Lal-dad (literally. “Grandmother Lal”), Lalla, Lalleshvari (1320–1392?) Is a medieval Indian poetess, one of the first authors to write in the Kashmiri language. Little is known about Lal-dad's life: it is believed that she lived in the XIV century and was a wandering ascetic, an admirer of the god Shiva (in the poems of which he appears as the supreme deity, the Absolute ). According to legend, Lalla was born in Pandretan near Srinagar; at the age of 12 she got married, later left home, becoming a wandering preacher. There are many legends about her. The poems attributed to Lalle were preserved almost exclusively in oral transmission; probably a significant number of them are actually not written by her.
The main theme of Lalla's work is liberation from worldly shackles, from the "disease of being", the desire to merge with the Absolute. It feels the influence of yoga and tantrism , as well as, probably, Sufism (legends mention the meetings of Lal-dad with Muslim preachers of those times). Lal-dad's poems were translated into English, German, Russian.
Quotes
- (Prayer to Shiva)
- You alone are the earthly firmament, you alone are the heavenly vault,
- You, and only you, are ether, you are sunset and you are sunrise,
- You are a sacrifice to the deity: you are sandalwood, water, flowers.
- How do you repay you if all that is is you?
- You, and only you, are ether, you are sunset and you are sunrise,
- : We say that the thought is new and that the river is new,
- That the month that has risen again is new - but these are all words!
- All the same - a month, a thought, a river, and only I am new;
- I cleansed the spirit and flesh of the filth of nature!
- All the same - a month, a thought, a river, and only I am new;
(per. S. Lipkin, N. Maltseva)
Literature
- Voss Roberts M. Flowing and crossing. The somatic theologies of Mechthild and Lalleswari // Journal of American Academy of Religion. 2008. Vol. 76. P. 638-663.