LAL DED Lal Ded, was one such poet saint of Kashmir, who lived in early fourteenth century. At that time Kashmir was home to bhaktas of Shiva and Vishnu, to Islamic Sufis, as also to followers of Tantric Buddhism. Lalleshwari was born in Pandrethan (ancient Puranadhisthana) some four and a half miles to the southeast of Srinagar in a Kashmiri Pandit family. Lal Ded remembered her past janamas (lives) as a woman giving birth to a son, in another janama getting born as a filly at village Marhom. The filly died and was reborn as a pup at Vejibror. There a tiger killed the filly in the disguise of a pup. This was verified by Lallas guru Sidha Shrikanth. All the cycle of birth and death was repeated the seventh time at Pandrethan Lalla’s poems are a reflection of all these influences, but ultimately express her own veneration and self-realization culminating from her meditations and yogic discipline. Her poems, though a vocalization of her spiritually intense experiences, instantly appealed to the masses because she spoke in the common metaphor of her day. Greatly respected even today her deep, effective sayings continue to inspire scholars and lay people alike in the valley. She is lovingly known by many names - Lal Ded (grandmother Lal); Lalleshwari (Lalla the yogini); Lal Arifa. In the fourteenth century, a woman writing in any language was a rarity, but it happened in Kashmir. A voice, which set off a resonance heard with clear tone till today, spoke directly to the people and what is more, was heard with all seriousness, recorded in collective memory and later, the words put down on paper. This path-breaking woman is the mystic poet Lal Ded, whom the Kashmiris venerate to this day as a prophetess, moral guide and a fount of practical wisdom. Her word is quoted at every step in their lives. In fact the very language owes most of its richness of phrase and metaphor to her contribution to it. She was married off at the age of twelve to Nika (Sona) Bhat of Drangbal near Pampore. The ill-matched marriage was doomed from the start. Ignored by her insensitive husband and ill-treated by her mother-in-law, she bore her fate as long as she could with patience. The daily humiliation she suffered is very evident from the following story. It goes that every day she was apportioned just a little rice to eat, with a stone (Kajwath) hidden underneath to make it appear like a lot more. Without protest, with endurance Lalla would eat her meager portion, wash the stone and plate and put them back together for her next meal. This practice prompted her to say: Saints of her stature always have legends and miracles associated with their lives. One of Lalla’s chores was to fetch water for the household every morning, after ablutions at the ghat and a visit to the temple. One day, instigated by his mother, the jealous Nika broke the pitcher of water she brought home. To their utter amazement the water continued to hold its shape on her head. Not a drop spilled. With this she filled all the pots in the house. And where the shards of the broken clay pitcher fell, there arose a fresh water spring to form what came to be known as Lalla’s Lake/Pond. This spring is now dried up but to this day it is called Laila Trag (trag means pond/marsh). According to history it went dry in 1925-26. Unable to endure her distressful marriage any longer, she finally left her husband in her early twenties. She became a disciple of a respected saint, Sidh Srikanth, in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition of yoga. Later she wandered about, from village to village, going naked or nearly naked, and singing songs of enlightenment (Vakhs). Indeed there are many similarities between her life and her near contemporary Mirabai. One story of Lal Ded mentions how she was teased by a number of children. A nearby cloth merchant scolded the children for their disrespect. Lal Ded asked the merchant for two lengths of cloth, equal in weight. That day as she walked around naked, she wore a piece of cloth over each shoulder and, whenever she was met with respect or scorn, she tied a knot in one or other cloth. In the evening, she brought the cloths back to the merchant, and asked him to weigh them again. Both cloths were equal in weight no matter how many knots were in each, showing that respect and scorn have no weight of their own. It is said that, when Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani was born, initially he wouldn’t feed from his mother. After 3 days, Lal Ded arrived and suckled him herself. She said to the baby that, since he hadn’t been ashamed to be born, why should he be ashamed to drink from his mother’s breast? According to another story, when Lal Ded encountered Sheikh Ali Hamadani she jumped into a tandoor (clay oven) and, when the Sheikh lifted the lid, Lal Ded came out dressed in flowers. When she was asked why she was dressed for the first time she replied saying “Today I saw a man for the first time”. No right thinking person can dispute the status of Lalla Ded as Shaiva yogini . She took the Shiva-praxis to recognize her essential worth as Shiva. Lalla Ded was a bhaktin too, who is consensually ranked with great bhaktas. Towards the end of her life Lalleshwari is believed to have gone to Bijbehara town in Anantnag district in South Kashmir where, her soul arose as a flame, to merge into the Supreme Soul. An interesting anecdote associated with her death is analogous to that of Kabir’s. Both Hindus and Muslims staked a claim to her body, so she settled the dispute in a miraculous way. It seems her spirit asked those present to bring two large washbasins. The body is said to have sat inside one with the other inverted over the head. Thereafter the body is stated to have shrunk slowly till the two washbasins overlapped. When her followers lifted the inverted basin, they found there a liquid formation. Half of the liquid is said to have been taken by the Hindus for cremation (?) and the other half by the Muslims for burial adjacent to the local Jama Masjid. gaal gandiy-nyam bol padiy-nyam Dapineym tiy yas yih routse, Sahaza-kusamav puuz karineym, Boh amalloun ta kas kyaah mvotse (2) They may abuse me or jeer at me, They may say what pleases them, They may with flowers worship me. What profits them whatever they do? I am indifferent to praise and blame. Asaa bol paddiy-nyam saasaa Mey mani waasaa khiid na heaye; Boh youd sahaza Shankar-bakts aasaa, Makris saasaa mal kyaah peyye Let them mock at me and call me names. If a true devotee of Siva I be, I shall not feel distressed nor hurt. Can a few ashes a mirror befoul? Lal Vakh in Kashmiri: yi yi karum suy artsun yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar yihay lagamo dhahas partsun suy Parasivun tanthar Translation: Whatever work I did became worship of the Lord; Whatever word I uttered became a prayer; Whatever this body of mine experienced became the sadhana of Saiva Tantra illumining my path to Parmasiva ami panu sodras navi chhas larnnt kati bazi day mayon me ti diyi tar amyan takyan pony zan shraman zua chhum braman garu gatshuha (With thread untwisted my boat I tow through the sea, Would the Lord heed and ferry me across? Water seeps through my bowls of unbaked clay, Oh how my heart longs to go back home!) he gwara parmeshwara bavtam tseyi chhuy antar vyod doshvay wopdan kandupura hukavu turun tu ha kavu totuy. (Oh my Guru, for me you are the Lord, You who know the inner self, tell me do, When both rise from the centre of the body Why is the breath phu cold and ha so hot?) nabhisthanas chhe prakarath zaiavuni, brahmasthanas shishurun mwokh brahmandas peth nad vuhuuni phu tavay turun ha gav tot. (The nature of the navel region is fiery like the sun, The crown of the head icy like the moon From which cool waters down the tubes flow, That is why phu is cold and ha so hot.) damadam kormas damanhale prazalyorn diph to naneyam zath andryum prakash nebar thsotum gati manzu rotum tu karmas thaph. (The bellows pipe I pressed gently, muffling its breath, The lamp lit, in its radiance I stood revealed. I let inner light burst out in the open, nabadi baras atagand ,dyol gorn dih kan hol gom heka kaho gwar sund vatsun ravan tyolpyom pahali ros khyol gom heka kaho (The candy load on my back is loosened, The body bent like a bow, how do I bear it? The Gurus word hurts like a weeping blister, A flock without a shepherd am I, how do I bear it?) tseth navuy tsandram novuy zalmay dyahum navam novuy yanu petha lali me tanuman novuy tanu lal bo navam navuy chhas. (My mind cleansed and new, the moon is new too, Everything in this ocean of the world I saw as new, Since I, Lal, washed my body and self, Forever renewed am I gwaran vonunam kunuy vatsun, nebra dopnam andar atsun suy me lali gav vakh tu vatsun tavay hetum nangay natsun (The Guru gave me but one word of wisdom- From the outside bade me turn within That word for me, Lal, is the surest prophecy, And that is why I dance in naked abandon!) lyakh tu thwakh pethu sheri hetsum nyanda sapnyam path bronthu tany lal chhas kal zanh nu thsenim adu yeli sapnis vyepe kyah? (Abuse and spit I wore like a crown, Slander followed or preceded my steps; But Lal I am, never swerved from my goal My being suffused with God, where is the room for these? loluki wokhulu vaalinj pishim, kwakal tsajim tu ruzus rasu, buzum tu zaajim panas tsashim, kavu zanu tavu suuti maru kinu lasu. (In loves mortar I pounded and ground my heart- Evil passions fled and I was at peace¬- Roasted and burnt and consumed it myself, Yet know not whether I die or live!)
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:04:15 +0000
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