Lalleshwari Lal Ded Kashmiri Shaivite scholar

Lalleshuri (Lal Ded) of Kashmir has invited attention of a number of scholars throughout the world. Her poetic compositions or Vaakhs as they are popularly called are the extempore outpourings of a highly awakened Yogini and exhibit high quality poetry with a deep philosophical content. Here and there we find her personal spiritual experiences unfolded in a simple form besides terse principles of Yoga exemplified with easily graspable day to day activities. Lalleshuri communicated her spiritual teachings in the language of the common man using verbal medium only and the impact was so great that her poetry safely has carried through centuries by memory lane as a divine word with negligible distortion of language. ( Poshmot )

The Vaakhs of Lalleshuri is a vast canvas with varied hues spread over by a great literary artist, a highly awakened Shaivite Yogini and a religious philosopher. Her sayings about the futility of worldly existence and the escape route through the practice of Yoga have received wide recognition and continue as such. She had detached herself completely from the material world and become a wandering ascetic displaying a frightful aura devoid even of her clothes to cover her nakedness. Her poetic compositions were instantly committed to public memory and sung as divine songs to make retribution to God for ones sins. A highly awakened soul, a Yugpursha and a living incarnation of Lord Shiva, she gave out rare gems of Vaakhs in the common man's word showing a clear path towards self realization. She has castigated man time and again for collection of material belongings ignoring the real divine treasure that only is capable to give safe passage through temporal existence. She was shocked to see people enjoying life's glamour which they knew was nothing but an illusion and how eager she was to see people shun the lure of the world. Repeatedly she like a past master preacher stressed upon man not to take the false for the true. She says it was only their ignorance that bound them to the falsehood and thus waste the precious moments of their lives that could otherwise be fruitfully used for higher purpose.

Lalleshuri was very much dedicated to her Guru. While expressing her gratitude to her Guru in guiding her in all her progress she says that her Guru is both father and mother to her, who made her blind eyes capable to see, her bare body able to wear the celestial garments and thereby discriminate between falsehood and the truth. Lalleshuri has repeatedly described the importance of a teacher in the way to self realization. She says one who develops full faith in his Guru and follows religiously his directions, is able to control all five senses with the help of Gyan Yoga and succeeds in overcoming the sea of ignorance. He is lifted above the gross material world and all worldly events, joys and sorrows, sound immaterial to him. Lalla says in one popular Vaakh--- she asked her GURU a thousand times who was the one who was nameless and beyond comprehension but she didn't get a reply. When she got tired by asking repeatedly and hence helpless she was suddenly satisfied without an answer and understood the truth of life and its creator who was responsible for all creation and still beyond comprehension. The purpose here is to bring home to the seeker that the Guru guides his disciple in all circumstances and the seeker doesn't fall short of guidance in association with him. Lalla says she has washed her body with the Gangajal (water of the sacred Ganges) of the Gura-Shabda (word of her Guru) and thus attained pure salvation while living the same material body

Lalleshuri is a great interpreter of the divine word Aum. She extensively explains the validity of Aum in achieving higher stages in yoga through Pranayama and advancement of self by mastering efficiently the recitation of Aum. She says one who is able to master the recitation of this divine word with the rhythm of his breath without any digression of thought can form an easy bridge between him and the universal consciousness. Lalla says further that she gradually mastered the recitation of Aum in a way that she began feeling a strange sensation and with it her whole ego vanished, and thus detached from the world she was enlightened. At this stage, says Lalleshuri, she closed all the doors of her body i.e. controlled all her physical senses and took to recitation of Aum with the beats of the heart and thus achieved the higher echelons of consciousness. Here she cautions the seeker to inhale and exhale slowly with a particular rhythm such that there is a transformation of self as from a baser metal into gold and no stopping at any stage till the goal is reached. There is always at each stage the danger of being carried away by worldly digressions as these are much overpowering and most misleading. Lalleshuri points to a stage where the seeker gains full control over five senses and to him the world of matter vanishes completely. His soul is released from the bondages of the body and that is liberation. Nothing can be achieved without full control on the material self and ego. Lalleshuri expresses her personal experience in this context. She says she reached perfection by experiencing the bliss of the realization of truth and became the embodiment of celestial gleam through the discipline of yoga. She felt the presence of Lord everywhere and became herself too part of the infinity. She was wonderstruck that she had lost her identity and merged with the supreme. The fully realized yogi ultimately achieves that stage of perfection as Lalla says when Lord Shiva becomes a horse to ride for him, Lord Vishno the saddle and Brahma to hold the stirrups. That indicates the fulfillment of purpose or the ultimate liberation from material bondages.

In her ecstasy of achievement Lalleshuri describes her encounter with the supreme. With her tears of joy she washes the divine feet but feels the divine presence on her head indicating the ultimate success of a yogi. She says on her observation that the lord is without name, form, shape, caste or creed and still the nucleus of the universe, so there is none else worthy to be worshipped. She feels the presence of the lord shining everywhere, she listens to the divine talk and Lalla nowhere, already merged with the supreme. The influence of the lord (Shiva) is everywhere in the cosmos and it is only the human mind that can work to tune it in its favour in its lifetime. Human life is precious as only capable to achieve the highest stage of perfection by being one with the supreme. When human mind is absorbed in worldly affairs it is quite non-receptive to divine influences, alternatively when one is absorbed in meditation and looking within his self it naturally becomes sensitive to divine vibrations by losing interest in material advancement and shunning all egos.

Author JL Bhat

Sanskrit the core of all languages

Sanskrit is the life line of the spiritual consciousness of India. It is not merely a language. It is the style of India. Enriched with Indian scriptures, Sanskrit gives the divine massage of world peace and prosperity of mankind Sanskrit. Sanskrit usually called "God's own language'' is slowly gaining world wide recognition.

Indian tradition knows Sanskrit as the language of introducing the gods, which has been the dominant language of Indians for a period covering over four thousand years. Viewed from its rich heritage of literature, its fascinating charm of words, its flexibility of expression in relation to thought, Sanskrit occupies a singular place in the literature of the world. Over two people are speaking simple Sanskrit all over the world regardless of their status, economic gender or religion. Learning Sanskrit creates an influence on mind and body. The sounds of Sanskrit help blending thought and action. No wonder several corporates are using the language to deal with HR issues.Despite being complicated the language inculcates self discipline.

Sanskrit has played a vital role in the development of all Indian languages and in the preservations of the culture heritage of India. Despite being complicated the langauge inculcates self discipline. No Indian language can flourish without the help of Sanskrit. Sanskrit also provides the theoretical foundations of ancient sciences.

Sanskrit is the core of all Indian languages and has been entitled as a Mother of all languages storing vast knowledge and philosophies of universal order vis-a-vis vadas, puranas, history of dharmas, philosophy, medicine, astrology, culture, art, architecture and holistic healing approaches like yoga (which has raised the position of India world vide). "Indian may justly claim to be the original home of scientific philology. In one of the most ancient Sanskrit books, the Samhita of the Krishan Yajurveda, there are distinct indications of the dawn of linguistic study''. It has been said by eminent writers that at one time Sanskrit was the only language spoken all over the world. "Sanskrit is the mother of Greek, Latin and German languages and it has no other relation to them. From all that has been said above, it is clear that Sanskrit was a living speech in ancient India. The sacred literature of India, inferior to none in verity or extent, is superior to may in nobility of thought, in sanctity of spirit and in generality of comprehension. In beauty or prolixity, it can vie with any other literature ancient and modern. Despite the various impediments to the steady development of the language, despite the successive disturbances, internal and external, which India has to encounter ever since the dawn of history, she has successfully held upto the world her archaic literary map. The beginnings of her civilization are yet in obscurity.  ( Mata Kheer Bhawani )

Relatively to any other language of the ancient world, the antiquity of Sanskrit has an unquestioned priority. "Yet such is the marvelous continuity'' says Max Muller ''between the past and the present of India, that in spite of repeated social convulsions, religious reforms and foreign invasions, Sanskrit may be said to be still the only language that is spoken over the whole extent of vast country.''

It is important to mention here that the language of Sanskrit has deep roots and has a great impact in all the various subjects like history, mathematics, astronomy, and astrology besides other umpteen subjects. Not even in India but in abroad also the institutions of Sanskrit are putting great impact in all the spheres of their life for instance therapy like Yoga, Mediation etc. These institutions are playing a very important role in uplifting the rich language of Sanskrit which is the mother of all languages. But it is very pity that in our country India no efforts have been made honestly to up lift Sanskrit language. It is worth while to mention here that the said language is known to the handful of people. ( Birbal  Maheshdas Bhat )

Though institution are teaching the enrich language of Sanskrit but there after the fate of the pupils is so miserable that they are not in position to carry out there livelihood because till date the Govt. of India has not opened all the options of giving employment and absorbing such student in the Govt sector. Whereas priority has been given to the other languages. And day is not for away when language of Sanskrit will be confined to black and white and there after become a part of exhibitions.