.Drawing extensively on the personal narratives of individual women, this study subtly corrects the prevailing view that all women observe vrats solely for the benefit of others. The author shows that Hindu women's sense of duty and obligation to ensure the well-being of their families through the performance of vrats explains only part of the appeal of these rites. The data demonstrate that women also perform vrats for the social, physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. Not only do vrats provide an avenue for the expression of profound spiritual yearnings, but some women use vrats as a way to gain a measure of control over their own lives, a source of empowerment in an environment in which women frequently lack control and self-determination.