How female mystics transcended misogyny

Chitra Srikrishna explores the lives and poetry of women mystics like Ambabai and Lal Ded whose works are intertwined with struggles against misogyny, caste discrimination, and personal hardships while their poetry goes beyond mere devotion

Ambabai, a Haridasa mystic from the early 20th century, expresses herself unabashedly in her dasapada or devotional Kannada verse, "Mutthaiddhe yaadhena muravairi dayadhi" where she declares herself to be a “muthaiddhe”— one whose husband is still alive, but in reality, she was a widow. In her poetry, there is neither despair nor desperation of her widowhood. Ambabai believed herself to be married to Lord Venkateshwara and continued to compose dasapadas in his praise.

Through the centuries, women mystic poets — from Ambabai of Karnataka, Soyarabai and Kanhopatra of Maharashtra to Lal Ded of Kashmir — have been celebrated much for their devotional poetry. However, their lives and work are often rendered monochromatically, what Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls “a single story” — one of devotion.

While we celebrate our women mystics, we also view them rather simplistically as "great devotees". We often overlook the gender, social and marital hardships they faced and the challenges in these women’s lives — misogyny, caste discrimination, widowhood and abuse. Their grit and perseverance in the face of unrelenting oppression is truly inspiring.

Lal Ded, the 14th-century Kashmiri mystic poet had to deal with the trauma of being caught in an abusive marriage. Her poetry, referred to as vakh or vatsun — four-line verses in Kashmiri, never directly speaks of her travails. Yet many vakhs, rendered in first person, demonstrate her great inner strength to stand up for herself. As she says in one of her vakhs, to be patient whatever may befall her — “tsaalun chu vzmala ta trattay, tsaalun chu mandinyan gattakaar." (Immense faith and resilience help one to face insurmountable challenges — be they physical or mental.)

“Pandariche Braahmane Chokhyasi Chaleele," says Soyarabai, the 14th-century varkari mystic in one of her abhangs (Marathi devotional poetry). Born into the Mahar community, Soyarabai and her husband Chokha were considered “untouchables”. This abhang reflects her angst over her husband Chokha’s harassment by the Brahmin community of Pandharpur in Maharashtra. While Soyarabai’s abhangs spoke of devotion towards Vittoba, the presiding deity of Pandharpur, they also reflected the discrimination and struggles faced by the couple due to their caste.

Kanhopatra, the 15th century varkari mystic from Maharashtra was born to a courtesan mother. This meant from birth, Kanhopatra did not receive dignity of status in society. “Nako Devaraya Antha Aatha Paahu, Praana Haa Sarvatha Phuto Paahe," says Kanhopatra in an abhang. It is a poignant cry towards Vittobha not to test her as she feels her life is slipping away from her.

While these women from different centuries and regions of India have sought strength in their devotion to god, their stories and struggles are still very relevant to us today. Women face the same struggles, sometimes in different forms. In the contemporary realm, poets like Kamala Das or Sukirtharani, whose works transgress society’s diktats of what is acceptable — be it caste, gender roles or sexuality continue to be straight-jacketed or dismissed. As Adichie says, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they aren’t true, but they are incomplete.”

Acknowledging the struggles these women poets endured is the first step towards creating a world that respects and empowers women. Transcending such limiting narratives helps us understand and acknowledge what women face even today. Speaking up when such single stories continue to be propagated is the need of the hour. Beyond challenging the single story, each of us needs to educate ourselves and reinforce the multi-dimensionality of these women in history. Through words and actions, we can change our perception, as a necessary action to prevent similar things from happening to women in our communities.

We need to recognise the lessons — beyond devotion — that women mystic poets offer us. These include resilience, defiance and the relentless pursuit of one's identity, all of which can empower and be a source of strength for women everywhere.
 
(The writer is a Carnatic vocalist based in Bengaluru.)