Lalleshwari

3 Legacy

Lalleshwari (Kashmiri: ) born;1320,

died;1392, was a mystic of the Kashmiri Shaivite sect.[1]
She was a creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun or
Vakhs, literally speech (Voice). Known as Lal Vakhs,
her verses are the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri
language and are an important part in history of modern
Kashmiri literature.[2][3] She inspired and interacted with
many Sus of Kashmir.[4]

The leading Kashmiri Su gure Sheikh Noor-ud-din

Wali (also known as Nooruddin Rishi or Nunda Rishi)
was highly inuenced by Lal Ded. He ultimately led to
the formation of the Rishi order of saints and later gave
rise to many Rishi saints like Resh Mir Seb.[1] One Kashmiri folk story recounts that, as a baby, Nunda Rishi reShe is also known by various other names, including Lal fused to be breast-fed by his mother. It was Lal Ded who
Ded, Lalla Aarifa, Lal Diddi, Laleshwari, Lalla Yogish- breast-fed him.[16]
wari and Lalishri.[5][6][7]
Lal Ded 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.[17] 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.[18][19]

Life

Lalleshwari was born in Pandrethan (ancient Puranadhisthana) some four and a half miles to the southeast of
Srinagar in a Kashmiri Pandit family.[8] She married at
age twelve, but her marriage was unhappy and she left
home at twenty-four to take Sannyasa (renunciation) and
become a disciple of the Shaivite guru Siddha Srikantha (Sed Bayu). She continued the mystic tradition of
Shaivism in Kashmir, which was known as Trika before
1900.[9]

4 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).ISBN 1846647010.
Vaakh Lalla Ishwari, Parts I and II (Urdu Edition by A. K. Wanchoo and English by Sarwanand
Chaaragi, 1939).

Literary works

Lal Ded by Jayalal Kaul, 1973, Sahitya Akademi,

New Delhi.

Her poems (called vakhs) have been translated into English by Richard Temple, Jaylal Kaul, Coleman Barks,[10]
Jaishree Odin, and Ranjit Hoskote.[11][12][13][14][15]

The Ascent of Self: A Reinterpretation of the Mystical Poetry of Lalla-Ded by B. N. Parimoo, Motilal
Banarsidass, Delhi. ISBN 81-208-0305-1.

An example of Lal Vakh in Kashmiri:

The Word of Lalla the Prophetess, by Sir Richard

Carnac Temple, Cambridge 1924

yi yi karu'm suy artsun

yi rasini vichoarum thi mantar
yihay lagamo dhahas partsun
suy Parasivun tanthar 138

Lal Ded: Her life and sayings by Nil Kanth Kotru,

Utpal publications, Srinagar, ISBN 81-85217-02-5.

English translation:

Lalleshwari : spiritual poems by a great Siddha yogini, by Swami Muktananda and Swami Laldyada.
1981, SYDA Foundation, ASIN: B000M1C7BC.

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. 138

Lal Ded: Her life & sayings, by Swami Laldyada.

Utpal Publications, 1989, ISBN 81-85217-02-5.
1

EXTERNAL LINKS

Naked Song, by Laldyada, Lalla, Coleman Barks [13] Words are oating Jerry Pintos review of I, Lalla by Ranjit Hoskote in Hindustan Times
(Translator), 1992, Maypop Books, ISBN 09618916-4-5.

[14] Lalla and Kabir, resurrected Nilanjana S. Roys article on

Ranjit Hoskotes I, Lalla and Arvind Krishna Mehrotras
Songs of Kabir

I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded, translated by Ranjit

Hoskote with an Introduction and Notes, Penguin
Classics, 2011, ISBN 978-0-670-08447-0.
[15] I, Lalla/ Songs of Kabir Extracts from Ranjit Hoskotes
I, Lalla and Arvind Krishna Mehrotras Songs of Kabir in

Siddha Yogini, A Kashmiri Secret of Divine KnowlThe Caravan

edge. by Ghauri, Laila Khalid. Proquest Dissertations And Theses 2012. Section 0075, Part 0604 82 [16] K. Warikoo (1 January 2009). Cultural Heritage of Jammu
And Kashmir. Pentagon Press. pp. 140. ISBN 978-81pages; [M.A. dissertation].United States District
8274-376-2.
of Columbia: The George Washington University;
2012. Publication Number: AAT 1501080.

See also
Habba Khatoon
Nund Rishi
Hamza Makhdoom
Rishi order
Lal Ded

[17] Remembering Lal Ded in Modern Times National Seminar by Kashmir Education, Culture and Science Society,
2000.
[18] Songs of a mystic, The Hindu, 1 May 2005.
[19] Bhumika K. All for theatre. The Hindu, 7 November
2011.

7 External links
Kashmiri Saints and Sages
Lal Deds Vakhs, Verses 165

References

[1] M. G. Chitkara (1 January 2002). Kashmir Shaivism: Under Siege. APH Publishing. pp. 14. ISBN 978-81-7648360-5.
[2] Lal Vakh online
[3] Lal Deds Vakhs
[4] Triloki Nath Dhar (1 January 2006). Kashmiri Pandit
Community: A Prole. Mittal Publications. p. 7. ISBN
978-81-8324-177-9.
[5] Richard Carnac Temple (1 August 2003). Word of Lalla
the Prophetess. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-0-76618119-9.
[6] Lal Ded www.poetry-chaikhana.com.
[7] Lal Ded www.radiokashmir.org.
[8] Lalleshwari: Forerunner of Medieval Mystics Kashmiri
Herald, Volume 1, No. 1 June 2001.
[9] Toshkhani, S.S. (2002). Lal Ded : the great Kashmiri
saint-poetess. New Delhi: A.P.H. Pub. Corp. ISBN 817648-381-8.
[10] Barks, Coleman (1992). Naked Song. Maypop Books.
ISBN 0-9618916-4-5.
[11] Kashmirs wise old Grandmother Lal Aditi Des review of
I, Lalla by Ranjit Hoskote in The Hindu/ Business Line
[12] Mystic insights Abdullah Khans review of I, Lalla by
Ranjit Hoskote in The Hindu

Lal Deds Vakhs, Verses 66138

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Lalleshwari Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalleshwari?oldid=743940934 Contributors: Hemanshu, Utcursch, LordSimonofShropshire, Karl-Henner, MeltBanana, Murtasa, Alren, Maurreen, FeanorStar7, TheRingess, Feydey, Bgwhite, Dialectric, Nikkimaria,
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