Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --
 | I made pilgrimages, looking for God By Lalla English version by Coleman Barks
I made pilgrimages, looking for God.
 / Photo by Brian Tomlinson / |
| ============ Thought for the Day: Allow yourself to notice ============ | Here's your Daily Music selection --  Vineet Vyas Taalworks |
Hi Omss -
Then I gave up, turned around,
there God was inside me!
Isn't that the way of it?
--
Lalla, also affectionately called Lalli, Lal Ded, Lal Diddi ("Granny Lal"), or Lalleshwari, was born near Srinagar in Kashmir in northern India.
Little is known with certainty about her life, other than hints that come to us through her poetry and songs.
She was a young bride, married, tradition says, at the age of twelve. After moving into her husband's family home, she was abused by her mother-in-law and ignored by her husband.
Finally, Lalla could endure no more mistreatment and, in her early 20s, she left. She became a disciple of a respected saint in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition of yoga and she took up the life of a holy woman dedicated God in the form of Shiva. Lalla began wandering about, village to village, going naked or nearly naked, and singing songs of enlightenment.
Lalla's songs are short, using the simple, direct language of the common people, yet she touches on complex yogic techniques and the most elevated states of awareness.
The name Lalla can be translated as either "seeker" or "darling."
Lalla is deeply loved by both Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir today, even amidst the terrible fighting ravaging the land. There is a saying that in Kashmir only two words have any meaning: Allah and Lalla.
--
Have a beautiful day! (And maybe pause every now and then, and turn around.)
Ivan
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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.
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