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Resumo

This article examines the meanings and uses of money in contemporary Ayanar cults in southern India, focusing on the sacrificial economy through which deities, devotees, and priests interact. It argues that, in this context, money is not simply a profane instrument that corrupts the purity of the gift or a marker of the monetization of the economy and society. Rather, money is a total social fact, a privileged mediator between humans and gods, and a powerful means of creating and maintaining social relations. The article also explores the uncertainties and anxieties that pervade the sacrificial economy and the ways in which devotees and priests seek to manage them through various forms of divination and prognostication. It suggests that these practices reflect a broader concern with the future and a desire to secure a measure of control over the unpredictable forces that shape people’s lives.

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