Mystical Verses of Lalla: A Journey of Self Realization

Mystical Verses of Lalla is a rich introduction to Lalla, the great 14th centuries. Also known as Lallesvari and Lal Ded, she defied social conventions and proceeded on the journey of self-realization. Her verses speak across cultural boundaries and traditions and are as relevant today as they were six centuries ago. Jaishree Kak has beautifully translated the verses from Kashmiri into English. Joseph Singer’s prints and drawings complement the verses, providing visual pathways into Lalla’s verses. The fourteenth-century mystic poet Lalla, also known as Lallesvari and Lal Ded, is an integral part of Kashmiri language, literature, and culture. Lalla-Vakh or Lalla’s verse-sayings have resonated orally for centuries in the valley of Kashmir. Lalla has been compared to Shakespeare, Hafiz, Kabir and Tulsidasa. And, she has been honored as the first Kashmiri poet who modernized Kashmiri language as well as literature. Her richness of language, turn of phrases, and metaphors are now standard expressions in modern Kashmiri.

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About the Author(s)

Jaishree Kak teaches at the University of Hawai’i. She is the author of To the Other Shore: Lalla’s Life and Verses. Joseph Singer is an artist, photographer and writer. He has coauthored, with Jan Becket, Pana O’ ahu: Sacred Stones, Sacred Land and, with Kathy J. Philips, This Isn’t a Picture I’ m Holding: Kuan Yin.