Lalleshwari, ( also commonly known as Lal Ded (), was a Kashmiri mystic of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy. She was the creator of the style of mystic poetry called vatsun or Vakhs, meaning "speech" (from Sanskrit vāc). Known as Lal Vakhs, her verses are among the early compositions in the Kashmiri language and are a part of the history of modern Kashmiri literature.

Lalleshwari ("Mother Lal" or "Mother Lalla") is also known by various other names, including Lal Dyad (Dyad means "Grandmother"), Lalla Aarifa, Lal Diddi, Lalleshwari, Lalla Yogishwari/Yogeshwari and Lalishri.

Life

Most modern scholars place Lalleshwari's birth between 1301 and 1320 C.E., near Sempore or Pandrethan.

Lalleshwari is also believed to be a contemporary of Mir Sayyid Ali-Hamdani, an Iranian Sufi scholar and poet who recorded stories of her in his own verse during his travels to Kashmir.

Influence on Nund Rishi and The Rishi Sufi Order

The profound connection between Lalleshwari and Nund Rishi (Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani) is a cornerstone of Kashmir's spiritual and cultural heritage. Their intertwined legacies symbolize the syncretic traditions that have shaped the region's identity.

A widely recounted legend narrates that as an infant, Nund Rishi refused to nurse from his mother. Lalleshwari, upon visiting, addressed the child:<blockquote>"If you are not ashamed of being born,

why are you ashamed of being breastfed?" </blockquote>Following her words, the child began to nurse, an act interpreted as Lalleshwari imparting spiritual wisdom to Nund Rishi. This anecdote underscores the deep spiritual bond between the two mystics.

Both Lalleshwari and Nund Rishi employed vernacular Kashmiri poetic forms ('Vakhs' and 'Shruks') respectively to convey their mystical experiences and teachings. Their verses emphasize themes such as the impermanence of the material world, the importance of self-realization, and the unity of existence. Nund Rishi's poetry often reflects the influence of Lalleshwari's thought, acknowledging her spiritual stature and expressing a desire to attain similar enlightenment, he writes:<blockquote>That Lalla of Padmanpore,

The one who drank the nectar,

The one who kept gazing at Shiva,

God, give me a gift like that! A total of 285 poems, known as vakhs, are attributed to Lalleshwari. Grierson consolidated and expanded on the partial translation prepared by the Hungarian-British archaeologist and scholar Sir Marc Aurel Stein, and incorporated some archived poems that were contained in the Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings (1888). and Jaylal Kaul (1973). Recent translations include those by Coleman Barks, Jaishree Odin Kak, and Ranjit Hoskote. Jaishree Odin, and Ranjit Hoskote.

Legacy

The leading Kashmiri Sufi figure Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali (also known as Nooruddin Rishi or Nunda Rishi) was influenced by Lalleshwari. He led to the formation of the Rishi order of saints and later gave rise to many Rishi saints like Resh Mir Sàeb.

Lalleshwari and her mystic musings continue to have a deep impact on the psyche of Kashmiris, and the 2000 National Seminar on her held at New Delhi led to the release of the book Remembering Lal Ded in Modern Times. In his book "Triadic Mysticism", Paul E. Murphy calls her the "chief exponent of devotional or emotion-oriented Triadism". According to him, three representatives of devotionalism emerged in Kashmir in the five hundred years between the last half of the ninth and the end of the fourteenth centuries.

Beyond several new translations of Lalleshwari's vakh, there are other contemporary performative arts that are based on Lalleshwari's life and poetry. For example, there are contemporary renderings of Lalleshwari's poetry in song. In addition, a solo play in English, Hindi, and Kashmiri titled Lal Ded (based on her life) has been performed by actress Mita Vashisht across India since 2004.

In 2007, experimental musician Katie Jane Garside took on the stage name Lallweshari with the release of her album Lullabies in a Glass Wilderness.

Further reading

  • Lalla Yogishwari, Anand Kaul, reprint from the Indian Antiquary, Vols. L, LIX, LX, LXI, LXII.
  • Lalla-Vakyani, Sir George Grierson and Dr. Lionel D. Barnett Litt. D. (R. A. S. monograph, Vol. XVII, London 1920)..
  • Vaakh Lalla Ishwari, Parts I and II (Urdu Edition by A. K. Wanchoo and English by Sarwanand Chaaragi, 1939).
  • Lal Ded by Jayalal Kaul, 1973, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
  • The Ascent of Self: A Reinterpretation of the Mystical Poetry of Lalla-Ded by B. N. Parimoo, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi. .
  • The Word of Lalla the Prophetess, by Sir Richard Carnac Temple, Cambridge 1924
  • Lal Ded: Her life and sayings by Nil Kanth Kotru, Utpal publications, Srinagar, .
  • Lalleshwari : spiritual poems by a great Siddha yogini, by Swami Muktananda and Swami Laldyada. 1981, SYDA Foundation, ASIN: B000M1C7BC.
  • Lal Ded: Her life & sayings, by Swami Laldyada. Utpal Publications, 1989, .
  • Naked Song, by Laldyada, Lalla, Coleman Barks (Translator), 1992, Maypop Books, . [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0961891645]
  • Mystical Verses of Lalla: A Journey of Self Realization, by Jaishree Kak. Motilal Banarsidass, 2007.
  • I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded, translated by Ranjit Hoskote with an Introduction and Notes, Penguin Classics, 2011, . [https://www.amazon.com/I-Lalla-Poems-Lal-Ded/dp/0670084476]
  • Siddha Yogini, A Kashmiri Secret of Divine Knowledge. by Ghauri, Laila Khalid. Proquest Dissertations And Theses 2012. Section 0075, Part 0604 82 pages; [M.A dissertation].United States – District of Columbia: The George Washington University; 2012. Publication Number: AAT 1501080.
  • Lalla, Unveiled: The Naked Voice of the Feminine Translations by Jennifer Sundeen. 2nd Tier Publishing, July 3, 2020.' .

See also

  • Habba Khatoon
  • Nund Rishi
  • Hamza Makhdoom
  • Rishi order

References

  • Kashmiri Saints and Sages
  • The Wise Sayings of Lal Ded, translated by Sir George Grierson