A Brief Study

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.

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.

Lalleshuri gives a very beautiful description of her journey towards her liberation. Comparing her birth to the bloom of a cotton flower she says that she came to this world as a cotton flower, which is a symbol of purity and innocence. Soon the weaver took her control and gave her knocks and beatings to make the thread out of it capable to be taken to the loom for weaving a coarse cloth. The cloth was then taken by the washer-man who washed it by beating it again repeatedly on his washing stone to be finally given to the tailor. Still her ordeal was not over as the tailor again mercilessly cut it into pieces and joined them by sewing them with sharp needles to give it the shape of a garment to be worn gracefully. The purpose here is to bring home to the seeker that the way to perfection is full of trials and tribulations but the end is quite rewarding. Lalleshuri gives her experiences further in order to make a guideline for the seeker to liberation. She says she didn’t seek wealth or power, remained away from sensual pleasures, adopted moderation in taking foods, bore lot of pain and suffering but took refuge in her lord, her love. She didn’t attach herself with the material possessions but cultivated intense desire to reach her goal by keeping her mind fixed constantly on her beloved Lord. The pain that she suffered cannot be estimated by a layman. She wore the robes of pain and anguish, wandered lonely door to door to seek the divine grace. She left all forms of caprice and deceit, she didn’t differentiate between a Hindu and a Muslim, and she simply tried to look within her self to get awakened and get acquainted with the Lord.

In a very popular VAAKH Lalleshuri describes her journey through her life. She says she is towing the boat of her life through the murky waters of the sea of life pulling at the frail untwisted cotton thread praying constantly to her lord to help her across. Her life is like an unbaked earthen pot with water gradually seeping through ready to fall apart, but she is still aspiring to get liberated from the agony of life and reach her real home, the house of her Lord. The symbol used here is very appropriate. There is a permanent danger to the boat of life to get detached from the path of salvation and get lost. The pulls and pressures of worldly attachments are so hard that there is always a danger of leading astray from the reality. She says further that the flesh of the soles of her feet wore off while going on the rugged path towards her goal but she sustained and was finally rewarded and was now dancing with joy. Why not, it was an occasion for celebration but instantly she wondered that her lord was nowhere else but within the closeness of her heart and enjoins upon the seeker to find out and meet Him there. In her deep ecstasy LALLA had a chance to see Lord SHIVA and His consort SHAKTI in close embrace. She took a deep dip into this celestial spectacle and was graced eternally and thus freed from the cycle of life and death. Thus she got admittance into the abode of immortal bliss which she calls the garden of most beautiful flowers. Here she calls upon the aspirants to seek this stage of immortality as there remains nothing beyond to be achieved further.  

Lalleshuri has given exhaustive description of KUDALINI SHAKTI and the exercise of KUNDALINI JAGRAN. The KUDALINI SHAKTI is a latent energy in the form of a coiled serpent with its abode in the lower end region of the spinal cord of the human body. On purification and awakening of this energy which is a systematic YOG-KRIYA the divine energy takes an upward course through spinal cord called KUNDALINI JAGRAN performed with the inhalation and exhalation of breath (PRANAYAMA) and gradually with sustained effort the energy reaches the top of the head of the YOGI. On acquisition of this energy the seeker attains the final and most comprehensive truth about the entire universe. This is the highest stage in YOGA and when the seeker reaches this stage all his passions for worldly pleasures retire and he is freed from the cycle of birth and death, a stage of eternal bliss. Lalleshuri calls KUDALINI SHAKTI in the form of a coiled serpent a SHAH-MAR (king serpent) and calls upon the seeker to lift the lid off the container of this energy by the power of exhalation and inhalation of breath and dive deep into the supreme consciousness.

The VAAKHS of Lalleshuri is an ocean of learning and spirituality, an authentic guide to the science of Yoga and self realization and above all a treasure of masterpiece poetic compositions. The symbols and similes, metaphors and picturesque compositions are the creations of a super artist. The world of literature is yet to recognize the greatness of the poetry of Lalleshuri. The greatest hurdle here is of language which has a limited readership and so the responsibility of Kashmir scholars is to open these gems of VAAKHS without prejudice before the world so that the worth of Lalleshuri is established further as a poet and a YOGINI. Whatever work has been done so far does not do full justice to the great work of Lalleshuri and one of the reasons is the prejudicial treatment that Pandit artists and writers faced in Kashmir in recent times. As such in order to establish the greatness of Lalleshuri in the international forums some more authentic work needs to be done urgently and the responsibility again goes to our learned scholars who are capable enough to take up such projects for this great service to Lalleshuri the pride of Kashmir in general and our community in particular.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

(The article has been published in ‘KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi’ in its December 2000 issue with some minor changes)

After her revelation out of a vast sheet of water, SATISAR, thousands of years before, the valley of Kashmir turned to be a choicest spot for unknown long periods of time for RISHIS and MUNIS throughout the world for meditation, TAPASYA and acquiring exclusive spiritual powers in its cool a serene atmosphere. As such almost every nook and corner of the valley became a place of worship and TAPASYA and the atmosphere highly spiritual and places centers of attraction for whole of Indian population especially those interested in spiritual advancement. As such, the periods that followed gave rise to a population of high-caste Hindus deeply rooted in the studies of scriptures and religiously disciplined life. Consequently with the passage of time the valley was decorated with great seats of learning and knowledge along with spots and places invested with great spiritual power so much so that KASHMIR was called a PEETHA of SIDDHI and the Hindus of plains continued adoring her for being a source of inspiration to lots of knowledge hungry souls for all times to come.

Places with mysterious powers

Many authentic indications are found in the valley that the RISHIS and MUNIS of the highest order practiced their austerities at various spots for long times either inside deep caves carved out of hill- slopes with their spiritual powers or on open hilltops or in dense forests. Many such places discovered perchance by local people quite unknown before and suggestive of great mysterious powers are still a reality. Shri AMARNATH SWAMI, the world famous abode of LORD SHIVA is a prime example of such a spot discovered in the modern times by a shepherd. The influence of the rigorous TAPASYA performed by the great seers of yester years have made various spots in the valley speak out themselves of the powers these places are invested with and any casual visitor even today can experience such influence at these places however humiliatingly these be desecrated from time to time by fundamentalist forces of modern times. The fact doesn’t pertain to a few places of worship only widely known today but the point to be emphasized here is that there is hardly a single hamlet, forest or a hillside in the valley which doesn’t have one or the other spot, a cave, a stone, an old monument, a spring or a tree, a cascade, a hilltop or the like which doesn’t speak out itself of some influence of some RISHI or a MUNI or an event of the past, though mute. Many of these places continue performing unbelievable miracles even now continually at special occasions of the day, night or season, obviously sacred to the deity attached to the spot. These miraculous happenings include a sudden change of atmospheric phenomenon like a sudden rainfall or a hailstorm, shower or lightening, presence of sudden water-flows coloured or milky, mysterious sounds or change or presence of some object specifically attached to the place. Lots of such places have remained hidden for being placed at some inaccessible far off hidden mountain terrain or embedded deep inside the bosom of earth as a consequence of geographical change through long passage of time.

Treasure house of spirituality and knowledge

No authentic survey has been so far conducted about this treasure house of spirituality, knowledge and mystery in the valley except some stray references made in various books old and new by authors concerned with a specific purpose, as a result that the mysteries about them have remained hidden from the knowledge of the outside world so far, despite advancement in technology. The reason especially is not that the outer world has failed to take notice of such happenings in the valley but much before such survey could be undertaken, much before the outer world had entered the advanced age of science and technology and capable of doing such an authentic research work, KASHMIR the abode of RISHIS had witnessed a worst drama of wholesale desecrations of holy places and conversion of its age-old Hindu installations developed through scores of centuries at the hands of Muslim fundamentalist invaders and rulers who were mad after converting the total ethos of this land through every possible means. The huge structures of Hindu religion, its power and pelf, temple complexes and libraries were razed to the ground and the occupants ruthlessly put to sword or forced to change their faith. The treasure houses of old scriptures, recorded works of great authors and numerous historical documents were burnt to ashes and history changed to suit their interests. Thus the glorious period of Hindu Kashmir ended before the modern advancement of technology ushered its way into the modern age. The old seemed to dwindle into the past. The masses perforce got converted along with their local places of worship. The selected few who didn’t opt for the change of their faith fled for their lives either outside valley or into far off hills and forest terrains to escape vigilance and lived a life of total seclusion. There are indications about some Hindu installations which are in tact even today that the forces couldn’t face the obvious spiritual power manifest in them and had no other way but to keep them undisturbed. Still in many cases their names were changed akin to the new faith and thereby a new cult called SUFI cult came in vogue. Thus SUFI-ISM was born in Kashmir within the parameters of Muslim faith, which was in fact a changed version of Hindu faith in the garb of Muslim culture. Consequently, no authentic historical records are available now about the golden culture and civilization of old Hindu Kashmir except some oblique references found in some long epic-like poems like RAJTARANGINI of KALHAN PANDIT and some other lesser known books of yore.

Changed face of the valley

Thus the modern times saw the total face of the valley changed from its chaste Hindu RISHI cult to Muslim fundamentalist way of life. Down to the period of BUDSHAH (SULTAN ZAIN-UL-ABIDIN) son of SULTAN SIKANDAR (the iconoclast) at whose hands the worst is said to have happened in this calm happy abode of the gods, the conditions remained unchanged. There was no place for Hindus anywhere. They were hounded like the animals of prey and put to death ruthlessly. In the reign of BADSHAH, however, the Hindus began showing their presence in very small numbers as the king was lenient towards them and allowed them to settle of their own. By their spiritual powers and capacity to accommodate in the new circumstances they started living among their Muslim neighbours very humbly. They continued their religious pursuits and learning and tried to maintain their distinct cultural identity. The left-over places of worship were maintained and looked after but they had to accept the supremacy of their Muslim lords and fulfill their wishes from time to time. Thus the Hindu population of Kashmir began showing their heads in very small numbers in almost all rural and urban areas. They had to accept whatever was left over for them out of their glorious past and thus the changeover from one generation to another gave them the capacity to adapt themselves with the changed circumstances. Kashmir had no longer remained a Hindu Kashmir as the new lords tried to change her wholly by building powerful installations of Muslim culture and religion in place of old intricate Hindu fabric.

Cultural Synthesis

No doubt everything seemed to have changed on the face of it but strangely the basic elements remained unchanged in the valley. The traces remained there and showed their influence on everything. The solid deep roots of Hindu culture remained embedded under the soil of the changed environment and hence the change at times seemed superficial. Every new structure had its original roots alive sprouting their influence every now and then although the forces tried to cut them as deep as possible. As such Kashmir culture gave rise to a synthesis of the old order and the new change. Various indications in the form of a mixed culture were seen here and there. Some time a Muslim poet sang the glories of Hindu mythology or a saint became an adorer of Hindu gods and traditions, quite contrary to the beliefs of Muslim extremist attitude of religion. This attitude usually angered the religious bigots of the time but strangely enough the public at large didn’t raise objections to it but rather cherished such orations.

Then the DOGRA rule came in Kashmir. It provided a somewhat suitable environment for the skeletal population of Hindus now called PANDITS to retain and maintain whatever remnants of Hindu installations had escaped from mass destruction. The Hindus could now breathe freely and exhibit their talents overboard after a long time. Being the cream of the age-old Kashmir Hindu culture, the left-over installations seemed to stretch their wings and gain attention of the whole of India. The Pandits began showing their excellence outside the bonds of Kashmir though a microscopic minority in their land. Their worth was recognized everywhere and their presence conspicuously felt in various important places of power in India and abroad. But the next blow was quite at the threshold, this time also a severe one. In 1947 India became independent and partitioned. Though Kashmir fell into the lap of India but completely bruised. About half of it was snatched by Pakistan by proxy and aggression and the Pandits had again to see a bad day. They suffered untold miseries. Lots of them were killed, property looted and burnt, women raped and widowed.

Post independence period

The post independence period didn’t make the Kashmir Pandits any comfortable as the things worsened for them. They continued to be an eyesore in the eyes of the majority community in Kashmir for their being exclusive mentally, educationally and ahead in every field. The state government headed by Muslims tried to devise all ways and means to keep the Pandits in back burner and push Muslims into all important positions. Since Pandits were a community almost hundred percent educated so pushing them back was not so easy. Thus open discrimination prevailed everywhere so much so that Pandits began gradually moving out of Kashmir seeking better avenues of employment and thus escape humiliation that they had to face by working under junior and inefficient hands among Muslims. Gradually Pandits began feeling insecure and humiliated in their own land and thus started their migration to other parts of India and abroad. Their population in the valley showed decreasing trends day by day and they were forced to face humiliation at every level. The majority community encouraged all such moves and tried their level best to purchase the properties of fleeing Pandits at throwaway prices till the game plan of Pakistan gave the final blow in 1990 when Kashmir witnessed all the Pandits of the valley running away for their lives leaving behind everything, their homes and hearths, culture and civilization and above all the place of their birth, the paradise on earth. It was a terrible scare created by merciless killings of Pandits in cold blood and the majority community not raising even an eyebrow over the events and thus Kashmir was bereft of its residual Hindu population in only a few days. How these helpless people suffered in the unfriendly environs outside Kashmir is a tale full of woes and untold sufferings.

A hope against hope

It is a pity that Kashmir, a part of independent secular India could not stop the worst tragedy of modern time, the mass displacement of Pandits from the valley and now after more than a decade these hapless people are clamouring for their return to their homes and the administration is unable to give any green signal so far. Meanwhile the majority community in Kashmir has usurped all the important positions held by Pandits in the valley and thus the Pandits have lost their separate identity of being the descendents of India’s choicest population who had come to Kashmir thousands of years before to seek benevolence and who had attained the highest wisdom and powers of spirituality through toughest SADHNA and TAPASYA and had thus made Kashmir the crown of India.

Alas! There is no one to protect this land of RISHIS (RISHI BHOOMI). It is virtually wrenched from our hands by the hostile forces bent upon weakening India. Each and every grain of soil, stone, slope, mountain and river of Kashmir is Hindu but unfortunately held hostage by elements quite hostile to her origin. How far will it continue? Have the powers of our ancestors lost their relevance?   India has been robbed of her golden crown.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

(The article has been published in “KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi” in its August 2005 issue with some minor changes)

That our youth are displaying admirable qualities of head and hand in every field, wherever they are, is a matter for great pride. Their sprinkling presence on the highest positions of the corporate world throughout the globe is not a small achievement and definitely an occasion to rejoice. But the million dollar question is whether they are able to nourish in them any of the choicest traits of our KP personality, not essentially in their daily routines of eating, dressing, language habits but in their mental capacities that would get them an upright life, peaceful existence and contentment, to crown all. Many of our youth would be interested to know that the secret of our glorious past was the strict observation of certain essential elements of our rich cultural heritage spiritually transmitted from one generation to another without any deviation whatsoever.

The most tragic phenomenon that the community is facing currently is that our youth are distancing from their roots, e.g. their cultural interaction with parents and grandparents, elders, neighbours and various cultural and religious festivals while they keep busy in the pursuit of their professional excellence and material advancement right from the day they are out of school. As a result our boys and girls are adopting a hostel culture highly susceptible to the modern western influences in place of Indian traditional values, not to speak of what is peculiar to KP lifestyle.

The most cogent impact on the preservation of KP culture was the observance of certain day to day routine adopted by KP family comprising of the people of all ages. The prime influence started with the wearing of the sacred thread (YAGNYOPAVIT) at a tender age (9-12) by boys at a grand ceremonial YAGNA (HAVAN) which continued at least for two days attended by all relatives, neighbours and friends. The main purpose of the ceremony was the formal entry of the child into observing certain essential codes of conduct according to Hindu scriptures in day to day life. The first and foremost was putting in the habit of offering regular morning and evening prayers with the formal recital of GAYTRI MANTRA (JAPA) every morning invariably along with washing of the sacred thread (YAGNYOPAVIT) in fresh water before doing anything else or eating something. It had to be a lifelong routine and had thus a strong impact on the person wearing it as the sacred thread was worn invariably every time which proved to be a permanent accompanying deity with enormous spiritual powers to ward off all misfortunes and sudden mishaps. Unfortunately the modern KP youth are ignoring the sanctity of this essential accompaniment, as most of them are unaware of the great spiritual power that the GAYATRI MANTRA and other SIDH MANTRAS possess. The fault does not lie with our erring youth but especially with their parents and other elders in the family who ignore fulfilling this prime responsibility while grooming their children for their successful future. Generally now most KP parents delay this most important ceremony in respect of their sons and perform it very late just to complete a formality such that its very purpose is lost.

KP culture is enormously rich in terms of an established religious and social order with sound foundations laid and enriched from time to time by great RISHIS and SAINTS of the highest order for thousands of years. The uniqueness of the order thus established has been a source of great pride not only for the Kashmir Hindus but for the masses of the rest of India who treated Kashmir Hindu way of life a prime example in the field of religious and spiritual excellence. Thus the KP is the sole heir to this rich heritage inherited by them directly from their forefathers developed through a long history of TAPASYA and SADHANA of numerous RISHIS of the highest order. With the total displacement of KPs from the land of their origin during 1990 this rich heritage has been at severe peril because of the most unfavourable circumstances they are forced to live in. A lot of damage has been done and much more is expected if things are not taken care of and set right. Unfortunately the worst victims of the damage are our youth, our future hopes, who are suffering for want of a sound cultural foundation which is essential for their healthy development. The reason, as already said, is that they are detaching from the mainstream of our cultural background. 

To me, this is the main reason for the deterioration of moral attitudes in our community resulting in the loss of mental peace among our people and also the rash decisions taken by our youth in the selection of their matrimonial partners. The bitter relationship in our families along with a strange escapist attitude from various household responsibilities in our youth is another horrible development cropping up. There seems nobody to stop this all and nothing is coming in sight that has the capacity to rectify the damage because our youth are scattered, rudderless, a soulless lot rubbing shoulders with those who also seem no better on face but on looking deeper there is surely an aura of peace seen around them as they have their roots fixed somewhere.

This is no doubt, a casualty which our high-heeled youth are facing the world over that they are tense mentally, frustrated to the core and hence unable to find any mental peace. Consequently many of them resort to many evil ways and drugs though financially very sound. Though it is a general menace and our youth in this category cannot be an exception but the fact that I want to bring home to the reader is that our KP culture has been particularly imbibed with certain essential traits inherited by us from our forefathers, who were great masters and capable to see very deep into the future, have laid down certain canons for day to day activities for a well-knit family and social fabric of our society which was and can even now be capable of disciplining the mental faculties of an individual starting from early childhood. There were as such no chances of being a victim of or being a prey to the adverse social impacts of whatever severity they were.

The year 1990 and the aftermath got in store such strange influences for us that everything shattered to the root that belonged to this community in Kashmir. How many among us are capable of reciting regularly the prayers and hymns like THE BHAWANI SAHASTRANAM, SHIVA MAHIMNASTOTRA, and SHALOKAS OF PANCHASTAVI which belonged exclusively to Kashmiri Pandits. The importance of morning SANDYA and other evening prayers are now almost Greek to most of us. The celestial beauty of these STOTRAS have enormous powers invested in them, capable of relieving the believer from all troubles and hence a source of immense peace and tranquility.

The circumstances that prevail do not seem to guarantee any prospect of our return to the valley in near future so there is an urgent need to save our future generation from further damage caused by their detachment from our parental legacy that made us keep our heads high among the people of India and the rest of the world. The protagonists of the preservation of KP culture seem sleeping over the pitiable condition of our youth suffering for want of succor showing appalling behaviour, though alert mentally and sound educationally.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

For ages religion and spirituality has been a number one priority for common Indian and it continues to be so. There is nothing that can distract the masses of this land from this influence. India continues to be a staunch believer of Hindu faith in spite of lots of negative inputs provided by modern westernized life standards and culture. The Indian religious and spiritual culture continues to be a strong force though for the last many centuries very strong foreign influences that entered this land in various forms tried their best to alter her cultural base but she was able to retain her cogent basic elements of culture which continues to be her most coveted treasure for all times to come. Lots of Indians changed their faith from time to time but continued to preserve in them certain basic elements of local Indian culture thus rejecting the most powerful influences that wished to change the whole fabric of Indian culture according to their own vested interest. India has not allowed herself succumb totally even to the most vigorous foreign influences repeatedly for hundreds of years, though the face of India changed a lot but she retained the essential traits of her culture. Thus India continues to be a strong advocate and preserver of certain strong religious and spiritual values along with substantial development of science and technology and high economic growth. A rich treasury of authentic religious and philosophical scriptures preserved through thousands of years along with numerous religious institutions and places of spiritual importance is spread widely over this land and a galaxy of learned scholars, saints and seers with high spiritual awakening and knowledge are working overtime teaching people of this country and abroad the tenets of Hindu religion and spirituality. There is a substantial development of Indian thought and spirituality supported by deep faith of the masses of this great country despite many provocative elements working against it.

Indian faith and godliness, an established religious and philosophical movement with a glorious history of thousands of years, is gaining more and more attention for the last more than fifty years among the people of the west. More and more people in the western world are getting influenced by Indian religious and spiritual thought, and the Indian saints and pundits (religious teachers) are greatly honoured and welcomed for discourses than they used to be a century before. The practice of Yoga as a science and art is welcomed by all and sundry not only as a body healer but also for spiritual awakening. Numerous Yoga teaching centers in the US and other countries are catering to the aspirations of the people of all ages and the response is tremendous. Besides Yoga, Indian meditation centers help thousands of youth throughout the globe ease themselves of the stress and strain that they suffer from due to present day high heeled life.

Unfortunately along with this rich religious and spiritual environment an another trend of godlessness and atheistic attitude is cropping up in this society with a good number of individuals trying to refute the existence of gods and propagating the futility of religious beliefs obviously the result of some foreign influence or better financial independence or wrongly implicated higher educational inputs in them. The impact is not alarming but invites a good deal of awakening among the masses especially the highly educated high-heeled youth before any damage is done to our well established culture. Their argument is strong against religion and spirituality for lack of sufficient scientific proof to any divine existence, soul or the so called spiritual emancipation or awakening as propagated by numerous holy men and the religious literature circulated throughout the world. The Indian faith and godliness is thousands of years old with a solid background supported by authentic scriptures including Vedas and Upanishads, Mahabharata and Ramayana, and above all the world renowned Bhagwadgita, besides the open book lives of numerous holy men and women that have come down on this land as the messengers of God to propagate and recall the God’s message among the misleading men and women from time to time. Millions and millions of people around the globe continue to be the staunch believers of various faiths and believe God as the almighty power guiding solely the whole universal activities.

The advancement in modern science and technology has given an impression to certain people that life processes cannot exist beyond the assumptions of the scientific studies of living creatures including man. These studies that prompt certain people especially youth change the time tested beliefs of this land are just recent developments based on knowledge recently acquired by man cannot be an alternative to the world of knowledge and experience established by numerous scholars of yore and practically experienced by unlimited number of sages and seers not only on this land but also at various other locations. These people unfortunately do not like to go beyond whatever is scientifically proved recently by the men of science and are naturally averse to the belief of the presence of any supernatural existence on which the whole edifice of religion and spirituality stands. They limit their knowledge and understanding of life to its existence only from birth to death which is in fact only a small portion of the real life that exists far beyond. The life that is assumed to be the absolute reality is not the whole process but only a small portion of our existence, part of which has been lived in the gone by stages and the rest is yet to be experienced. The human life on this planet that we consider the absolute truth is actually an occasion provided to the mortal man especially to work for his personal enlightenment that has the capacity to take him nearer to the absolute reality and ultimately release him from the cycle of life and death, the ultimate object of this whole life process. The glamour of life that is witnessed here is simply to distract man from the real task that he or she is entrusted with so that he fails to perform the real function of life and passes away and just according to ones deeds gets some other life.

All development and technological advancement along with the glare of modern life is a part of the process that eludes man from seeking the real purpose of life. In fact the life process is a major test that a man is put into as two distinct options are clear before him, either to live for the sake of life and enjoy the transitory pleasures of the worldly existence and face death leaving everything behind or otherwise fulfill the task of seeking emancipation of self and try to approach the absolute reality, i.e. God. The task which seems stupendous may or may not be fulfilled in a single life so a human being may get one or more lives further to strive for achieving the ultimate reality. Since the period of stay on this planet as a human being is a transitory phase but with a very essential purpose and the ultimate aim of religion and spirituality is to bring home to the erring man that human life is the rarest of the rare opportunity that one gets after going through various stray lives and the purpose is to strive for personal enlightenment along with the routine duties as a householder with normal function as a bread earner or whatever function he or she is put to perform. One, who understands the real purpose of life and dedicates himself wholly for the purification of his real self besides performing his or her legitimate duty as a human being, consequently displays the choicest traits of human character--­­­­­ truth, justice, spirit of sacrifice, honesty, and respect for all. For him the pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat are alike as he is dedicated to the path of salvation where only the deeds of goodness and godliness help. Such people distance themselves from the false pleasures of life while keeping busy in the honest dealings as the scriptures command to renounce all selfish desire and work making all life a sacrifice offered with true devotion. Here one is also able to discriminate between the real self and the material self, as it the material one that has to perish and the real self does not die, it repeats its existence on this earth time and again in one form or the other as a consequence of its deeds till it ultimately gets a human form and an occasion to work for enlightenment. How unfortunate that we lose this rarest of rare occasion in the quest of worldly pleasures and forget the essential purpose of life by following the dictates of the objects of desire and sense enjoyments till the end comes and one passes away just to enter into one more link of the chain of our life cycle.

There was never a time when the reality of life and godliness was not experienced by lots of people in this land and numerous other places and most of them left an indelible impression on the psyche of people of their time and for the future generations to follow suit. Most of these awakened souls lived a normal life but definitely displayed an aura of spiritual excellence which naturally attracted people towards them. Many among them were people with high academic qualifications and held high elevated positions besides working overtime for the betterment of the social and spiritual fabric of their society. They made their life an example for others to follow and continue supporting and showing the path to awakening to lots of their devotees even today after they have passed into eternity. Such people actually do not die; their presence is felt eternally among their people for the influence created by them. The people of India have never been fanatic in their religious beliefs. This country has a long history of adopting various outside beliefs and faiths by people who liked to make a ground for themselves here in this country. Our people at every juncture displayed a great openness of heart and soul to accommodate everyone whoever came at her doors and shared her culture with them thus changing herself every time but essentially retaining certain basic elements of her glorious past which is her strength even today and will continue till eternity.

Our youth and those who are following a rebellious attitude towards our time-tested faith and beliefs should try to delve deep into the Indian religious philosophy and spiritual experience instead of nourishing a superficial knowledge of the real facts of life. The glorious past of this great country is not based on superficial beliefs or baseless blind faith but very solid foundations of time tested spiritual experience, philosophy and religion. This deep rooted religious, spiritual and cultural panorama with an uninterrupted history of thousands of years is the sacred legacy received by us from our forefathers. It has long helped India keep her head high and withstand the vagaries of time and nature quite contrary to many advanced nations of pre-historic period who had touched the zenith of prosperity and development in the days of yore but perished totally leaving no traces of their existence. There should be no reason to believe, act or propagate ideas contrary to the spirit of our motherland as an attitude and belief which does not correspond to her spirit is a crime against the land of our birth. We’re never bound by any blind faith to believing or acting simply as the tradition goes but we’re proud to belong to a country where you always look before you leap and scrutinize before you act. Our faith is based upon the divine experience of numerous unknown sages and seers who worked for their spiritual advancement for long periods of unknown history and the scriptures developed in centuries not by individuals but by successive generations of highly awakened sages and strangely enough without any clue of the original creator. India is a country with traces of advanced civilized culture from deep pre-historic periods when the present advanced countries of the west who boast of their advancement did not even exist in their most crude primitive forms not to speak of any of their organized system. The unfortunate that has happened with India is her slavery and subjugation to various foreign powers for long periods which deprived her of her independent spirit for a long time, thus giving an occasion to her rivals in the international forums raise fingers on her cultural integrity. Here we are indebted to some of our social and literary stalwarts like DR. R. N. TAGORE and DR. S. RADHAKRISHNAN and others who tried and succeeded in exploring the real image of India before the English speaking west who presented a very dismal picture of India lived by uncivilized people with no worthwhile cultural history.

We are proud that India is displaying remarkable development in all fields of modern technology, education, secular democratic pattern of governance, social and economic development, so much so that the image of India has got a tremendous uplift in the post independence period. India is proceeding fast on the path of economic and technological development but it is encouraging that it does not anyway overshadow our religious and spiritual development and the faith of people in the institution of religion and spirituality is increasing day by day.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

A Biographical Sketch

Birth, early life and marriage

The original name of SEDBUB was SHRI VEDLAL BHAT and he belonged to village HANJIVEIRA, TEHSIL PATTAN, KASHMIR, where he was born to his parents SH. VESHN BHAT and SMT. YEMBERZAL on an auspicious day JESHTHA SHUKLA PAKHSH NAUMI around year 1902. 

Swami Sed Bub

Very little is known about his early life but he had some schooling at a local school and got conversant with some essential scriptures at a local Hindi PATHSHALLA.  He had a good knowledge of Urdu and Persian along with Hindi and Sanskrit. He had a nice handwriting and would write nice brief letters and converse freely in Urdu language whenever need be so. He was married to SMT GUNWATI at an early age who proved to be the most dedicated housewife who shouldered household responsibilities including the bringing up and education of their three sons and two daughters. In spite of being a highly awakened saint SEDBUB didn’t entirely ignore the household responsibilities but attended each detail though his heart was centered to a much higher purpose for which he had taken birth. This higher standard of life together as a householder and a highly awakened saint is the wont of very few and has as such been greatly admired. He had a brief stint as an Assistant in government revenue department which he gave up sooner than he had got it.

Obviously no traces of sainthood were observed during his early life and youth being a householder who managed a large family along with tending of household lands, cattle and all other occupations of an ordinary Kashmir farmer but as time passed his detachment towards worldly affairs manifested more clearly and he started displaying an aura of sacred countenance which was observed firstly by his family members and later by others who came into his contact. The condition is very rare and is looked upon as an exclusive uplift of soul usually a result of some holy connection with an exalted position in ones past life. Thus subsequently he began visiting various reputed saints and savants of that time and went to important temples and places without notice obviously to seek guidance and inspiration. He stayed with them or at places for several days thus leaving his esteemed wife with all the responsibility at home. It was thus immediately obvious to all concerned that he followed a much higher responsibility and as such nobody had the courage to question him in the context.

SEDBAB as an established saint

SEDBAB was soon recognized as an established saint and the visits of devotees commenced at his residence and places where he moved. His visits to MAA RAGINYA at TULMUL also increased where he used to stay for a couple of days and sometimes a full fortnight. He would invariably be present there on SHUKLA PAKHSH ASHTAMI when lots of PANDITS visited there to pay obeisance and participate in the evening AARTI which proved a great boon to various devotees who submitted before him and sought his blessings. He had some favourite followers who used to accompany him to places and persons. He had soon developed a deep attraction for saints and visited many of them and sat in their company for long hours and sometimes for days. Among saints that he visited frequently SWAMI NAND LAL JI of BOMAI (SOPORE) and later TIKKAR (KUPWARA) had the greatest influence on him. He is reported to be constantly in his company for long hours and days besides accompanying him to various places and people. The fact is not fully established whether Swami Ji was his GURU but the association was certainly something special as both of them were seen together frequently in almost all Ashrams of Swami Ji and other places. They definitely shared something special and subsequently Swami Ji was so much attached to him that he called him SEDMOL for his simple extraordinary saintly qualities, the beautiful name which he retained all his life though he was later fondly called SEDBAB by his devotees. SEDMOL was the GURU of Lalleshuri (LALDED) the most famous poet-saint and YOGINI of Kashmir. Swami Ji was a great admirer of LALDED and often quoted her LALLA WAKH to establish some of his argument on YOGA. 

An embodiment of divine grace and simplicity

SEDBAB was very simple, affectionate and calm by nature. He was known for his simplicity and smiling nature. His frequent smile was his trademark as he responded everyone with a smile. To a casual visitor he hardly showed any signs of sainthood. He wore the aspect of a common Kashmiri Pandit of those days, a large turban with a shining face conspicuous with a huge TILAK on his forehead. His long PHERAN, with long narrow sleeves folded outside at their end fell up to his ankles. The large pocket below right side of his PHERAN kept always bulging as it was always filled with something. He probably didn’t wear a shirt or pajamas but wore a shawl or a woolen CHADDER over his PHERAN depending on the climatic conditions. He had always a big towel hanging on his shoulders or around his neck for its legitimate use. The SADHNA of SEDBUB was a routine of very early rising and after a routine bath in fresh preferably flowing water he went into long bouts of meditation till almost midday and repeated the same in the evening before nightfall. He used to talk very less and was mostly absorbed in his deep thought. He was a regular reader of the SHALOKAS of BHAGWADGITA and recited the famous STOTRAS like BHAWANI SHASTRANAM, PANCHASTAVI and MAHIMNAPAR and incited his devotees to follow him.    

Since he was a regular visitor to various saints and places of repute so he used to be away from home frequently sometimes for months together. Wherever he was seen people flocked to seek his blessings. Some times he accidentally visited some of his devotee at his house and suddenly it turned into a high jubilation for the inmates and the news spread like wild fire and immediately scores of people came to see BAB and tried to be near him all the time he was there. Nobody had the courage to ask him about his plans or programme. Whenever he sat for meals or tea along with some of his devotees at a place he would take a bit and give away the rest to someone present. It was a great pleasure for the devotees around to have a bit of it as PRASAD. He observed no hard and fast routine in eating as he ate very less and seemed to relish whatever was offered to him. He was a strict vegetarian and avoided onion, garlic, tomatoes and some leafy vegetables. He was also a regular observer of frequent fasts on occasions like ASHTAMI,EKADASHI, AMAWASI, PURNIMASHI and many other auspicious days. Simple food, rice and vegetable curry and occasional KEHWA, a preferred Kashmiri beverage without milk was his preference. He took very little and gave away the rest to his devotees present there as a PRASAD. A great caution had to be observed as whatever was to be served was cooked fresh after washing afresh all the wares in fresh water with brown clay. Only brown clay was used for all cleaning purposes as soap was usually considered impure in those days. SEDBUB didn’t use any kind of soap on his body and hence no soap was used in washing the cook wares used in his cooking. For all sacred devotional jobs only brown clay and no soap is preferred for all cleaning purposes in all KP homes even now.

A true KARAMYOGI

KARAMYOGA is the way of life where an aspirant is actively involved in all worldly affairs but his heart is perpetually fixed with the Lord. It is considered the simplest way of devotion and the shortest possible way towards enlightenment. A KARAMYOGI is instinctively able to differentiate between the good and the evil, between DHARMA and ADHARMA, and hence neither anything wrong is committed nor does a single thought which is detrimental to the sublime ways of the supreme visit the clean slate of his mind. SEDBAB was necessarily a SANYASI though he didn’t shirk the legitimate responsibility of a householder, a KARMYOGI who performed honestly the duties of a large family and a saint who had attained the highest enlightenment and all the SIDDIES without any obvious hectic KRIYA. To a common man he was a simple householder performing his legitimate duties but there was something special which made him look different rather taller than the rest. His strange spiritual aura attracted people towards him though he tried to avoid them and not look conspicuous.  The uniqueness of SEDBAB as a saint lies in performing his worldly affairs efficiently on one side and on the other being absorbed in the task of achievement of his higher goal. As a GRAHASTHI (householder) his status in the realm of sainthood is highly commendable though not unique as there have been a good number of such highly awakened saints in Kashmir who were evidently normal persons engaged in all worldly affairs. An event of his household life can sufficiently establish the unprecedented detachment of SEDBUB. His second son Late OMKAR NATH was employed in the Indian Army and was very unfortunately martyred in action during Indo-China war in 1962. When the news was delivered formally by an official of the Army at their residence BUB was incidentally at home. Everyone was dumbstruck and immediately a gloom of death spread in the house. Since BUB was preparing on a routine sojourn and it is said he didn’t shed even a single tear and without any slightest waver of mind proceeded on his scheduled visit. Such a gesture of determination is the act of a supreme KARMYOGI not an ordinary mortal. 

SEDBUB was beloved of numerous devotees who wanted to seek his blessings but he was always on move from place to place without any fixed schedule so he usually eluded them. His devotees included a good number of Muslims too who had a great reverence for him and sought his blessings whenever in trouble. It is said that SEDBUB was very hard to grant a favour to a devotee but some are of the opinion that everything was granted instantly provided the need was genuine and sincere.

Who was his GURU?

There is sufficient evidence to substantiate that SWAMI NAND LAL JI and none else was SEDBUB’S preceptor (Guru) but still there is enough difference of opinion on the issue as many of his devotees do not conform to this view. They say as is said in such a situation, he was himself his Guru or he was born with enough awakening which he carried through along with him from his past life and that there was no need of any further initiation. Still there is nobody denying that SEDBUB used to be in the association of Swami Ji for long hours and sometimes many days wherever Swami Ji stayed and he always enjoyed the highest position in all his devotees and disciples. There always seemed something special between the two great souls that they relished in the company of each other. As such it is not easily digested that SWAMI NAND LAL JI was not his Guru but since SEDBUB was in the habit of keeping all his activities low-keyed and avoided being ostentatious though he always displayed a high spiritual aura, as such, he must not have been formally initiated into sainthood by Swami Ji though the association was surely above comprehension of ordinary people.

Mahasamadhi

The last days of SEDBUB have been quite uneventful. Nothing substantial can be recorded except that on October 31, 1985 (KARTIK KRISHNA PAKSHA DOEY) SEDBUB was at his residence HAJIVERA (PATTAN) when he went into eternal SAMADHI. The news soon spread like wild fire and besides Pandits from the neighboring villages devotees from farther areas began pouring in large numbers. So the subsequent day the mortal remains of SEDBUB were cremated in the local SHAMSHAN BHUMI with great fanfare among chanting of sacred hymns in the presence of a large number of people especially Pandits. The administration had to arrange for a sizable security arrangement to manage the crowd. For twelve days the customary mourning like that of a householder was observed and devotees in large numbers visited his house to pay homage to the departed soul between continuous chanting of sacred SHALOKAS of BHAGVADGITA and other MANTRAS. Thus the sojourn of this great soul on this planet ended leaving deep traces of his holy life.

The failed Memorial

Then what followed will be interesting to the readers. Sometime after the MAHASAMADHI of SEDBUB his devotees planned to construct a memorial in memory of SEDBUB at his SAMADHI, the SHAMSHAN BHUMI, at HANJIVERA the land legally earmarked for the purpose in revenue records in all Hindu populated areas in Kashmir, and so in HANJIVERA (PATTAN). After the construction reached a certain stage strangely without any provocation the Muslims of the area objected to the construction severely so much so what ensued was a large scale feud and communal tension. The administration intervened and after a lot of tension the construction was stayed by a court order. The basic reason for the episode was the growing Muslim fundamentalist attitude among the youth especially whose plan was to discourage all religious expansion programmes by Pandits in the valley. Thus the much publicized memorial in the name of SEDBUB could not be raised as was desired by lots of his devotees. Actually what was not wished by SEDBUB in his lifetime could not be achieved after his celestial flight.

Now after mass displacement of Pandits from the valley in 1990 and with their sizable concentration in Jammu the devotees of SEDBUB have recently raised a magnificent Ashram at PALOURA, JAMMU with all facilities where devotees come in large numbers to submit before a large STATUE of SEDBUB installed in a room. The Ashram has no doubt become a pilgrimage spot for the numerous devotees of SEDBUB who regularly visit there and get rid of their worldly troubles besides their soul’s consolation and peace.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

On Pranayama

Pranayama is the control or regulation of `Prana' (breath). All the functions of our body are directly or indirectly related to Prana. It has been compared to and given the status of Brahma (the creator and the supreme being) from which this entire universe has emerged. Prana is present in all the cells of our body. The sense organs of the body take rest occasionally but the Prana is always active. Constant movement is its innate character. It provides energy to all our limbs, organs, brain and spinal cord. The sages of the Upanishads say, "Whatever is there in the universe, within or beyond our cognition, is all in the control of Prana." Pranayama has the capacity of freeing the mind of ignorance, untruthfulness and all other painful and unpleasant experiences of the body and mind; and when the mind becomes clean it facilitates the seeker to concentrate on the desired spiritual goals and it becomes possible for him to progress furthering the direction of Dhyana and Samadhi.

By Yogaasanas we remove the distortions and disabilities of the physical body and bring it into discipline but Pranayama influences the subtle and the physical bodies in a greater measure than Yogaasanas do and that too in a perceptible manner. Physically Pranayama is a systematic exercise of respiration, which makes the lungs stronger, improves blood circulation and makes a person healthier and ensures a longer life. Inhalation (Purak) stimulates the system and fills the lungs with fresh air. Retaining the breath (Kumbak) raises internal temperature and plays an important role in increasing the absorption of oxygen. Exhalation (Rechak) causes the diaphragm to return to the original position and air full of toxins and impurities is forced out by the contraction of inter-costal muscles. The activities massage the abdominal muscles and tone up the working of various organs of the body.  

Normally people are not in the habit of breathing deeply with the result that only one fourth of the lungs are brought into action as a routine. Most of the pores in the lungs do not get regular fresh oxygen and fall victim to disease. The regular Pranayama helps in flushing out all these pores with fresh air. The regular practitioners of Pranayama enjoy a long disease free life as numerous diseases are averted by the free flow of Prana in the body.    

Lalleshuri has stressed upon the practice of Pranayama for the purpose of the basic wellbeing to the mental purification, meditation and all other spiritual attainments including Kundalini Jagran.

Dama dam kormas daman haley, prazlyom deep te nanaiyam zaath

Andrem prakash naiber tshotum, gati rotum te kermas thaph

Lalleshuri gives a beautiful expression of her personal continued exercise of breath. In perfect rhythm and proper timing and speed she indulged into the exercise for a pretty long time obviously under the guidance of her master. She didn't fault anywhere as the stability of mind in complete unison was essential. The perfect concentration of mind with continuous exercise of breath made the internal spark of her soul glitter profusely and revealed her all the secrets of awakening. She says she caught hold of all of these secrets and preserved them for all times. Thus Lalleshuri was able to reach the heights of her success through systematic breathing exercise (Pranayama) along with getting rid of all worldly distractions and achieving the full control of mind. To keep the mind under control free from all digressions is the main task of the seeker in the divine path. One who succeeds in this crucial task becomes the real master of his self and the gates of development open wide for him.

Poorak kumbak reechak karum, pawnas theivem pethe kani wath

Anahatas bhasem karum, kyanh nai motum soi cham kath

Lalleshuri explains here the crux of her personal experience of celestial journey. She continued with her essential exercise of breath (Pranayama) in the systematic taking in of the breath, retaining for a while and then taking out systematically under the guidance of her master. The whole body was thus furnished with sufficient Prana, the life force essentially required for the spiritual development of the body and soul together. She says she gave first priority to this exercise which helped her first in shunning all ego and worldly attractions. Gradually she was lifted far above the ordinary earthly existence, reduced to complete nothingness and be one with her Lord. The purpose of defining her personal experience is to make it essentially a guide for the seekers in the divine path.

Dihe chay larey daari bar troprim, prane choor rotum te dyutmas dam

Hradyechi koothri andhar gundum, Aumky chobuke tulmas bam

In order to achieve the real purpose of her life Lalleshuri says she closed all the doors and windows of her body-temple indicating her full control over the evil influences of the five sense organs which are the worst hurdles in the way of all spiritual development. Further she controlled her breath systematically (Pranayama) considering again that the uncontrolled breath is an enemy of development and unless the seeker has his breath strictly under control as prescribed in Yoga any personal realization is difficult. Lalleshuri says she adopted the systematic recitation of the sacred word AUM with the beats of her breath with a proper rhythm and succeeded in her mission. Here keeping ones mind under perfect control is also a must because the wavering mind disturbs all concentration and without perfect concentration of mind no development is possible.

Daman baste dito dil, damnas yithe paeth damaan khaar

Shesteras soen gachey haesil, vune chay sul te chandun yaar

Lalleshuri wants the seeker to concentrate on the systematic inhalation and exhalation of breath just like a goldsmith puts his full mind on the current of air that is directed towards the burning coal to produce enough heat so that the pure gold is separated from the impurities without any loss of the precious metal. There should be no distractions caused by the wavering mind or other worldly attractions that deviates the seeker from the main purpose. Lalleshuri further enjoins upon the seeker to get up instantly and seek the Lord as there is always enough time and occasion for the purpose and never too late.

Soen thav thaje taiy hosh thav phokas, loleke naray sorus vaichaar

Suey ras sartale wavath pyayee, ade soen sapdey kundan kaar

Chaet chay yirnay gyane dokray, paet kanas kuney taar.

Lalleshuri advises the seeker to take extreme caution and concentrate fully on his devotion and avoid all distractions of thought in his path to salvation. She compares the process beautifully to the working of a goldsmith, who with his knack and presence of mind succeeds in extracting pure gold out of various impurities. She refers allegorically to a goldsmith collecting pure gold in the form of a thin pure gold wire. She advises the seeker to be continuously in line with the exhalation and inhalation of breath (Pranayama) exactly as the goldsmith does not fail to direct the air current of his bellows directly into the dross to separate it clearly from the pure gold. He uses his sharp intellect and presence of mind for his maximum advantage and in the same manner the seeker in the path of divinity can achieve his goal soon if he uses the skills of his patience, sacrifice and devotion in ample measure in the proper direction. The allegorical description is the example of supreme poetic genius in its exactness of comparison and vivid description.

Sarafas nishe kahwache kharun, rache rache tolun choene ma haar

Chawuhme baazare pahe lagey, penchehme sapdakh kundan kaar

Shatwuheme baazare molum sapdey, paanay grakh tay paanay swarnkaar

The stages that a seeker has to encounter in his path to divinity are discussed in this couplet but again allegorically with reference to the working of a goldsmith. After a seeker crosses the first stage of his Sadhna, he has to present himself before his master (Guru) for his first test just as the goldsmith takes his gold to the market to verify its purity. The disciple is then tested for 24 days by his master and on passing out successfully he is honoured graciously on 25^th day. On 26^th day, which is the day of great celebration for the pupil, there is an automatic feeling of divine realization in the mind of the seeker and he becomes one with his master and his Lord. The wall of separation between the seeker and the sought vanishes and he merges with the absolute truth and tranquility.

Soen draav dehein tai mael gos wathith, yeli may anikh dyutmas taav

Katur zan lall vaiglith gayas, kath koesh goel te nishe rav draav

Lalleshuri draws a magnificent comparison between the clearing of the precious metal gold of its impurities and the human being of its involvement in the worldly affairs. While the pure gold is obtained with the persistent impact of the heat the impurities burn into smoke, the human being is liberated from the shackles of the worldly affairs with the impact of the systematic exercise of breath or Pranayama. Lalleshuri compares her personal liberation from the worldly attachments with the sudden appearance of the sun on breaking of the densely clouded sky of winter when everything around is enveloped in a thick blanket of frozen snow and the warm rays of sun bring fresh hopes of new survival. Lalleshuri says she was a frozen sheet of ice which felt like coming to a new life with the persistent practice of Pranayama like the melting of the sheet of ice upon getting the fresh rays of the sun.  

Azappa gaytray hamas hamas zapith, aham traewith ada soye rath

Yaem trov aham su rood panay, bae no aasun chuy wopdeesh

While describing her personal mystic voyage, Lalleshuri sets a guideline for the seeker in the path to eternity. She guides him to follow the regular routine of the systematic recitation of Gaytrai Mantra corresponding to the beats of his breath on the condition of having renounced the entire worldly ego and false worldly attachments. All this can be achieved by controlling one's mind which is capable to move faster than anything else and which is actually responsible to lead a seeker astray from the real path at a crucial juncture. One who succeeds in overcoming these impediments in the path to salvation naturally becomes one with the supreme losing all his personal identity and this as per Lalleshuri is the basic and the highest lesson for the seeker towards awakening. The two conditions laid down for spiritual advancement, shunning ego and the subsequent surrender of personal identity are worthy of prime attention and following.

Dawadash mandlas yas deevas thajee, naasik pawan darae anaahat rav

Swayam kalpane antah tsaji, suy deev tay artsun kas

One who has achieved the highest stages of spiritual development by awakening Kundalini Shakti to its highest stage, the crown of head, called `Dawadsh Mandal', through the practice of Pranayama is worthy of all honour and worship. Lalleshuri compares the achievement of such a seeker with a farmer who is delighting in his success of getting a nice crop in his field by his persistent look after and care. The same is true of a sage with his ultimate success of purpose upon working systematically in the inhalation and exhalation of his breath through his nostrils right and left. This is the stage where all the worldly vanities and attractions vanish from the clear slate of mind and one virtually becomes one with the supreme Lord. As such there can be none else worthy of worship and devotion above him. Lalleshuri had achieved all the higher stages of awakening of her self and become one with her Lord so she advises the seeker to understand the significance of the awakening of the celestial power present in all human beings and the necessity of yogic exercise especially Pranayama.

Pawan te praan somuy dyuthum, Meelith roodum sheri khor taaen

Dhih yali mothum adhe kyah motum, Na kuni pavan tay na kuni praan.

On achieving appropriate mastery in the practice of Pranayama along with higher concentration in meditation the seeker does not find any difference between the normal respiration and the practice of Pranayama as his normal respiration becomes a controlled process and the body does not require the normal breathing as with the impact of the meditative process almost the whole system is controlled by a higher regulation. This is a condition when the body is reduced to nothingness and the head and the feet virtually club into one. When the existence of the body is reduced to a naught with the impact of the full awakening there is no inhalation or exhalation of breath as the self has lost its individual identity. The seeker, upon full awakening forgets all the interests of the body and the worldly existence as a whole and gets merged with the Param-Shiva leaving no traces of any individual existence. This is the stage of higher consciousness where the human soul becomes one with the universal existence and there remains nothing for him to achieve further.

Pavan poorith yus ane wagay, tas bavine suparsh na boche na trash

Tee karun yas antah tagay, samsaaras suy zevi neich

Lalleshuri says the seeker who follows systematically the exercise of breath (Pranayama) and is able to tune up his breathing system with the beats of his heart without any obvious effort commences a perfect revolution of self. Such a person gets virtually unconcerned about the requirements of the body like thirst and hunger, sense of touch and smell along with all other animal instincts. Lalleshuri speaks very high of such a person saying one who continues as such all his life achieves the essential purpose of his life and earns a great name for himself.     

Pranas saety lai yali karem, dyanas thavnam ne roznas shaai

Kayas andar soruy vuchum, payas povum te kaedmas graai

Lalleshuri says when she mastered the exercise of Pranayama there was a complete revolution of her self and with it there remained no requirement for any further form of meditation or kriya. She virtually lost all the consciousness of her personal self by experiencing all the contours of the cosmos in her own person. She got clear awakening of all the divine secrets and there remained nothing unrealized for her. Gradually she gained full consciousness of her inner self and experienced that her holy person was the abode of all the aspects of the Lord. Here Lalleshuri indicates to her divine realization through the practice of Pranayama that opened all the doors of awakening for her.

Dame dame man Omkaar parnowum, paanai paran te paanai bozaan

Sooham padas aham golum, teli Lall vaiches prakash-sthan

Lalleshuri says that by regular practice of Pranayama her whole system was tuned in a way that it took no conscious effort on her part. Gradually the systematic exhalation and inhalation of breath became an automatic process with the recitation of the sacred word AUM coming out naturally and being beaten on her ear drums without making a sound. Thus there was a rapid advancement towards her goals till she achieved the highest stages of her awakening. The purpose of describing her personal experience is to indicate a clear way for the seeker towards emancipation and to understand the significance of the Pranayama.

Andar aasith naebar chondum, pawnan ragan kernam sath

Dyan keyn daiy zagi keeval zonum, rang gow sangas saet meelith kaith

Lalleshuri says she sought her Lord here and there though He was seated within the recesses of her own self. The secret was revealed to her upon systematic exercise of breath when each of her body nerve responded positively to her call. Moreover the non-duality of Param-Shiva was confirmed when she became one with her lord. On being fully awakened to all the secrets of the universe and a realized soul, Lalleshuri saw herself merged completely with the lone divine. There remained essentially nothing unrealized for her as her individual self had become part of the universal spirit. The essential fact stressed upon here again is the truth about Lord Shiva being Himself the embodiment of the whole universe with all other numerous awakened souls inseparably merged with Him.

Shurah te dah yus sumrith kharey, dawadashant andar gum nohi

Trei sumrith kenh matras praray, soi depzay sehza kray

Lalleshuri gives some directions here about the right approach of Pranayama. The inhalation and exhalation of breath sixteen times (five times three plus one) followed by ten times (three times three plus one) with a slight break in between  is the right approach. One who is able to master the practice without any digression and full control of mind is able to centralize all his divine activities up on the crown of his head which is the abode of Param-Shiva. The seeker after attaining this stage experiences ultimate joy and excitement of perfection and with further meditation experiences the Lord or the full awakening of oneself.

Tsitta-twaruge vagi hyath ro'ttum, tseth milvith dashnaaddi waav,
Tavay sheshikal veyglith vatsham, shuunyas shuunyaah miilith gav.

Lalleshuri says she reined in the fast running steed of her mind, i.e. controlled the overpowering senses and by constant practice of Pranayama and meditation succeeded in bringing the proper alignment of wavering Prana through ten Nadis till she achieved the final goal of guiding the Kundalini Shakti to its destination, the crown of the head. It's here that she enjoyed the nectar of the mystic moon (Sheshkal) which came melting down and suffused her whole being and thus her void merged with the cosmic void i.e. she became immortal and an integral part of the supreme soul which is the ultimate goal of the individual soul to become one with the cosmic soul or Parmatma. Lalleshuri gives a lucid description of her mystic experience in her poetic compositions which goes to her credit as besides a highly accomplished Yogini she was a celestial poet with a definite mission of not only achieving her own liberation but also setting a precept for the coming generations to follow.

Gaytray azappa tshale aki taejim, suham satsey kermas thaph

Ahmas loti paeth zathrei waijem, gure kath paejem tsaejim tsakh

Lalleshuri says, after a systematic practice she was able to align her exhalation and inhalation of breath with the proper rhythm of Pranayama and recitation of Gaytray Mantra such that the process became a natural one which ultimately took no efforts but came out automatically and she stuck to it permanently. She did it all under the guidance of her master (Guru) while she cut all the roots of all egos firmly along with controlling all anger which was the first and foremost essential requirement in such devotion and spiritual advancement.

Abhyse kiney vikas pholum, soprakash zonum yohuy deih

Prakash dhyan mokh yee dorum, sokhey borum korum teiy.

Lalleshuri says that her individual self transformed into a glorious spiritual whole by persistent meditation and practice of Pranayama. She was able to realize the eternal truth in the same body of flesh and blood and thus her human existence proved the safest vehicle for her development to her present stage of emancipation. Here the stress is laid upon the importance of the human body in the pursuit of divine realization as without it no transformation of spirit is possible so Lalleshuri refutes the theory of the neglect and persecution of human body while proceeding on the celestial path.

Akuy Omkaar yus naabi daray, kombai brahmandas sum garay

Akuy manther yus tsaitas karay, tas saas manther kyah karay

One who is able to concentrate on the single divine word—AUM and with help of systematic exhalation and inhalation of breath (Pranayama)  make a divine connection between his personal self and the eternal universal self does a great job. The exercise of Pranayama if done under the guidance of a teacher along with the jappa of Omkaar, the sacred divine word has the capacity to take the seeker to big heights in the celestial undertakings. Lalleshuri says one who masters the repetition of the sacred word in Pranayama does not require any other Mantra whatsoever in the advancement of self as the influence of the sacred word AUM is far greater than all other thousands of divine Mantras.    

Aayas kami deeshe te kami watey, gache koet te kave zane wath

Ante daey lagi mai tatay, chaim chainis phokas kuse sane sath

Lalleshuri gives a clean expression of life and its ultimate reality. She says nobody knows where-from he has come and what's his final destination. Everyone is confused about the real secret of this life but one thing is clear that his stay here is transitory and he has to proceed to an unknown destination after the allotted time is over. It's also clear that one has to take a limited number of breaths in this life and then proceed towards some unknown destination. As such Lalleshuri calls upon the ignorant being that the ordinary breathing can't anyway help in any of the life's purpose but with a systematic breath exercise or Pranayama it can work wonders for this seemingly frail human body. The purpose here is to bring home to man how the simple exercise of breath or Pranayama would take an ordinary being to the highest stages of spiritual development.   

Deva watta deevar watta, pathe boen chuy yike vaath

Pooz kas karakh hayo batta, Kar manas te pavnas sangaath

Lalleshuri makes a very intelligent description of the world and says that almost everything settled on this rocky terrain (the globe) is made of stone with Lord Shiva also in the form of stone (Linga) present in His numerous temples. So what's fun of worshipping a stone again when all around from the highest to the lowest level is simply a stone? Now Lalleshuri stresses upon the seeker that in the circumstances the best available option is to make the individual mind and the cosmic mind one with the practice of Pranayama, the exercise of breath that has the capacity to take the individual soul to such heights as to be one with Parm-Shiva.

Karam ze kaaran trai tay kombai, yave labakh te parilukas anakh

Wuth khas surye mandal tsombith, tavay tsali zaine marnuk kronth

A human being is free to follow at least two things in life, good or bad. The bad comes out of being a slave to human animal instincts and the good is equally the product of the good influences and actions though the motive of all these common influences are the three Gunaas, the Satuguna--the pure and serene actions and thoughts, the Tamoguna—complete inaction and inability to act, the Rajuguna—full movement and drive to act fast. The simple and easy way to get the full purpose of life is through the practice of breath control (Pranayama) which has the capacity to control all evil influences as a result of the human frailties and animal desires. Lalleshuri stresses upon the fact that one who is able to do the systematic exercise of Pranayama can exercise control not only on his self but the entire universe. So she extols the seeker to come up and prepare for traveling high up above into the space cutting through the skies with the celestial power of Pranayama and overcoming the cycle of life and death for all times to come.  

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

(The article has been published in “KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi” in its November 2001 issue with some minor changes)

A matter for concern is the latest trend of displaced Pandits selling their properties including their residential houses in Kashmir. No doubt, they need money to get settled immediately wherever they are as the prospects of our return are getting bleaker day by day but it essentially invites for every one of us some introspection to consider its consequences and the aftermath.

This trend not only dwindles the prospect of our return to our homes but we also help thereby come true the dream of the negative elements in the valley of ethnic cleansing. Our hearts bleed profusely on our homes and hearths being usurped by Muslims there. These properties are the choicest in both urban and rural areas and our neighbours always kept a hawk’s eye on them, being the best in the whole lot, be those the paddy fields or orchards in the rural areas or residential accommodation or commercial establishments in both rural and urban areas as the Pandits owned everywhere the choicest elevated places and enjoyed the purest bounties of nature in the form of water, land and air in abundance.

Mark of Prestige

There is nobody to stop this development as individually everyone thinks that he is taking the right step but it has invariably a dark side behind it for each one of us to ponder deeply. The properties are mostly inherited from our forefathers and have always been a source of not only sustenance to our families but also a mark of prestige and financial soundness for generations. Selling them with a stroke of pen for some money, no doubt, enables the present generation build houses in the new colonies being set up in Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere with a few more additions of modern living facilities than they had in the valley. How many of the readers would share this view that a single generation or a person has no right of selling these properties wholly and enjoy solely the benefits. Aren’t we depriving our future generations of a wider scope for financial soundness and a prospect of a settlement any time in future for them on this heaven on earth? The soulless structures in Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere erected from the sale proceeds of a large chunk of the inherited property can’t bear comparison with the houses in the valley which were and would have been a MALYUN (parents house) to many a daughter and sister, not only for their relationship but also for the emotions attached to every nook and corner of the whole vicinity now occupied by those for whom entry was restricted only up to the WUZ (passage connecting the entry gate of the house to upstairs and rooms on the ground floor).

The JAJEER (earthen HOOKAH used especially by Kashmir Muslims) has found place where many a sacred ritual was performed on numerous occasions. Not to speak of the THOKUR KUTH (the puja room) which was the soul of the house and always a centre of attraction for the new visitors as it housed some age-old objects of worship in the form of paintings and idols, especially a small SHIVA-LINGA accompanied by some very smooth stone pebbles (SALIGRAMS), some black and some white, tastefully decorated in the interiors of a small temple-like structure routinely worshipped daily without fail early in the morning before sunrise by the eldest in the family for generations together. No trace of such a thing in its original form is found in any KP house in Jammu or Delhi probably for lack of accommodation or more probably for shifting of values, the greatest tragedy we are facing after our mass exodus.

New life Standards

The old order has replaced a complete changeover of relations and customs and traditions to suit the standards of a new life. Thus the construction of new houses and the new life therein is cherished by the inmates, though a few, to a large extent. The old family order of the valley has given place to an entirely changed environment. With the change of neighbours, our mental propensities have altered. The rural folk kept busy there in maintaining their lands, orchards and surroundings keep housed here in posh interiors of their drawing and bed rooms or keep chatting incessantly with their new-found friends, neighbours and relatives. Many are happy to have got themselves rid of their family disputes about their ancestral or shared properties. The urbanites are a much disturbed lot. They are robbed of their status, office, pen and everything before they were to retire. They get salaries for doing no work. They have lost their distinct identities of work and office and live only with a single name, viz. migrant.

The revolution in the life-style of a majority among us is the result of the unexpected flow of money from the valley by the sale of their age-old properties obtained and preserved by their forefathers. Who are ultimately the gainers and who are the losers in the bargain is an embarrassing question which every one of us needs to answer internally. We are selling our roots, our culture, our forefathers and also the blessings of our saints and savants along with our places of worship. No body is going to stop it as we have no authentic organizing body capable of controlling our activities even in these appalling circumstances. So the end can be easily imagined, we are ultimately to get detached from our roots and get lost in the ocean of humanity without any identity of our own. No body is going to save this community, proud of being the descendants of the rarest of the rare, choicest among the choicest, the crown of BHARAT, from being extinct very soon and the orations of a wayside bard would sing thus:

          A Pandit there was

          A long robe he wore,

          A broad forehead and a tilak,

          A storehouse of learning and

          A life so simple he led.

          Misfortune dogged his steps, alas!

          Got lost and is found nowhere.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

Time is ripe to introspect

(The article has been published in “KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi” in its October 2007 issue with some minor changes)

The dream of return to our lost paradise (Kashmir) is not going to fulfill in near future is a proved reality beyond doubt. All efforts made in this direction have proved a failure but the craving is getting intense day by day.  The sweet fragrance of Kashmir is kicking and the need of the hour is to devise ways and means that get us to the jackpot.

Day in and out our BIRADARI members both important and ordinary visit Kashmir to take a stock of the situation and meet the common folk there both known and unknown. Most of them along with being nostalgic about their roots admire the attitude of common Kashmir Muslims towards them. They do not smell any quantum of hatred in the majority community towards us despite severe provocations at the hands of the negative elements that still exist galore. What does it signify? Is it not a silver lining behind the dark cloud? Does the KP not err by not taking an advantage of the situation? Is it not a historical fact that a common Kashmir Muslim many a time rejected heartily the advances made by our hostile neighbour country to make him deadly fundamentalist and religious fanatic? Though the current onslaught of the enemy was fraught heavily with serious planning, unlimited resources and foolproof strategies, clearly enough as the facts on ground suggest, he is playing his last losing battle.

No doubt, a lot of damage has been done. The environment in Kashmir has changed drastically. The essential Pandit flavour that existed there before 1990 seems dwindled away to a great extent but the hearts of the common Kashmiri seem deprived of something which they want to recover. And it will be a Himalayan blunder on our part if we do not rise to the occasion.

Kashmir, in spite of the chaotic conditions that prevail, is not a mere spectator to the speedy development that India along with rest of the world is experiencing now. Almost all MNCs are doing thriving business in the valley employing youths both local and non-local in their assignments with lucrative earnings. A good number of non-Kashmiri youth are working in various institutions, hospitals, banks and other business establishments. They are quite satisfied with the co-operation that is extended to them. Scores of students get enrolled in various institutions for Para-medical training and teaching courses. The famous LAL CHOWK is humming with business as numerous business related people, tourists and shoppers roam freely. More than a dozen Punjabi DHABAS keep busy there till late night hours catering them. There in unlimited opportunity for business as Kashmir Exports have always been a craze and are experiencing a boom nowadays. The visits of KPs have accelerated during last couple of years and many reports of such visits that appear in KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi present an interesting reading. How far will KP be a mere spectator to the humming activity of Kashmir?  How far shall we only aspire for our motherland the real paradise on earth and continue living in a hostile environment that doesn’t suit any of us and not think a while how we can be back to our roots! We call ourselves the original residents of Kashmir. No doubt, we are! We command a common language with the majority there and do have a sound background. Why not partake of the opportunities before others take the lead!

KPs are basically in the habit of playing extra safe. We do not want to take a risk of any kind and that is why more than ninety per cent KPs preferred petty Government jobs and did not go in for any business whatsoever. The habit has naturally descended to our youngsters who prefer to work for others not for themselves. This trait of our character has further deepened all these years of displacement with the doles that we received in the form of salaries without work besides the cash relief. Enough is enough. How far shall we wait for the government and authorities to provide foolproof arrangements for our mass return along with a guarantee of our safety! They could not and would not in future too manage for a green signal for which we have been waiting for all these years. Why not each of us individually devise ways and means to back home with dignity and honour! We need not accept any assistance from the government, be it accommodation or any cash assistance. There is a good amount of risk involved, but all great moves involve such risks. The time is ripe right now and small moves in this direction will show us the road to success. We cannot land there with a bang. It would invite reaction and resentment. Only small moves and individual efforts will be fruitful.

The greatest blunder committed by us is the gradual sale of our properties, the footholds that we possessed. The elements and their mentors across the border understand the situation better than us, so they go on encouraging the sales by helping the buyers both morally and financially. Do we thereby not fall into the trap of their cunning and give in to their crooked designs? Why the KP always at the receiving end? Why does he not gather courage to fail the designs of the enemy? The common Kashmir Muslim is ready to welcome us with open arms but we need to take the initiatives. No collective moves! It will prove disastrous.

Wisdom always lies in taking advantage of the flaws of the enemy and selecting the right time. Their ranks are losing direction. They are frantically trying to re-establish their base. The common Kashmiri is fed up and wants prosperity and peace. The popular democratic set-up is gaining ground. The masses have understood that they are exploited and used as scapegoats time and again by Pakistan to settle their own scores with India. They no more follow the dictates of the enemy blindly as it used to be in the first half of the 90s. Those who want to keep the pot boiling on both sides of the border are quite a few, not the masses. The situation has improved.

What is the latest tragedy of the KPs? Most of us feel delighted with the temporary settlements that many of us have been able to make all these years outside the bounds of Kashmir. We have become lavish expenders on occasions of ceremonies and weddings. It gives some a feeling that we are satisfied with our lot. The fact is that none of us feels at home in this alien atmosphere that doesn’t suit us. Why do we encounter the cries and cravings of going back home now and then? Nobody is contented though every thing seems well on the face. If we really want to restore our homeland, we’ll have to judge the situation judiciously and act purposefully. We’ll have to repair the broken bridges of relationships with the majority community and try to win their goodwill. The ground is already fertile and there is the need to sow the seed with good manure and allow the sunshine of sincerity shower the heat of love liberally.

Brothers and sisters, it is high time to give the matter a serious thought and select one of the two options before us. The first---- be contented with whatever circumstances you’re in and stop clamouring for the restoration of your homeland for good. Why not shut all shops of our so-called leaders who are engaged in the so-called fight for the cause of our return with no teeth or direction. Why not forget that we once lived in and were part of the Paradise on the Earth! If it isn’t agreeable, then follow the second option vigorously. Let’s not depend on the false promises and assurances of the authorities or leaders. Let’s ourselves devise a way to regain our motherland for ourselves. It may be a hard task but not impossible. Many of my brethren may bear out my assertions that the common Kashmir Muslim is not our enemy. He was our well-wisher and will be so if we sincerely approach him for co-operation. The road to success is tough but not impassable. We can regain our paradise, but with sustained effort and proper direction.

Let a good number of KPs make possible inroads into the business opportunities that are available in plenty in Kashmir. Let us not hanker after the petty Government jobs which make us subject to the already biased administration. Why not make our presence felt there through our intelligence and talent? Push your youngsters in high-tech places so that they show their worth and make a base for them. All professionals, doctors, engineers, architects, IT related experts, lead them and make them follow you. They are submissive while you are important and aggressive when you are weak. They know and respect your worth and abilities. They want your guidance, so why not take advantage of the situation. Kashmir is an open field for professionals to grow. India is a vast ocean where your lifelong efforts at a place can’t give you a name as the competition is high and chances rare. Kashmir has the raw potential for growth and it is high time for our youth to explore opportunities as they have Kashmiri blood in their veins, Kashmiri language to support and Kashmiri appearance and aspect to be one with them. The dream of regaining our Paradise and preserving our cherished cultural heritage cannot become a reality by writing nostalgic poetries and stories, beating breasts and staging dramas of public gatherings or asking the authorities to do something for us. It demands a systematic approach to catch opportunities that wait for us across BANIHAL.

Going to our deserted homes and gathering the tottered remains of our past and be subject to the sympathies of the majority and their whims and propensities is not the solution of the problem. Let us emerge out among them with authority and power, not taking cudgels with them but seeking co-operation but with heads high, not sympathy. Let us not bear the brunt of their wrath as we used to as a minority in olden days, but let us try to assume authority with the power of talent and capacity to do things better than they can. They are bound to follow you and give you place ahead of them because they recognize your worth and cannot stay in the path of your development among them.

Paradise can be gained by taking some solid individual steps not waiting for the destiny to shower upon you ways and means nor the administration making arrangements for your welcome with garlands of fresh flowers.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114

A Serious Concern

(The article has been published in “KOSHUR SAMACHAR, Delhi” in its October 2004 issue with some minor changes)

Another unfortunate development that has put the KP community on crossroads in the post-migration period is the alliances of our youth outside community. It is no secret that the new trend is working overtime in cutting the roots of our cherished cultural heritage.

Kashmiri Hindu culture has its roots deeply embedded in a history of thousands of years. Being almost detached from the rest of India for her difficult inaccessible location and environment Kashmir has developed for the last thousands of years a unique culture of her own almost unaffected by the changes in the rest of the world. Though the later Persian and other Muslim impacts changed the face of the valley tremendously by forcible conversions of her people and religious installations, surprisingly, the left over Hindu population has retained its distinct way of life and habits despite all pulls and pressures, though a microscopic minority. The majority Muslims haven’t probably challenged the authenticity of the distinct Hindu way of life, being recent converts and emotionally attached to these principles.

Now after the mass displacement of the community around 1990 outside the bounds of Kashmir valley our children both boys and girls are coming in direct contact with non-Kashmiri youth along with whom they get educated and are put to work to earn their living. The elders, mostly confined to the four walls of their new-found quarters, try to stick to their old customs, habits and the ways of life they are accustomed to. It has given rise to extensive colonies of KP establishments in Jammu, Delhi and other cities where they have had a chance to settle down. The recent years that passed saw our small children grow into adulthood in an alien environment, interacting strongly with strangers and getting influenced deeply in their language, eating habits and emotional patterns. The age-old KP culture and heritage remained in the backseat of the vehicle of their lives and the outcome that has especially started shattering the very foundations of this community are the frequent instances of outside community alliances in the form of the marriages of our kids outside the KP realm.

These youth can be easily absolved of the blame as it is a natural phenomenon with them because they are brought up in an alien environment with minimum impact of specific Kashmir Hindu culture being out of the bounds of their original habitat firstly because of the recent displacement and secondly in respect of their education and the work-place environment but the point here to consider is how these emotional outbursts of the youngsters of our community affect the course of their future lives.

A KP girl if married in a non-Kashmiri household instantly loses her specific identity and becomes part of an alien culture. In case of a joint family the things go catastrophic immediately because our daughter cannot change instantly to adapt herself to the new environment which is diametrically different by way of eating habits, social interactions, customs, language, day to day dealings with elders and guests. As such she is unable to fulfill the aspirations and expectations of her parents-in-law and their relatives and so the glamour of their young married life fades away very soon giving rise to feuds between the husband and the wife and others. Thus immediately the relations get embittered for the young couple as the boy can neither take the side of his parents nor his wife and the worst aspect of the matter is that the girl cannot complain before her parents as the choice of the marriage was only hers, not her parents.

Things are better in case it is a husband and wife unit living separately apart from the other members of family but not essentially satisfying, as again the interaction of the girl with other relatives on her in-laws side cannot be comfortable because of the huge cultural gap that exists between the families as the customs and the way of performing ceremonies vary to the extent that there is a sure possibility of bitterness in the relations. And who is ultimately the victim? First the girl and second her parents. Now, in case of the marriage of a non-KP girl with a KP boy, the total fabric of the household is shattered as a result of the differences of tastes in eating, dressing, manners, etiquette and language. From the very first day of the marriage the daughter-in-law experiences complete isolation as a result of a quite different environment in the house of her in-laws to which she is not accustomed. She cannot adjust with them even with difficulty because she is alien to everything that is the usual activity in the KP household.

The change puts her into extreme emotional depression and the result is that she rebuffs and there are frequent clashes on mere trifles and the family breakups very soon. All the expectations of the parents from their son are shattered. The unfortunate boy is sandwiched between the expectations of his young wife and the duties towards his parents.

Modern KP youth, mostly a product of Maharashtra Technical Education, get usually involved emotionally during studies there and end up in getting married contrary to the wishes of their parents. They have a very strong argument in support of their relations and alliances. They argue that their KP background cannot affect their future life as they have got used to non-Kashmiri culture, foods and ways of life being out of home for a long time. The new relation as they feel further would be capable to make them financially sound than otherwise. Little do they imagine that alliances like marriage are not simple short term agreements and thus cannot to be broken easily. Matrimonial alliances do not get only the boy and the girl together but make a permanent bond between the two families for all social interactions. These contacts cannot be avoided because of the Indian tradition of deep social intercourse between relatives and friends on frequent occasions like marriages and other social gatherings. The deep cultural chasm that exists especially between a KP and the Hindus of the plains cannot be ignored so easily for such alliances. The bonds of KP culture are full of various intricacies which cannot be easily adopted by a non-Kashmiri nor are all these capable to be shunned away simply. The modern youth must understand that these alliances are a result of hasty emotional outbursts of raw minds without any serious thought and hence liable to invite serious implications.

This author would definitely like to invite serious arguments in this context from the youth especially defending the cause, if any. It is not out of place to mention here that matrimonial alliances between Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali and Rajasthani families or the like except KPs can definitely be comfortable with a minor adjustment and would as such not pose any major problem for the youth concerned and their families because their individual cultures and ways of life are easily accommodating with each other. The unique KP culture with patterns of strange hues is very difficult to be compromised. The development has, as such, proved detrimental to the sacred matrimonial ties and the subtle cultural heritage of Kashmiri Pandits.

The long talks and discussions currently going on about the preservation of our cherished cultural heritage outside the bounds of Kashmir is proving futile without showing serious concern on these out of the community alliances. Giving a daughter outside the community means loosing a KP family along with all traditions and customs. Getting in a non-Kashmiri girl as a daughter-in-law is to deprive the household of all Kashmiri flavour and cherished values. The protagonists of the preservation of Kashmir culture do not seem to show any serious concern towards this fatal development which is cutting deep the roots of our so-called heritage. All of us seem to be helpless in the hands of our erring youth who repent at leisure on having a taste of the impacts of these hasty alliances. Time is not far when instances of breaking such alliances along with others will boost up but the damage caused by them would have taken the toll of many households shattered to pieces and left many erroneous youth suffering enormously.

JAWAHAR LAL BHAT

B-3, ASHIANA Apartments,

SECTOR-46, FARIDABAD, HARYANA

CONTACT NO: 0129-4096114