Lalleshwari: The mystic who defied gender norms

My knowledge of yogini Lal Ded comes from the folklores and verses my grandmother recited in daily life. As part of a generation of Kashmiris who barely experienced childhood in Kashmir before fleeing due to violence, I am fortunate to have heard her verses, like Hu Kus Be Kus, passed down orally.

This was a fun song for children but surprisingly, the verse summed up the essence of Kashmir Shaivism.

I couldn’t help but wonder how a woman could summon the strength to leave her home and defy societal norms 700 years ago. Lalla left her parents’ home at just 12 to marry a Pandit boy. Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, her father, Chandra Ju Bhat, recognized her inquisitive nature and introduced her to his guru, Sid Srikanth, to help her seek answers to existential questions.

Lalla’s childhood was marked by mistreatment by her in-laws, including being given a plate with a stone and little rice. She ate what was given, quietly washing the stone and setting it aside. This vulnerability was common for women in the 14th century and still persists in many parts of India. At 26, Lalla renounced her family, defying societal norms to escape the exploitation and humiliation from her husband, who even followed her when she went to fetch water or visit a nearby Shiva temple, suspecting her character.

Literature often portrays her as a superwoman, shielding her children with the endurance of the earth. Yet, women, like all humans, can be vulnerable, frail, and driven by personal desires. Imagine her as a young, vulnerable girl facing hostility—an experience still common today, where women often adapt, suppress their individuality, and blend with circumstances. In 14th-century Kashmir, staying true to one’s beliefs was a courageous act, a path fraught with challenges.

The Vakhs of Lalleshwari lack a feminist interpretation, likely because they weren’t viewed through a woman’s lens. Yet, her poetry, as a woman’s work, undeniably gives voice to women. Her verses reflect the rejection and denigration she must have faced, for she did not toe the conventional path. 

She says:

“Anyone who mocks at me or makes fun of me, will never be disliked by me. When my Shiva will finally accept me, public disgrace will not matter to me.”

“I bore the curses showered on me by the society from the very beginning till now. I am Lall and I will never give up on my faith in the almighty. When I finally attained Shiva, nothing that the society said about me mattered anymore.”

An outcast in her patriarchal society, Lalla distanced herself but found empowerment in spirituality. Despite the challenges women faced in being heard, she boldly voiced herself and sought refuge in the spiritual realm, challenging male dominance. Lal Ded created a transcendental space of oneness, dissolving all distinctions. 

She says:

“I, Lalla, entered by the garden-gate of my own mind, and there (O joy!) saw Siva with Shakti sealed in one; and there itself I merged in the Lake of Immortal Bliss. Now I am dead even though I am alive, who can now hurt me.”

Mother Lalla defied gender norms and feminism, responding to injustice without self-pity or rage. She transcended gender by shedding body consciousness, awakening her soul, and inspiring others through her Vaakhs. Rising above gender oppression, she emphasized Kashmir’s Shaivist philosophy, advocating overcoming the senses and focusing on Sadhana (meditation) to attain salvation—merging the individual soul with Universal Consciousness and realizing the Divine within.

This verse reflects her swim against the tide:

“The forbearance is like lightning and thunderstorm, darkness in the middle of the day and like being ground in a mill stone. If you be patient, you will find god.”

In her Vaakhs, Lalla describes arriving in this world full of enthusiasm and potential, only to be shaped by society into something merely useful (Kak, 2007). Feeling the need to transcend socially assigned roles, she likens breaking free to washing a cloth. Lalla, the daughter, daughter-in-law, and wife, sheds these identities to emerge as a woman refusing to conform (Kak, 2007). 

She says:

“When the washerman dashed me on a slab of stone, Rubbing me with much soap and washing soda, And the tailor cut me into bits with scissors, I, Lalla, attained supreme bliss” (Kak, 2007).

Through her poetry, Lalla transcended societal conditioning, inspiring self-empowerment and self-esteem.

Lalla likely craved a home—a place of harmony and acceptance, free from the struggles she endured. As a human, not born divine, she practiced yog to attain salvation. The word “home,” in her context, reflects her longing for a safe space to be loved and accepted as she was. Understanding that earthly homes are social constructs, she was enlightened enough to understand that she could never find a home on this earth. She transcended into a spiritual realm where “home” meant oneness with God.

Lalla’s path was not easy—she must have faced exhaustion and struggled to keep going against the stream, battling both the world and the pursuit of moksha. Revered as a yogini with spiritual powers, her journey was that of a human striving to attain liberation.

Lalla’s Vaakhs, orally composed in the 14th century and documented much later, are open to varied interpretations, often shaped by male perspectives. She never wrote but spoke, and her words, passed down through generations, became integral to everyday Kashmiri language. Her immense contribution to Kashmiri literature lies in introducing Shaivism to ordinary Kashmiris in their vernacular, previously limited to Sanskrit speakers.

Lalla is often said to have roamed naked, based on one of her vakhs in which she says , 

“ Ever since I started looking inwards for salvation , I started dancing naked.” 

This is a subject of debate among scholars. Nil Kanth Kotru saw this as symbolic of her union with the Ultimate, while feminists view it as a challenge to societal norms. Jayshree Kak interpreted it as a rejection of worldly attachments, and Neerja Mattoo considered it a symbol of authority, signalling her transcendence of the female body.

Born a Hindu, she introduced Shaivism to common Kashmiris yet transcended religion. Her verses united humanity, emphasizing that all come from Shiva. She appealed to people of all faiths, rising to profound heights of consciousness. When she passed, her body is said to have disappeared, with both Hindus and Muslims claiming her as their own.