The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (701 page)

, and, like her, is a popular deity in Bengal, where Durga-p
ja, celebrated Oct.–Nov., is a major festival. Unlike K
l
, Durg
is shown as beautiful, though warlike. See also
AKTI
;
DA
AHR
.

 
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(1858–1917).
Only rivalled by Max
Weber
as the father of social science. He founded the Année Sociologique, a group which made major contributions to the study of religion, ‘représentations collectives’ (
collective representations
), modes of thought, and forms of classification. Jewish by birth, Durkheim adopted a positivistic attitude towards religion. His classic
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life
(1912; tr. 1915) utilized Australian aboriginal material to attempt to show that religious life originates as a response to experiences of society. It is now generally taken for granted that comprehensive understanding of religions involves a social perspective. See also
SACRED AND PROFANE
(including his definition of religion).

 
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Durv
sas
.

In Hindu mythology, the son of Atri and Anas
y
. He is also regarded as a manifestation of
iva
.