The Ascent of Self: A Reinterpretation of the Mystical Poetry of Lalla-ded

The book deals with the spiritual evolution of a mystic saint-poetess of Kashmir of the 14th

century. The work is based on the verses of the poetess collected from old manuscripts and other sources. The verses have been rearranged, translated and commented upon and the thesis

made out that Lalla-Ded, as the poetess is called, attained yogic perfection.

The verses have not only been rendered into English but also critically analysed and examined. The commentary on each quatrain has been supported extensively by quotations and texts from the Indian scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanisads, the Brahma Sutras, the Saiva-Tantras of Kashmir, etc., besides references to sacred books and philosophies of the West. In a way it may be considered as a treatise on practical yoga-the ‘ascent’ of the individual self through subtle planes of the absolute being.

The teaching of Lalla-Ded has a great bearing and significance today, as ever. The spiritual salvation helps rise above the narrow considera tions of selfishness, greed and, more than anything else, above religious bigotry.

Those who doubt the efficacy of Yoga and Tantra should really read this book for its sound philosophizing and as a fresh account of the so-called esoteric practices, meant for transformation of means of perception. The book is relevant to the present times when there is over-all demand for reviewing traditional oriental practices meant for enriching our present cultural life which is overshadowed by mechanistic ideology – Sambodhi, vol.8, December 1980

Prof. B.N. Parimoo has made a laudable attempt…to trace the spiritual evolution of Lal Ded, the path of the ascent of her self, in the Vakhs by rearranging them in a sequential order. Not only this, but has also tried through painstaking scholarship to do a careful sifting of the Vakhs which have been mixed up with the shrukhs of Nunda Rishi. – Prabuddha Bharat, September 1982

Professor Parimoo’s scholarly study of Lalla Vakhs has a distinctiveness about it that makes it invaluable to a student of spirituality in general and to the student of Kashmir Saivism in particular. In his own words, he has attempted a reconstruction of the verse sayings of this great saint-poetess to indicate the stages of her ASCENT to the highest pinnacle of spiritual evolution. – Kashmir Herald, Vol.III, 26 April 1981

Review(s)

This volume deserves wide reading… and, irrespective of views, one will be impressed with the straightforward, clear and earnest manner of presentation. – The Hindu, August, 1979

This work is a valuable contribution to the subject of mysticism as it gives us an insight into the achievements of Lalleshwari. Written in a simple and charming style, it serves

as an authentic exposition on a subject of profound interest. – Mother India, May, 1983

About the Author(s)