‘Yogeshwari’ or ‘Lalla’as she is known in Kashmir occupies the topmost position among all the Sufi poets of Kashmir. Born in Pandrethan in 1320, Lalla was married at a very tender age in Pampur, her in-laws used to inflict heavy punishment and injustice used to be meted out to her. Her Mother-in-Law used to place a stone on her eating plate to make it appear filled with cooked rice. But, Lalla bear all these adversities without saying a word as she was characterized of tremendous aura, immense patience, endurance and huge sobriety.
‘KALIMAI POYRUM, KALIMAI SOURUM
KALIMAI HAENI HAENI MOIYAS TOURUM
AD LALE BE WACHIS LAHMAKAUM,
In the above lines the poetess, stresses that to become the one and to attain the heights close to God and to be paid for the entire hard work one puts in acquiring the spiritual powers and in attaining the countenance of Allah. It is imperative to assess the significance of the procedure of the recitation of ‘KALIMA” one has to immerse the “KALIMA’ in his/her whole body and make it to reach every hair of the body. In doing so, you will see yourself illuminated in all the hues of Spiritualism and in getting close to God.
In a very young age Lalla, renounced this world to get redemption from the temptations and materialism of this World. Company of true believers became her new friends and in their spiritualistic ambience she tainted herself with the true colors and virtues of spiritualism. She used to wander naked here and there. It was only when she encountered the great Saint HAZRAT SHAHI HAMDAN (RA) that she ran shouting ‘ I saw a man’ ‘ I saw a man’
‘NA LAL ZAYAS, NA LAL PAYAS
NA LAL SANAY LAKHAENDIS NAYAS
NA LALI KHOU WAPAL HAKH TI HANDI,
Lalla, here talks of “WAHJATUL WAJUH” by saying that neither she was born neither she was begotten, but, she came from a ocean of love, peace, spiritualism and prosperity. Neither, she intervenes into worldly affairs nor poked her nose into others life. In the last line, Lalla takes a dig at one of the greatest Sufi saints and poets of Kashmir ALAMDAR
KASHMIR (RA) by pointing towards the single eatable Sheikh Alamdar (RA) was addicted to. The single eatable called ‘WAPAL HAKH’ Sheikh Alamdar (RA) used to eat. Lalla says that she did not confine herself to a single dish or eatable like ‘ALAMDARI KASHMIR (RA) did. It is in place to mention here that Lalla was above in stature as a Sufi poet compared to ‘ALAMDARI KASHMIR (RA)
The time during which Lalla lived in Kashmir was a period when the valley was home to devotees of Shiva and Vishnu, to Islamic Sufis and to Tantric Buddhism. Lalla's poems reflect all she learned from these, but synthesized to become the expression of her own devotion in conversational Kashmiri, rather than the Sanskrit of contemporary philosophical writing. The variety of her names reflects the wide appeal of her poems: In Hindi, she is Lal Ded (Grandmother Lal); in Sanskrit, Lalleshwari (Lalla the yogini); while to Muslims, she is Lal Arifa.
Apparently, belonging to a Brahmin family, the poetry of Lalla showed the true colors and knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. It is believed that she left her husband after some years of unhappy marriage to become a student of Hindu and Sufi Teachers and became a traveling preacher throughout Kashmir Valley,
‘ YI YI KARUM SUY ARTSUN
YI RASINI VICHOARUM THI MANTAR
YIHAY LAGAMO DHAHAS PARTSUN
SUY PARASIVUN TANTHAR’
In the above mentioned lines , Lalla says that whatever work she did. Became worship of the lord owing to the great dedication and feling of seeking countenance of Allah. In the sense that whatever I am doing. Doing only for the gratification and seeking blessings from Allah Whatever word she uttered became a mantra. In the sense that no wrong or vulgar word never she mouthed and only advices and preachings of good deeds and doings came from her mouth. Whatever her body experienced became the sadhana’s of Saiva Tantra and illumining her path to parmasiva.
Lalla was a women of great courage possessing every knowledge from sufism to shivism to bhakti to vakhs, That is why, when it comes to the sufi poets of the valley. She is far ahead from her contemporaries and other sufi poets of kashmir
SAMSARAS AYAS TAPASI
BODHU PRAKASHU LOBUM SAHAJ
In these lines Lalla stresses that she came into this universe of birth and through the immense imperativeness of yoga she gained the enlightenment.
LOLUKI NARU VAALINJ BUZUM
SHANKAR LOBUM TAAMY SAATI
Lalla says, she scorched her heart as the farmers dry out their grains. And from that unique and peculiar method came a phenomenal advantage and I obtained Shiva in a flicker.
LAL BO TSAYAS SWAMAN BAGU BARAS
VUUCHUM SHIVAS SHAKATH MILTH TU VAH
TATI LAY KARUM ARNRIT SARAS
ZINDAY MARAS TI KARYAM KYAH
Lalla says that she entered through the door of the garden of her mind. And she encountered joy as she saw Shiva and Shakti united into one. From there she got immersed into the lake of nectar and died even she was still alive. Now she ponders on this issue that after obtaining such glories what will death do unto her.
‘KALIMAI POYRUM, KALIMAI SOURUM
KALIMAI HAENI HAENI MOIYAS TOURUM
AD LALE BE WACHIS LAHMAKAUM,
In the above lines the poetess, stresses that to become the one and to attain the heights close to God and to be paid for the entire hard work one puts in acquiring the spiritual powers and in attaining the countenance of Allah. It is imperative to assess the significance of the procedure of the recitation of ‘KALIMA” one has to immerse the “KALIMA’ in his/her whole body and make it to reach every hair of the body. In doing so, you will see yourself illuminated in all the hues of Spiritualism and in getting close to God.
In a very young age Lalla, renounced this world to get redemption from the temptations and materialism of this World. Company of true believers became her new friends and in their spiritualistic ambience she tainted herself with the true colors and virtues of spiritualism. She used to wander naked here and there. It was only when she encountered the great Saint HAZRAT SHAHI HAMDAN (RA) that she ran shouting ‘ I saw a man’ ‘ I saw a man’
‘NA LAL ZAYAS, NA LAL PAYAS
NA LAL SANAY LAKHAENDIS NAYAS
NA LALI KHOU WAPAL HAKH TI HANDI,
Lalla, here talks of “WAHJATUL WAJUH” by saying that neither she was born neither she was begotten, but, she came from a ocean of love, peace, spiritualism and prosperity. Neither, she intervenes into worldly affairs nor poked her nose into others life. In the last line, Lalla takes a dig at one of the greatest Sufi saints and poets of Kashmir ALAMDAR
KASHMIR (RA) by pointing towards the single eatable Sheikh Alamdar (RA) was addicted to. The single eatable called ‘WAPAL HAKH’ Sheikh Alamdar (RA) used to eat. Lalla says that she did not confine herself to a single dish or eatable like ‘ALAMDARI KASHMIR (RA) did. It is in place to mention here that Lalla was above in stature as a Sufi poet compared to ‘ALAMDARI KASHMIR (RA)
The time during which Lalla lived in Kashmir was a period when the valley was home to devotees of Shiva and Vishnu, to Islamic Sufis and to Tantric Buddhism. Lalla's poems reflect all she learned from these, but synthesized to become the expression of her own devotion in conversational Kashmiri, rather than the Sanskrit of contemporary philosophical writing. The variety of her names reflects the wide appeal of her poems: In Hindi, she is Lal Ded (Grandmother Lal); in Sanskrit, Lalleshwari (Lalla the yogini); while to Muslims, she is Lal Arifa.
Apparently, belonging to a Brahmin family, the poetry of Lalla showed the true colors and knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. It is believed that she left her husband after some years of unhappy marriage to become a student of Hindu and Sufi Teachers and became a traveling preacher throughout Kashmir Valley,
‘ YI YI KARUM SUY ARTSUN
YI RASINI VICHOARUM THI MANTAR
YIHAY LAGAMO DHAHAS PARTSUN
SUY PARASIVUN TANTHAR’
In the above mentioned lines , Lalla says that whatever work she did. Became worship of the lord owing to the great dedication and feling of seeking countenance of Allah. In the sense that whatever I am doing. Doing only for the gratification and seeking blessings from Allah Whatever word she uttered became a mantra. In the sense that no wrong or vulgar word never she mouthed and only advices and preachings of good deeds and doings came from her mouth. Whatever her body experienced became the sadhana’s of Saiva Tantra and illumining her path to parmasiva.
Lalla was a women of great courage possessing every knowledge from sufism to shivism to bhakti to vakhs, That is why, when it comes to the sufi poets of the valley. She is far ahead from her contemporaries and other sufi poets of kashmir
SAMSARAS AYAS TAPASI
BODHU PRAKASHU LOBUM SAHAJ
In these lines Lalla stresses that she came into this universe of birth and through the immense imperativeness of yoga she gained the enlightenment.
LOLUKI NARU VAALINJ BUZUM
SHANKAR LOBUM TAAMY SAATI
Lalla says, she scorched her heart as the farmers dry out their grains. And from that unique and peculiar method came a phenomenal advantage and I obtained Shiva in a flicker.
LAL BO TSAYAS SWAMAN BAGU BARAS
VUUCHUM SHIVAS SHAKATH MILTH TU VAH
TATI LAY KARUM ARNRIT SARAS
ZINDAY MARAS TI KARYAM KYAH
Lalla says that she entered through the door of the garden of her mind. And she encountered joy as she saw Shiva and Shakti united into one. From there she got immersed into the lake of nectar and died even she was still alive. Now she ponders on this issue that after obtaining such glories what will death do unto her.
Sufis is one of the true constituents of Islam in Kashmir. It was heartening to read about the great Sufi poetess Lal Ded in a article that appeared in the Sunday edition of your newspaper ‘Daily Kashmir Images’ your columnist Mukhtar Ahmad deserves kudos for I have been reading and gaining knowledge through his Sunday Columns titled ‘GLORIOUS PAST’
ReplyDeleteabout the richness of our past and the immense contribution our towering Sufi personalities have made in strenthing Islam, culture and heritage of our beautiful valley. Your newspaper deserves accolades and plaudits keeping in view the Sunday editions of other big Daily Newspapers of our valley who give more prominence to columnists who write about politics and other affairs. Thus, neglecting the vast Sufi culture we boast of. I congratulate the author for trying to highlight some of the prominent features of our great Sufi personalities. I want your newspaper to write more and more about our Sufi personalities so that we become fully aware about the great achievements of our Sufi culture. Through your newspaper we came to know that how pious, serene and majestic was the ambience during the times of our Sufis. Your newspaper has taken a major initiative in catering to the huge achievements and contributions our Sufis have made. Truly, our past was so pious that it was filled with love, peace, communal harmony, non-violence and brotherhood. The great atmosphere created y Sufis during their heydays was surely the golden era in our history. Great poets like Shamas Fakir, Rahim Sahib Sopori, Ahmed Batwari, Naem Sahib, Rasool Mir, Mir Gaffar Sahib, Chuche Kral etc were all the true embodiments of our true and magnificent glorious past. It is now an obligation and a huge responsibility on the present generation to preserve the great Sufi culture we are bestowed with. The initiative started by your Newspaper is exemplary and noteworthy. Congratulations for your newspaper for really showing signs of concern to preserve the teachings and poetry of our Great Sufi Personalities. As I voracious reader of your Newspaper I want you to continue this major initiative which has acted as a ray of hope for the dying interest of the present generation in Sufis, their teachings and their culture.
AFTAB AHMED
SOURA, SRINAGAR