“See through the eyes of the Mother:” Spirit Possession as Multisensory Darśan

Is spirit possession a form of darśan? Does multisensory embodiment intensify the idea of contact inherent in darśan? Does it collapse the distance between the seer and the seen and the distinction between seeing and becoming? In this paper, I draw on fieldwork among Indo-Caribbean Madrasi healers in Guyana and New York to 1) situate spirit possession within the field of Hindu visuality and 2) propose a multisensory theory of darśan. The Madrasis are a religious minority within the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. They cohere around south Indian ancestral deities and practice spirit possession, drumming, and healing rituals. Smoke, drums, neem, and water allow Madrasi healers to “see through the eyes” of the deity. Possession is mediated through the senses. The Madrasis’ multisensory rituals of possession urge us to review and revise ocularcentric interpretations of Hindu ways of perceiving the world (pratyakṣa), entering bodies (āveśa), and seeing and being seen (darśan).