From Ogress to Goddess: Hariti a Buddhist Deity Book

Contents: 1. The Emergences of Hariti. i. From ogress to Goddess. ii. Yaksha cult spans diverse religions. iii. Hariti travels far and wide. iv. Hariti told..and retold. v. Incomplete journey. 2. The ascent of Hariti. i. Merging of the mother Goddesses. ii. In the beginning was Bhima Devi…. iii. Like Jara, like Hariti. iv. Other Mothers: Diti Shashthi, Revati. v. Some more mothers: Jyeshtha and Sitala. vi. Goddesses against smallpox. vii. Jainism’s Bahuputrika, Hinduism’s Lakshmi and Ardoxsho, the Iranian Goddess. viii. Just one Mother.  3. Hariti worship. i. Salutations to the mother of mankind. ii. Shrines and statues: north to south. iii. Spells and shlokas : the path to vajrayana. iv. O victorious and auspicious one!. v. The rituals of vajrayana. vi. Mantra to find treasures, to banish demons . vii. Feminine face of Buddhism. 4. Hariti outside India. i. On the wings of Buddhism. ii. Central Asia. iii. China. iv. Nepal. v. Tibet. vi. Indonesia. vii. Japan. 5. Iconography down the ages. i. The singular signature of Goddess Hariti. ii. Hariti in the Gandhara region. iii. Hariti in the Kusana period/the Mathura school.  iv. Hariti in the Gupta age after. v Summing up. vi. Shifting iconography, enduring Mother. vii. The rise of indigenous artistic influences. viii. Gupta period : the further flowering of Hariti. 6. Hariti in gold, silver and clay. i. On seals and artifacts. 7. Behind the veil of legend. i. In the beginning was the Great Mother. Line drawings. Footnotes. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

"The story of Hariti, simply is the story of a demoness who acquired divine status when she fell under the beneficent spell of the illustrious one, Gautama the Buddha.

Eastern Gods and Goddesses can generally be categorised into those who are benevolent or benign and those inclined to be malevolent or destroyers. Occasionally, some are both. This is particularly so with mother Goddesses . When angered, they can go on a rampage, destroying all in their path right from helpless infants to kingly palaces. When appeased and pleased, they not only grant boons but also restore what they have destroyed. One such ambivalent Mother Goddess is Hariti. " (jacket)