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. |
