Sunday, August 5, 2018

Lal-Ded, The Mystic of Kashmir

I thought you might enjoy this lovely article from Sutra Journal: Lal-Ded, The Mystic of Kashmir by M. H. Zaffar.

You will find many of Lal-Ded's verses translated into English in the article; here is the opening paragraph:
Lal-Ded is a rebel saint, a revolutionary mystic of the 14th century Kashmir. We know her only through her verses called 'Vak'; that have come down to us through folk tradition of Kashmir. To my mind to describe Lal-Ded as a poet is a misnomer, notwithstanding the fact that her Vak are the specimen of best poetry. In no way can she be called a poet in the modern sense of the term. Lala-vak is not primarily poetry nor is it mere learned discourse. It is a discourse for the practical purpose of sanctifying and divinizing human nature. 
And here is one of the verses:

Some leave their home, some the hermitage
But the restless mind knows no rest.
Then watch your breath day and night,
And stay where you are.

You can read more about Lal-Ded at Wikipedia.






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