When this question was asked to an assembly of girls gathered to listen to Her Holiness Anandmurti Gurumaa, in the auditorium of Vivekananda College for girls, there was a mixed response with a few not knowing what to say. So to make them think, Gurumaa said, “When you are asked a question, you should have the courage to answer or else you will become vulnerable to injustice.” Inspired by this, many spoke up. Thus began the talk…

Well, you should never feel good about being called a devi, because then you are not considered even a human being. Your right to be a human being is taken away from you in the name of devi. Just think! What are the expectations from a devi: You should be a giver; you should sacrifice; you should not speak even when faced with injustice, and everything else that can be termed as exploitation. Such is the upbringing of every girl in India! She is conditioned to see herself as weaker than men and to succumb to this male-dominated society. So don’t feel happy to be called a devi; ask for your human rights and avail of them.
I wish to ask you all: Why do you come to college? What is your purpose? Does it only give you the freedom to step out of the four-walls of your house, or are you interested in learning and educating yourself? I congratulate all those who are sincere in their studies, but I also know that there are many who come to college to have a good-time and gossip about their favorite topics like fashion, romance etc. Life is more than fashion and romance. Don’t just be beautiful, but also be intellectually evolved.
And do not under-estimate the importance of education in life, especially for girls. I travel around the world and get to meet several women. I have heard stories of women who are facing adversities in their life just because they are not educated, and hence they end up being dependent on men who then take undue advantage of them.

Girls should learn martial arts to develop the physical ability to protect themselves
In India it is a normal practice to marry off a girl at the very young age of 20-25yrs. And it is also seen that girls just drop their education mid-way, as soon as they get married; marriage is seen as the only purpose of educating girls! But what is the guarantee that your husband will always be there with you? What if he dies before you? Have you ever thought what will happen to you then? And do you have any idea of the life of a widow? The treatment meted out to widows in India is very biased. They are considered a curse and are not even allowed to socialize; a widow ends up being a victim of society.
It is society which has laid down the ‘dos and don’ts’ for girls during menstruation. Even today in twenty-first century India, many conservative gurus and pundits propagate such idiosyncrasies as a woman being impure during her periods. The height of superstition in India is that women are told not to touch pickles during their periods as the pickle will spoil!
A woman is not allowed to enter temples, to worship god, to touch or eat pickle – the list is endless. To break through this myth, I asked two lady scientists to conduct a research on menstruating women. They not only made six hundred menstruating women from different parts of the country touch pickles for three months, but also made them prepare pickles. The pickles were sealed and kept under observation. Not a single jar of pickle went bad!
Menstruation is a sign of a girl’s fertility; if the girl doesn’t menstruate, then she will never become a mother. This is the system Nature has given to a woman. How can a system given by Nature be impure? Due to her periods, she is able to become a mother and can give birth to a child and bring a new life into the world.
I don’t want you to become victims; I want you all to evolve and secure yourselves physically, mentally and financially. You should learn martial arts to develop the physical ability to protect yourself. Why do you need to depend on any male to save you from any difficult circumstance? Empower yourself and equip yourself such that you become your own protector. You should learn meditation to explore your inherent potential and to be in a state of peace and calm. Empower…Educate…Evolve!
When a boy is educated, an individual is educated; when a girl is educated, the whole generation is educated as she will further educate the children and girls in her family. Yet girls are given discriminatory treatment by their own parents!
Meditation is one of the most important tools in learning. Students often complain about forgetting their studies and not being able to retain for long what they have learnt. The major reason for this is that your mind isn’t integrated. It has too many thoughts regarding several issues in your life. When you study, you not only study but think about so many other things at the same time. To sharpen your memory, you should learn the techniques of Tratak and Yog Nidra. Tratak is an ancient technique which helps to improve concentration and integrates the mind. Yog Nidra is also an ancient technique devised and used by our sages, to activate the dormant areas of the human body and mind. Albert Einstein, the famous scientist is supposed to have used just 8% of his brain’s capacity! This indicates the extent of the capabilities of the human brain. Both the techniques are power-tools to unleash your potential to its optimum.
Swami Vivekananda is often cited for his remarkable intelligence and memory. In one instance, when the loan of a book from a scientist’s library was refused to him, he asked for permission to read it there and then. This instance is amazing in that he not only read the complete book in just three hours, but also understood and shared his understanding with the scientist! The secret of his prodigious memory is Yog Nidra.
In Yog Nidra one is required to move consciousness to different parts of the body, followed by a reverse counting of breaths and then to resolve – resolve is very important as whatever you resolve at that time in Yog Nidra will definitely become a reality. So always make a creative and constructive resolve to make your life beautiful. Regular practice of this technique can awaken the power of intuition and many other dormant capabilities.
A woman is a creator; she is blessed with the ability to give birth. No man can ever match this ability because he doesn’t have a womb to give birth. In an attempt to become creators, men strive to paint, climb mountains and engage in other such activities.
It is sad that the creator of life is killed and not given a chance to be born. I am talking about female foeticide and infanticide. The sharp decline in the number of girls per thousand boys indicates that many people resort to such cruel practices. You should be thankful to your parents for they didn’t kill you in the womb, and for giving you an opportunity to acquire knowledge. If you come across any woman who is going in for a sex determination test with the intention of resorting to foeticide, just make her aware of the cruelty of her act, and save the life of the child to be.

It is a  pleasure to wish the pioneer of spirituality, GuruMaa, on her Enlightenment day. Gurumaa, may we ask you to please address us on this joyous occasion?
I am really, really surprised that how come I do not know which is my Enlightenment day and you know which is my Enlightenment day! I never, ever had this inkling in my mind that someone will one day talk about the day when I got enlightened and it will be an honorable, celebrative day!
I had no clue. So honestly speaking, I cannot give you one particular time or day when I got enlightenment. 11th April is the day when I wore ochre colored clothes for the first time. In India, when someone does that with the permission of their Master, it is called Sanyas, Sanyas-Divas, Sanyas Day.
But as I have said many, many times, my Sanyas is not a traditional, ritualistic Sanyas. No ceremonies were involved, no prayers were done. No special chanting was done. And even the Master who had given me this permission to wear the ochre color was not present physically. Traditionally, someone has to give this permission, only then you can wear it. You never wear it your own. In my case, that Master too was not physically present when I wore them. So 11th April is the day when I took the ochre color, but it is definitely not Enlightenment day. Because I was enlightened far, far before this thing happened – when I chose this colour or anything like that….
It has nothing to do with what happened within, and I was rather wondering that when my enlightenment day is. It is a riddle, it is a puzzle; I don’t know….
Osho gave a date that he got enlightenment on this particular day. I think  it is 21st January or 19th  January, something like that. And from him, many other Gurus too followed his example and everyone started saying, “Okay, I got enlightened on this day.” It is by chance that Osho could say, “Okay, this happened on this day”. But that is one exceptional case. The truth is this – maybe I am more Zen-like and in Zen, no announcements are made. And those who announce this are considered to be false. Their claim is null and void, they are speaking untruth.
Kabir too affirms this and he says, “Those who say that we are enlightened are not enlightened, and those who do not say so, are definitely not enlightened as well”. However, it is not a question of saying this, it is not a question of your announcement. It is not a question of standing on Lal Kila or some fort and making an announcement like the Prime Minister of India, “Okay, this is the day, the day when we got independence.” So, enlightenment is the day when I got my real independence.
There is no need to do that too, so just a small correction which I would like to make is that it is just a Sanyas day, nothing special. It is just calling all of you and having a celebration, so it is just an excuse, Nothing serious in that. The reason for a celebration can be made anytime and every time.

Spirituality

• What’s your personal perspective on Spirituality?

• Rhea: I think we are all inherently spiritual. It’s just the level of awareness & maturity of mind as to when you recognize that and you are in tuned with it.

Marriage

• What is your view on the institution of marriage?

“MY STRUGGLE WITH THE WORD MARRIAGE IS THAT IN TODAY’S WORLD WE GIVE MORE IMPORTANCE TO RULES AND REGULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND NEGLECT THE ESSENCE”

• Rhea:My struggle with the word marriage is that in today’s world we give more importance to rules and regulations associated with it and neglect the essence. For example, the question arises if we have put down our marriage on the paper? Is there a security for me being with my partner? Hence, it becomes more of a board room than a marriage and that disturbs me. Because it goes against the essence on why we are together or it probably elaborates a point too strongly which does not needs to be emphasized. And I think the reasons that bring two people together are overlooked, or not given importance, time and value. I believe more importance should be given to the fact that how committed you are.

• Having said that do you feel now getting married is necessary in the 21st century?

• Rhea:I honestly believe that it’s necessary for the sake of children because we do come from a society that has social rules and regulations and norms, which have influenced us from time immemorial. And these affect the child’s mind. I am not against the process; I just hope that we should respect the reasons why the process came into being. So if you keep that in mind, why not, marriage is a wonderful institution, but the way it is perceived today is something I don’t like.
  

“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND GROWTH IN LIFE”

• Do you think marriage is a bondage?

• Rhea: Not bondage, it can actually be very liberating. It all depends on being true to the reasons of coming together. Bondage is when you confine yourself, and you are knotting yourself up in the process of this is how this has to be done, this is what I expect you to do, when the expectations become unrealistic. That’s when it becomes a bondage. When you are not letting yourself or your partner grow.
  

• What’s your message for the youth? And how should they go about deciding about this aspect whether or not to marry.
  

• Rhea: There is no general rule that applies to each and every individual. The only thing that is required is to be true to your self. It’s a wonderful institution. Only if you are in for the right reasons and you value the fact that there are two different individuals involved, who have two different thought processes, two different belief systems. And when you accept that, there is huge level of acceptance as two individuals work together. I love the beautiful statement by Khalil Gibran that says, “Two pillars support the same roof. And its independent pillars. But they work towards the same goal.”Now there are certain choices that partners make, which may not be acceptable to one of the partners but as long as it works towards the same goal and both get the freedom to express their identity or their individuality, they should respect the each other. So this allowing each other to grow towards the same goal, you have to have a like minded partner.

• So why does this divorce come into picture? Why does that happen?

• Rhea: It comes into the picture when you do not have the same goal as your partner’s to an extent that it is completely opposite of what you want. So if you come to a point where you see that you cannot evolve or grow this way, and it is becoming more of an endless route of unhealthiness, then there is no why should you not get divorced. So the most important thing is health, happiness and growth in life.
  

Treatment of Women

• What is your perspective on the malpractices of female foeticide and discriminatory treatment given to women in India?

• Rhea: There is no denial that discrimination exists but the good part is that it is changing in the right direction. When I was told that I have given birth to a daughter, I felt that it is the most brilliant thing to happen.
  We should also applaud the fact that we have had women Prime Minister, we have many women at administrative positions. And we respect women enough to be able to give them power. At the same time, what we are going through, what we have always gone through is, not recognizing the power of women, the brilliance of women, and the value of women.

‘Daughter of the Mountain,’ Parvati Devi is the primary personification of Shakti Herself. Her consort is Shiva; Her children are Ganesh and Skanda, but in fact she is the mother of all gods and goddesses, of all humanity and of creation itself. Being Shakti’s ‘base form,’ Parvati manifests her wrath as Durga and Kali; and her benevolence as Lakshmi and Saraswati. She is every other goddess as well; when we worship any goddess, or for that matter even any god, we ultimately worship her.

A Balancing Principle

Parvati is Shakti’s (i.e. the Divine Feminine’s) second incarnation as the wife of Shiva. After Shiva’s first wife Sati died, her divine body parts were strewn all over India (all the places where these parts landed became Shakti peeths, or ’seats of the goddess,’ and are now sites of Devi temples) and Shiva turned his back completely on the world, resuming the life of an ascetic in a remote Himalayan cave, while the demon Taraka overran the heavens above and the earth below.With no ‘living’ Shakti (manifest Divinity) to balance Shiva (transcendent Divinity), the Cosmic order was thrown into disarray. Shiva had no interest in the world, and in any event he was ‘powerless’ (Shakti = Power, Energy) without Shakti. And so the gods prayed to Shakti to reincarnate and bring Shiva back into the world, thereby restoring the cosmic balance and saving the world. Shakti agreed and thereupon took birth as Parvati, the daughter of Himavan, the Lord of the Mountains.

Of course she grew up to be a stunningly beautiful, charming and alluring woman – her ‘mission’ after all, was to lure Shiva out of his ascetic life and make him take her as his consort. And so every day, she would visit Shiva’s cave, sweep the floor, decorate it with flowers and offer him fruits and other gifts of the earth, hoping to win his love.

Personification of Shakti

However, Shiva never even opened his eyes to notice her. So Parvati enlisted the help of Priti and Rati, the goddesses of Love and Longing. They transformed Shiva’s cave into a sensuous pleasure garden filled with fragrant flowers, exotic songbirds and buzzing honeybees. With the stage thus set,

Kama, the beautiful God of Love appeared and shot Shiva with the arrow of desire. But Shiva, unamused, simply opened his third eye and blasted

Kama with an energy beam that incinerated him on the spot. And so Love was lost to the world.“Do not despair,” Parvati told the gods when this happened. “Shiva will be my consort. And when he does, Kama will be reborn. “Whereupon Parvati disappeared into the forest, and became an ascetic herself. She performed the most rigorous self-mortifications – sitting amidst bonfires on the hottest summer days, going without clothing in the winter snow, standing motionless on one foot for interminable periods, eating next to nothing, and engaging in the most astonishingly intense sadhana. In fact, Parvati fully matched Shiva’s own asceticism, detaching herself totally from the world; completely mastering her body and mind. So perfect an ascetic was she that the other forest renunciates named her Aparna.

“The story of Parvati’s efforts to win unity with shiva, is in itself a most powerful allegory of the sadhak’s quest to merge with the Divine”

Finally the heat (tapas) generated by Parvati’s amazing austerities shook Shiva out of his meditation. He stepped out of his cave and learning of her accomplishments, agreed to be her consort. They married amidst the most divine celebrations and then together left for the

peak of

Mount Kailasa, where the two became one, and

Kama was reborn into the world.

Parvati and Shiva’s marriage is a happy and full of blissful companionship Under her benevolent influence, Shiva the ‘great ascetic’ became Shiva the ‘householder’. However, in addition to their games and pleasures, they also had serious conversations in which they questioned one another on the most profound philosophical issues. Those conversations formed the basis of the Vedas, the Yoga Sutras and the Tantras - the three principle foundations of the Hindu faith. Inspired by Parvati’s intelligence and beauty, Shiva also became a fountainhead of the arts, dance and drama.

Parvati – More Than A Consort

Shaivite approaches to Hinduism tend to look upon Parvati primarily as the god’s submissive and obedient wife and helpmate. However, Shaktas focus on Parvati’s equality or even superiority to her consort. Take, for example, the story of the birth of the ‘Ten Mahavidyas’ or ‘Wisdom Goddesses’ of Shakta Tantra. This event occurs while Shiva is living with Parvati in her father’s house. Following an argument, he attempts to walk out on her. Her rage manifests in the form of ten terrifying goddesses who block Shiva’s every exit.

As the scholar David Kinsley explains, “The fact that Parvati is able to physically restrain Shiva, dramatically demonstrates the fact that she is superior in power. The theme of the superiority of the goddess over male deities is common in Shakta texts, and so the story stresses a central Shakta theological principle. The fact that Shiva and Parvati are living in her father’s house in itself makes this point, as it is a tradition in most parts of India for the wife to leave her father’s home upon marriage and become a part of her husband’s lineage and live in his home among his relatives.That Shiva dwells in Parvati’s house implies her superiority in their relationship, which is also demonstrated in her ability – through the Mahavidyas – to thwart Shiva’s will and assert her own.”

The Great Disciple

It is not necessary to insist upon Parvati’s ’superiority’ in order to realize the power and value of her teachings. As the scholar Ellen Goldberg notes: The story of Parvati’s efforts to win unity with Shiva, is in itself a most powerful allegory of the sadhak’s quest to merge with the Divine. As a yogini (female yoga adept) and tapasvini (female accomplisher of great austerities), Parvati offers all of her devotees an inspiring model by which to master the intricacies of their sadhana. Goldberg writes: “Parvati (Shakti) is the yogini/ tapasvini par excellence. As a rule, the only necessary requirements for the [yoga] path are: access to teachings; a guru; one-pointed dedication to the practices. Parvati fulfills all three requisites. The hatha yoga tradition clearly affirms that the transmission of oral teachings proceeds directly from Shiva to Parvati. This primeval discourse in turn reflects the prototypical relationship between guru and disciple. As a yogini, Parvati performs her austerities (tapas) dutifully – subjecting herself to strict penance like eating tree bark, standing on one foot and so onto win or unite with her beloved Shiva.” “Her ascetic disciplines prepare her for a progressive ascent through body, speech and mind and lead her via preparatory and purificatory practices, to the higher attainments of yoga realization. Once her karma is dissolved, Parvati, as a model disciple, is drawn into deeper and more subtle forms of meditation, leading to the merging of herself and Shiva in the form and figure of Ardhanariswara.”

Parvati and shiva’s marriage is a happy and full of blissful companionship. Inspired by Parvati’s intelligence and beauty, Shiva became a fountainhead of the arts, dance and drama

“In this model, active engagement through asceticism or tapas is advocated as the prerequisite for unionwith Shiva: Parvati takes form as a human disciple (nari), dresses in the clothes of an ascetic, and with matted hair (jata) and modest diet (mitahara), remains in one-pointed tapas. She knows that to effect a union with Shiva and to actively save the world she must perform these tapas.” “Shiva is informed by the devas of Parvati’s effort, and he appears before her as a brahmachari (celibatemonk) who speaks of Shiva’s wrathful nature to test her resolve and commitment. Parvati is steadfast,and Shiva is duly convinced of her one-pointed determination and devotion. He then appears to her as himself and agrees to marry her. Her tapas won-over her self-chosen husband, Shiva. Parvati thereby actively subverts the normative mode of behavior for women (stridharma). In this narrative, Parvati is not an object of sexual desire, rather she is a spiritual heroine who earns her rightful status by the side of Shiva.”

Soul Curry presents an exclusive interview with Jessy Randhawa, a well known name in the modelling arena. Besides being an Indian ramp model, her versatility is that she is an actress, a ballroom dancer, expert in martial arts, kickboxing, tae-kawon-do, Reiki practitioner, popularly known as an Indian ramp model and trained to be a pilot;
She was headed to become a pilot but entered Miss India and there was’nt any looking back.
She was among the top five finalists of Femina Miss India 1994 and today is the queen bee of style and fashion.
This is not it! There is lot to more about her personality, her profound understanding of life and her mature perspective on Marriage. Correspondent from Soul Curry spoke to Jessy Randhawa about her spiritual journey and her view on Is marriage a curse or a boon.

• What’s your view about the institution of marriage? According to you “Is it a curse or a boon”?

• JESSEY: We can never call it a curse. It’s definitely a boon to get married. Two people getting married is almost like you wanting to know what Brahman is, you wanting to know what another human being is; spending time with other person is certainly not easy. You have to compromise. But you have to see it like you are accepting another human being’s Brahma. It’s not about two people getting together for producing children or social causes but it’s actually accepting another’s divinity.

• But does that feeling last when we are actually with the other person?
  

• JESSEY: Considering the fact that I am coming from a divorce, few years back I would have certainly said: this me, I and Ego is the bigger thing. But today, I feel that transformation has to happen inside you and not the other person.

• Do you think now getting married is necessary in this 21st century?
  

• JESSEY: Sure it is! It has always been important; it is also a way of self-grooming in life. As such it is very easy to live in your own world, be alone and deal with your self thinking there is no problem because in reality you are avoiding problems. But if you are with someone, you will grow as a person. You will know the problems, get into them and actually solve them, and then your relationship with everybody around you changes. It’s just like till the time you actually become a mother, you would not know what is to be a mother, what are sleepless nights, what is taking care and taking somebody’s responsibility.

“YING AND YANG MAKE THE WHOLE ENERGY. SO, DO NOT MISS THE OTHER PART OF LIFE. I THINK EVERY HUMAN BEING SHOULD HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE; BEING IN THIS WORLD, BEING WITH THE COUNTERPART, AND THEN LIVING THIS LIFE AS A HEAVEN”

• According to you, why are people in today’s world taking marriage as a bondage and opting for live-in relationships?

• JESSEY: I think it is because they fear taking responsibility, they fear getting hurt, and they fear something bad is going to happen. And foremost is that they are not sure what they want from themselves, how they would know about what they want from others. So, basically they are not sure what is marriage for and what does it mean? If they know the meaning of marriage, they will be better off deciding about it in a positive way. As of now people don’t know what they actually want? Do they want the person for physical requirement, for social requirement or they want the person for soul-mate relationship?

• What message would you like to give to the youth about deciding to get married or not?
  

• JESSEY: Ying and Yang make the whole energy. So, do not miss the other part of life. I think every human being should have this experience; being in this world, being with the counterpart, and then living this life as a heaven. Heaven is not already made and given to you. You have to make it as a heaven.
  Freedom is never curbed by another human being. If you give respect, love, and emotional security, you will get freedom; it’s just what you give to the other person you get it back.

“TRANSFORMATION HAS TO HAPPEN INSIDE YOU AND NOT THE OTHER PERSON.”

• What are your views on women being perceived as weaker than her counterpart in Indian society?
  

• JESSEY: I think women are born of strength. I would say that feminism is not only in women, it can be in men also. The feminine side of any human being, be it male or female, is the most strongest and positive side. And if you are already women, you have to go through a lot more trials and things in your life. This is what makes you stronger because you go through so many more trials. I think men are unfortunate that they are not exposed so much to the trials in life. It is therefore, much more easier for women to go inside their own self and unleash their maximum strength. Women are weak only externally, but god has given them enough balance and strength inside, so she is much stronger than a male.

• It’s for the first time that you got the opportunity of meeting Gurumaa and being part of Amrit Varsha – the divine talk in Mumbai. Please share with us your experience.
  

• JESSEY:First time was just few days back when Gurumaa had come over in Mumbai for Satsang. I went on the third day, which I absolutely regret now that I should have actually gone on the first day. That was my first meeting with her. And there was this great feeling I got of another human being who is sitting right in front of me.
  Though I am not a person of Bhajans or Satsangs as I have never been to any of these, rather I found them boring. But when Gurumaa was singing, I could not keep my eyes open. It was a transformation. The way she was singing from her heart, I do not know how to explain what a Bhajan is? But today I know what exactly a Bhajan is.

“THE FEMININE SIDE OF ANY HUMAN BEING, BE IT MALE OR FEMALE, IS THE MOST STRONGEST AND POSITIVE SIDE.”

• What’s your personal perspective on spirituality especially after attending the session?
  

• JESSEY: In my hearts of heart, I was all this while, looking for a Guru. I have been reading spiritual books because I like them and mostly say that you need a Guru to proceed in your life. And yes, I have been doing my best in my own ways to go deep into the self. But I have not been able to achieve. Whereas in three days of meeting with Gurumaa, such great transformation has happened in my life. And not only spiritually but in many other ways now things have materialized in such a nice manner. Though she has not initiated me as yet, but already, such positivity has happened  because I was in touch of Gurumaa’s aura which is suppose to be God’s aura and it has transformed me so much.

The very nature of a woman is strength and compassion and the essence of her being is to nurture. A woman takes a long journey in her entire life fulfilling myriad roles in the society. Little does she realize that the vision she holds so dear can only be brought to reality if she has nurtured her own body well – with good thoughts, lifestyle and above all, good nutrition.

After a galloping phase of infancy and early childhood, where the nutrition is completely taken care of by the elders around the child, comes the most crucial phase in life. This is the phase of adolescence (which is Latin means ‘to grow up’), which is the period between the onset of puberty and full maturity (i.e. 10 to 21 years).This is the time when child begins to see himself / herself as an individual and exercise his/ her choice for everything. The influences experienced by an adolescent often make a template for shaping the life of an adult. While trying to keep pace with the rapid physical changes and peer pressure, intense concern with appearance and weight and an active lifestyle, the adolescents often neglect the importance of nutrition. This is more observed in girls as they focus on their appearance more than what could make them a healthy individual. The biological, social, psychological and cognitive changes that occur during adolescence can significantly affect nutritional health.

Nutrition for adolescent girl:

The biological process of puberty is characterized with rapid growth in height and weight, changes in body composition and tissues and acquisition of primary and secondary sex characters. The average duration of puberty in girls is 4 years, with a range of 1.5 to 8 years. Nutrition needs parallel the rate of growth with the maximum nutrition demands occurring during the peak velocity of the growth. Sex hormones estrogen and progesterone contribute to changes in body composition which cause fat deposits. Research has shown that pubertal girls experience 44% increase in lean body mass and 120% increase in body fat.

The changes in the body composition have important implication for nutritional needs especially with respect to energy, iron and protein.

Importance of Breakfast:

Eating a good breakfast increases thinking power and helps maintain a healthy body weight. Eating at breakfast time helps to stop snacking on high calorie bars and confectionery at break time and so can help keep the total calorie intake also low. Having a fortified cereal for breakfast helps to meet the adolescent calcium and iron needs.

What should an adolescent girl eat more?

This is the age when the body demands more of calcium and iron. Lack of calcium intake can have a detrimental affect on bone growth as this is the age when the gain in bone density is maximum (up to 90%). Milk, cheese and yogurt are the best sources of calcium. Teenagers also need equivalent of a pint-and-a-half of ordinary milk or a pint of fortified milk each day. This can be made up of milk on breakfast cereal, milk in tea, coffee, milkshakes or smoothies.

Iron is another nutrient which is to be taken regularly. Iron is found in plant foods which need to be combined with vitamin C rich foods, for example a glass of orange juice (vitamin C) with beans (iron) on toast. Other vitamin C rich foods are citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit), kiwi, nectarines, mango, blackcurrants and drinks based on these fruits. Potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C. Alternative good sources of iron are eggs, fortified breakfast cereal, whole meal bread, broccoli, spinach, prunes and apricots.

Adolescent girls should also eat diet high in protein in order for proper muscle growth. Some of the good sources of protein are cheese, yogurt, milk, eggs, beans (all types such as kidney beans, butter beans, beans in tomato sauce), peas, chick peas, lentils and peanuts. Vegetables are rich source of vitamins, including vitamin A and C, and folate, minerals, such as iron and magnesium, and fiber. Besides, they are low in fat. One should have 2 to 4 servings of vegetables each day.

In summary, the best nutrition advice to keep your adolescent healthy includes encouraging her to:

• Eat a variety of foods
• Balance the food you eat with physical activity
• Eat plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
• Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
• Eat a diet that is moderate in sugars and salt
• Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet the growing body’s requirements.

Nutrition for the Young Woman:

Young women undergo dramatic changes while moving from adolescence into their early twenties. These include physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. At a time when nutrient requirements peak, the lifestyles of young women may compromise their food intake placing them at risk for many nutritional imbalances.

Most attention directed to this age group tends to be on issues of weight including obesity, dysfunctional eating, and eating disorders. Although these are important, this emphasis completely ignores the nutritional health concerns that face young women. Dietary deficiencies — most notably iron, calcium, and folate — are commonly related to inadequate energy intakes or the omission of whole food groups Lifestyle trends can also influence young women’s diets. Lack of discipline in eating and the shift in food consumption from meals to snacks becomes the order of the day. Scientific reports mention that as the number of eating episodes increase so does the mean intake of energy, total carbohydrates, and sugars.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency among older adolescent girls and young women due to iron losses during menses and poor dietary intakes. The consequences of iron deficiency are subtle but serious, including decreased work performance, impaired body temperature regulation, and altered intellectual performance. Young women should also eat foods rich in iron as mentioned for the adolescent girls.

There is also a concern about calcium intake of young women because of its association with bone health in later years. Maximizing peak bone mass during the first two to three decades of life can prevent osteoporosis. Dietary calcium improves bone accretion, but 60% of females aged 13-17 years are reported to consume less than the recommended intake of milk and milk products, the best source of calcium. Vitamin D is needed along with calcium to build strong bones while excess sodium, protein, caffeine, and phosphorus may compromise bone health.

Another critical nutrition concern, relates to the inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables. These food groups are sources of key vitamins, such as folate, which is linked to the prevention of neuro-tube defects in offspring, and heart disease and cancer in later life. The antioxidant and photochemical content of fruits and vegetables also have a role in preventing heart disease and cancer. Consuming fruits and vegetables daily with particular attention to adequate folate intake should be a nutritional priority for young women.

Nutrition for the Pregnant and Lactating woman:

When a young woman is getting ready for bearing a child and nurturing it, she needs to prepare her body well in order to provide adequate support to another being growing within her. In this phase of her life she needs to pay attentions to;

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Engage in physical activity regularly.
• Gradually lose body weight
• Women who are trying to become pregnant and ordinarily drink alcoholic beverages, should stop drinking or cut back on the amount drink.
• Quit or cut back on smoking to improve health.
• To minimize the risk of having an infant with a neural tube defect, eat a highly fortified breakfast cereal. Choose foods that provide 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for folate.
• It is advised to include in daily eating pattern:
  • At least 3 servings of low fat milk and milk products as a source of calcium – a must for bone health.
  • At least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
  • Two to three servings of meat or alternates a day.
  • Five or more servings of grain products depending on energy requirements.
• Pregnant women should try to eat a well-balanced diet including foods naturally rich in folate, such as orange juice, strawberries, cantaloupe, dark green leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, and cooked dried peas and beans. Pregnant women are also likely to need greater amounts of foods fortified with folic acid, such as breakfast cereals or enriched bread, rice, or pasta, or they should take a vitamin supplement.

Nutrition for the Elderly Women

The aging process is associated with many changes in hormonal and physiological function, some of which are gender related. In women, one of the most dramatic hormonal changes is the striking reduction in estrogen production that accompanies menopause. This period of life and the later, has special nutrient requirements.

Nutritional status has an enormous effect on health throughout life and has no less impact in the elderly. With increasing age, body requires less energy because of a decline in physical activity, a loss of lean body mass and a fall in the metabolic rate. Raising the activity level will increase the need for energy and help avoid gaining weight. Weight gain often occurs in menopausal women, possibly due to declining estrogen.

The food guide for older women, includes information about:

• Whole, enriched and fortified grains and cereals such as brown rice and 100 percent whole wheat bread.
• Bright-colored vegetables such as carrots and broccoli.
• Deep-colored fruit such as berries and melon.
• Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereal products, especially those high in vitamin C and carotene. These include oranges, grapefruit, carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and green leafy vegetables. These foods are good sources of vitamins and minerals and the major sources of dietary fiber. Fiber helps maintain bowel mobility
• Low- and non-fat dairy products such as yogurt and low-lactose milk.
• Dry beans and nuts, fish, poultry, lean meat and eggs.
• Liquid vegetable oils and soft spreads low in saturated and trans fat.
• Fluid intake.
• Physical activity such as walking, housework and yard work.

Although researchers have been addressing the special nutrition needs of menopausal and older women, it is generally agreed that a diet rich in vegetables, grains, fruits, and calcium and lower in fat, alcohol, calories, and caffeine is a wise choice for these group of people.

Although, nutrition is an important component of human development at every stage of life, its focus changes with age. This is more relevant for women for they undergo many physical, biological and psychological changes as they age.

A living master who is so ordinary in her extraordinariness!
She is a challenge to the intellect, a pleasing sight to the eyes,
humorous, and a lively new age Buddha.
She is the embodiment of love and knowledge.

Mesmerizing persona, piercing eyes, a crystal clear mind, the wisdom of the ages and a beautiful demeanour – such is the personality of Anandmurti Gurumaa. Defying definition, pragmatic, realistic, of liberal views, she is open-minded like the sky and intense like space. Gurumaa had a wonderful childhood – when other children were learning nursery rhymes, she was listening to the philosophy of Vedanta. While other children dreamt of dolls and cars, she was learning the art of awakening from dreams. A bubbly spirited teenager, she was not seen with girls of her age but with yogis and gurus. Meditating and lovingly serving spiritual masters, she had her awakening at the tender age of sixteen. Soon life groomed her to be a master and a guide to other seekers. As fish to water, so did poetry come naturally to her.

She is a sufi when she speaks on Sufism;
a rishi when she speaks on the upanishads and the Geeta; a Shankrachraya; a Buddha; a Zen Master; a poetess; a singer.
Gurumaa is all of these and yet, she is none of these!

Gurumaa has written hundreds of poems. She has also set them to music and sung them in her mellifluous voice. People sometimes wonder how an apparently simple girl has achieved such heights in such a small span of time. In thinking so, are they not merely looking at the physical and missing the important point that spirit is ageless and the mind carries all its achievements from one life to the next? Gurumaa’s early speeches carried such fervour that she was branded a rebel. While the young ones loved her for her modern thoughts, the elders felt challenged.

She has simplified meditation for the masses and made it of such ease that no one ever felt that this path was for a chosen few only.

People who witnessed her eccentric behaviour; her fervour; her fiery spirit; her zealous soul; her divine dance – soon realized that she was much more than what she appeared to be. An incident from her school days is worth mentioning. Gurumaa was in the sixth grade and a christian priest who was taking a moral science class asked the students if they had any questions. None of the students had any query but Gurumaa had so many! The priest was soon embarrassed as he found it difficult to answer the questions of this little girl. He dismissed the class and rebuked her saying that she was insulting him with her unending stream of questions. In his heart however, he had a different plan. Her father was summoned and presented with a proposal. He was asked to give this bright young girl to the church, for in her they could see a great evangelist. Her father naturally declined.
Gurumaa had a sober but happy childhood and a fiery youth. She was always seen meditating or sitting in silence. Soon the fragrance of her spirituality spread and people from all over started coming to her seeking knowledge and guidance. Busy meeting people and traveling to nearby cities, she was never restricted by her gender. Surprisingly, even her parents never restricted her or forced her to do anything she didn’t like to – which is pretty unusual for Indian parents.
Her satsangs were getting crowded and her popularity was soaring in the small city of Amritsar. One day she went into silence and after seven months of deep silence, she left her home and hometown for good. She started wandering and traveled mostly in North India, finally settling in Rishikesh – a holy city on the banks of the Ganges. Then her traveling started again, but this time to address conferences, meet people and to give them guidance. Later she started her meditation retreats which gave her a working ground. Thousands of people would come to unlearn the worldly ways; to rise above dogmas and doctrines of religion. She simplified meditation for the masses and made it of such ease that no one ever felt that this path was for a chosen few only.

Gurumaa says she does not belong to any one tradition, religion, path or label. She considers herself a citizen of world and is not limited by narrow considerations. She is a free-spirited, transendentalist and is carving out a path-less path for seekers. She says that no guru can grant you enlightenment; no master can awaken your kundalini; one has to toil hard oneself – but without making the effort seem a strain. Seek, but with patience; meditate, but without any goal; sharpen your awareness so that you rise above the ‘me-mine-I’ syndrome of identification with the self.
Today Gurumaa resides in a beautiful ashram in Gannaur, Harayana, India. Ever welcoming to seekers; ever inviting to all; a hard task master who will not appease your ego, Gurumaa says, “People do not need a living guru; they need a look-alike guru, a toy. As one has to surrender totally to the guru, people, who love their selves so much, find it difficult to do so. Therefore most prefer to stay away!”
Gurumaa has spoken on almost every subject: psychology, religion, family, society, mysticism. Her talks are interspersed with beautiful music and her soul stirring singing. She is a sufi when she speaks on Sufism; a rishi when she speaks on the upanishads and the Geeta; a Shankrachraya; a Buddha; a Zen Master; a poetess; a singer. Gurumaa is all of these and yet, she is none of these!
Anandmurti Gurumaa is a living master who is so ordinary in her extraordinariness! She is a challenge to the intellect, a pleasing sight to the eyes, humorous, and a lively new age Buddha. She is the embodiment of love and knowledge.

No guru can grant you enlightenment; no master can awaken your kundalini; one has to toil hard oneself – but without making the effort seem a strain. Seek, but with patience; meditate, but without any goal; sharpen your awareness so that you rise above the ‘me-mine-I’ syndrome of identification
with the self.

HE ALONE KNOWS

to whom He will reveal Himself

under which form.

By what path and in what manner

He attracts any particular man to Himself

with great force is incomprehensible

to the human intellect.

The path differs indeed for different pilgrims.

India is a country which is fortunate to have witnessed her daughters rise to be great mystics. A person strives to learn the intricacies of religion, practices it diligently and then after many years may reach the zenith of spirituality. But there are some individuals who are born with all the prerequisites, a great mind and a high level of consciousness.

Anandamayi Ma was one such evolved woman. Anandamayi Ma was born in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) in 1896. Her father, Bipin Behari Bhattacarya sang Vaishnava songs, often appearing intoxicated. He would rise early in the morning and sing songs; he was given to wandering around for long periods. His wife would have to go looking for him to bring him back home. Once during a storm the roof of his house blew off but he continued to sing in the rain, oblivious of what had happened!
Anandamayi’s mother Moksada Sundari Devi was known for her states of bhava or religious emotion. As she performed her household duties, she was visited by avatars and deities who shone with light. While pregnant with Nirmala – Anandamayi’s given name – she would see visions of sages and deities which would appear and then suddenly disappear. Later on she took her vows and became a ascetic.
The sound of religious chanting would make Nirmala ecstatic. In temples she would see deities emerging from their idols and then re-entering them. She was often distracted and would gaze into space – her eyes not focused on any worldly object. Her education was limited and her writing skills minimal.
At the age of thirteen she was married to Ramani Mohan Cakravarti or Bholanath as he was more popularly known. She spent a few years living in her brother-in-law’s house – most of them in a trance. She was a hard worker but sometimes had difficulty concentrating on housework. Her relatives assumed that the trances were due to overwork. When her brother-in-law died she went to live with her husband. At that time she was eighteen years old. Here she met a young man who was impressed by her quiet and gentle ways and he started calling her ‘mother’ (Ma in Bengali). This young man predicted that one day the entire world would address her in the same manner.

She was lost in a great void… The Maha Shunya

Hers was an unconsummated marriage, though not by her husband’s choice. When thoughts of sexuality occurred to Bholanath, Anandamayi’s body would take on the qualities of death and she would grow faint. He had to chant mantras to bring her back to consciousness. Sometimes in such situations her body would become contorted or it would stiffen. She would later say that she gave her husband spontaneous electric shocks when he touched her in a wrongful way. Bholanath thought the situation was temporary but it proved to be permanent. His relatives said he should remarry but he did not follow their advice. Later Bholanath was initiated by her and he accepted Anandamayi as his guru.
While living in Dacca, people came to recognize her spiritual qualities. At the sound of religious chanting she would become stiff and even fall to the ground in a faint. Sometimes her body became contorted during these episodes. At times she would stretch her body and at times shrink it; sometimes her limbs would go into seemingly impossible positions – as if her skeletal structure had changed shape under her skin. She would hold difficult yogic postures (asanas) for long periods of time and spontaneously form complex tantric hand positions (mudras).
Her husband thought she was possessed and took her to exorcists. One physician said that she was not mad in the conventional sense but may have a kind of god intoxication – a divine madness for which there was no known cure.

In 1916 she became ill and moved back to her parent’s home in Vadyakuta. In 1918 she and her husband moved to Bajitpur where she began Shaivite and Vaisnavite spiritual practices. Inner voices would tell her what actions to perform and which images to visualize. Her yogic practices (kriyas) were spontaneous and she described them as occurring automatically – much like a factory where the various machines worked together in perfect coordination to produce a product.
Anandamayi would weep profusely, laugh for hours, and talk at tremendous speed in a Sanskrit-like language. Other unusual actions included rolling in the dust and dancing for long periods whirling like a leaf in the wind. She would also fast for long periods and at other times consume enough food for eight or nine people.
In Indian devotional tradition, changes in body structure and state are considered spontaneous expressions of religious emotion. Anandamayi’s changes were more extreme than the common sattvika bhavas. Some respected Indian saints of the past are said to have had similar bodily changes.
Anandamayi went on various pilgrimages traveling throughout India, staying in ashrams and attending religious festivals. In Dacca her disciples built a temple to her but she left the day it was completed. She traveled to Dehradun where she lived in an abandoned Shiva temple for almost a year, with no money and often in freezing temperatures without blankets.

Anandamayi Ma was known for her siddhis or yogic powers wherein
she could read her devotee’s thoughts and emotions from a distance,

make her body shrink and expand and cure the sick.

She was known for her siddhis or yogic powers wherein she could read her devotee’s thoughts and emotions from a distance, make her body shrink and expand and cure the sick. One disciple claimed that she was saved from death in a car accident when Anandamayi grasped her ‘life substance’ and brought it back to her dead body.
Anandamayi was sensitive to environmental influences. Once as she passed by a Muslim tomb, she began reciting portions of the Quran and performing the Namaz (Muslim prayers). This and other similar acts showed that Anandamayi was always in a trance -moving through a variety of psychic and religious states, each one expressing itself through her. She often objectified her body by describing her actions with phrases like ‘this body did this’ or ‘this body went there’. She believed her chaotic actions were expressions of the divine will.

“My consciousness has never associated itself
with this temporary body.

Before I came to this earth, ‘I’ was the same.

As a little girl, ‘I’ was the same.

I grew to womanhood but still ‘I’ was the same.

When the family I was born to arranged this body’s marriage,

‘I’ was the same.

Even afterwards, though the dance of creation changes around

me in the hall of eternity, ‘I’ shall be the same.”

- Anandamayi Ma

Sometimes she ascribed her actions to a personal though unnamed god:

“I have no sense of pleasure or pain, I stay as I have always been. Sometimes He draws me outside and sometimes He takes me inside and I am completely withdrawn. I am nobody, all of my actions are done by him and not by me.”
At times she described herself as completely empty with no sense of the ‘I’ remaining. She was lost in a great void – the mahashunya – which was responsible for her actions. The actions that emanated from this void were often chaotic and incoherent. Her view was that a universal state of chaos arises due to spontaneous expressions of the divine will which arises out of this nothingness. But she also talked in theological terms stating that her bhavas or expressions were the play of the Lord acting through her body.
Anandamayi considered individual identity to be a kind of spiritual disease. She called it bhava roga or the disease in which a person sees himself as a separate individual. When some of her disciples complained about the large crowds of people that would follow her she would say, “As you do not feel the weight of your head, of your hands and feet … so do I feel that these people are organic members of ‘this body’; so I don’t feel any pressure nor find their worries weighing on me. Their joys and sorrows, problems and solutions, I feel to be vitally mine … I have no ego sense nor concept of separateness.”
Though she was never formally initiated by a guru, one evening she spontaneously performed her own initiation visualizing both the ritual scene and the movements. Spontaneously she heard the chanting of initiatory sacred mantras within herself.
She explained that there were four stages in her spiritual evolution. In the first the mind was ‘dried’ of desire and passion so it could ignite the fire of spiritual knowledge easily. Next the body became still and the mind was drawn inwards as religious emotions flowed in her heart like a stream. Thirdly her personal identity was absorbed by an individual deity, but some distinction between form and formlessness still remained. Lastly there was a melting away of all duality. Here the mind was completely free of all movement of thought. There was full consciousness even in what is normally characterized as the dream state.
When speaking of spiritual evolution she also maintained that her spiritual identity had not changed since early childhood. She claimed that all the outer changes in her life were for the benefit of her disciples.
When Paramahansa Yogananda met Anandamayi Ma and asked her about her life, she answered: “Father, there is little to tell.” She spread her hands gracefully in a deprecatory gesture, “My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came to this earth Father, ‘I’ was the same. As a little girl, ‘I’ was the same. I grew to womanhood but still ‘I’ was the same. When the family I was born to arranged this body’s marriage, ‘I’ was the same. And Father, in front of you now, ‘I’ am the same. Even afterwards, though the dance of creation changes around me in the hall of eternity, ‘I’ shall be the same.”
Anandamayi Ma would sometimes assay a variety of roles and later explain that this was a performance staged to teach someone present a lesson. However such acts were not a function of her will and occurred without planning or intent.
Anandamayi was a holy woman – without formal religious training or initiation – whose status was entirely due to her ecstatic trances. She did not have a worldly guru though she did hear voices that told her what religious and meditative practices to perform. She emphasized the importance of religious devotion and of detachment from the world. She also encouraged her devotees to serve others. She traveled and wandered a great deal, at times refusing to stay in the ashrams her devotees arranged for. While her parents worshiped Krishna, she could not be placed in any definite tradition.
An ecstatic child of ecstatic parents, she became a famous saint who like many other female Indian saints stood on the edge of several religious traditions yet in the midst of none. Throughout her long life till she died in 1981, she influenced the spirituality of thousands of people who came to see her. She never initiated people or considered herself a guru to anyone, yet there were throngs of seekers who learned a lot from her and their spiritual journey began only because of her silent presence.

Enquire:

‘Who am I?’

Look at a tree:
from one seed arises a huge tree;
from it comes numerous seeds,
each one of which in its turn grows into a tree. No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree.
So, it is the same Atman everywhere.

These are the words of the female sufi saint Rabia al Basra. She grew in the tender love and training of the higher intuitive powers of God and is one of the few women in Sufism – indeed she is considered the first female saint in Islam. She was not trained by a murshid but was born a devotee with great love for God. Rabia was born sometime between 712 and 717 C.E. in Basra, Iraq.
Many spiritual stories are associated with her, but what we do know of her life is essentially reality merged with legend. Much of her early life is related, recorded and narrated by Farid al-Din Attar, a later day sufi saint and poet, who is the only source of her history as Rabia herself did not leave behind any written work.
She was the fourth daughter of her family and therefore named Rabia, meaning ‘fourth’. She was born in a poor but respectable family. Her parents were so poor that there was no oil in the house to light a lamp, nor a cloth to wrap her in when she was born. Her mother requested her husband to borrow some oil from a neighbour but he had resolved to never ask anything of anyone except the Creator; he pretended to go to the neighbor’s door and returned home empty-handed.
In the night the Prophet appeared to Rabia’s father in a dream and said, “Your newly born daughter is a favorite of the Lord and shall lead many Muslims to the right path. You should approach the Amir of Basra and present him with a letter in which should be written this message; ‘you offer Durood to the Holy Prophet one hundred times every night and four hundred times every thursday night. However, since you have failed to observe the rule last thursday, as a penalty you must pay the bearer four hundred dinars’.
Rabia’s father went to the Amir with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. The Amir was delighted on receiving the message. He realized that he was in the vision of the Prophet and as thanksgiving he distributed 1000 dinars to the poor and gave 400 to Rabia’s father and requested him to come to him whenever he required anything, as he would benefit from the visit of a soul dear to the Lord.

Rabia’s parents died in her childhood and some time later when Basra was in the grip of a fierce famine, she got separated from her sisters. She was captured by a man who sold her off for six dirhams. The purchaser subjected her to hard labour. Many hardships fell upon her but she immersed herself in relentless devotion and worship of Allah. Her devotion for Allah was fired by a deep-rooted love and longing for the Divine.

“Rabia’s worldly possessions are said to have been
a broken jug from which she drank, an old rush mat to sit upon and a brick for a pillow. She spent each night in prayer and often chided herself for sleeping as it prevented her constant contemplation and active love of God.”
Little is known of her early years except that she spent her youth as a slave and was later freed. What we do know of her however, is that throughout her life her asceticism was absolute and unwavering as was her love for God. Poverty and self-denial were Rabia’s constant companions. For example, her worldly possessions are said to have been a broken jug from which she drank, an old rush mat to sit upon and a brick for a pillow. She spent each night in prayer and often chided herself for sleeping as it prevented her constant contemplation and active love of God. She refused all offers of marriage – of which there were many – because she had no room for anything in her life that might distract her from complete devotion to God. Indeed, in this same manner she rebuffed anything that could distract her from the Beloved, i.e. God. More interesting than her absolute asceticism however, is the concept of Divine Love that Rabia introduced. She was the first to introduce the idea that God should be loved for His own sake and not out of fear- as earlier Sufis had done. For example, she is reported to have walked the streets of Basra with a flaming torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When her intentions were questioned, Rabia replied: “I want to pour water into Hell and set fire to Paradise so that these two veils disappear and nobody worships God out of fear of Hell or hope of Paradise, but only for the sake of His eternal beauty.”
In her master’s house she fasted by day and spent the night praying. One night her master is said to have been awakened by a strange voice urging him to free Rabia his slave. When he looked through the window of his apartment, he saw Rabia in prostration offering the litany “O God, you know that the desire of my heart is to fulfill your commands and that the light of my eye is in serving you. If the affair was with me I would not rest even an hour from serving you, but you yourself have left me at the mercy of a creature.” Her master then perceived a lantern suspended above her head giving out a blinding light. When day broke he summoned Rabia and set her free. Rabia left the house and wandered through the desert in search for what Allah had apportioned for her. For a while she served God in a hermitage and according to one version returned to her master some days later, playing a flute with the skill of a professional musician. Determined to perform the pilgrimage she then set out for the desert to pray and became an ascetic. Unlike many sufi saints she did not learn from a teacher or master but turned to God himself.
It is said that on the way to the desert the donkey carrying her bundle died. She entreated the Lord saying “O my God, do kings deal thus with a woman, a stranger and the weak? Thou art calling me to thine own house but in the midst of the way thou hast suffered my donkey to die and left me alone in the desert.” She had hardly completed her prayer when the donkey stirred up and came to life.
Rabia was a mystic of the newly emerging Sufi order. She often spoke of the concept of Hubb-e-Illahi or Divine Love in sufi philosophy. She expressed her love of God as: “I love you with two loves, a love of passion and a love prompted by your worthiness of that. As for the love of passion, it consists in occupying myself with remembering you and no one else. And as for the love of which you are worthy, it consists in your lifting the veils so that I may see you. However mine is not the merit in this or that. But yours is the merit in this or that.”

“She was so singularly devoted towards achieving divine union that all other attractions were meaningless to her.”

Though she had many offers of marriage from admiring Sufi companions (including a proposal from Hasan al-Basri), she refused them all as she had no time for anything in her life other than God. On being asked about marriage she remarked “If anyone can give me the answer to these four questions, I shall marry him. First; what will the judge of the world say of me when I die – whether I am a muslim or a non-believer? Second; when I am put in the grave and Munkar and Nakir question me, shall I be able to answer them satisfactorily or not? Third; when the people are assembled at the Resurrection and the books are distributed, will I be given mine in the right or the left hand? And fourth; when mankind is summoned, some to paradise and some to hell, in which of the two groups will I be?” No one being able to answer these questions, she concluded:”since the answers to these questions are unknown and I have them to concern myself with, how should I need a husband to be occupied with?” She was so singularly devoted towards achieving divine union that all other attractions were meaningless to her.
As her fame grew she had many disciples. She also held discussions with many of the renowned religious people of her time. She often performed miracles to expose the contradictions in the relationship between men and women. Rabia confounded her male contemporaries with her unconventional ideas. The esteemed Sufi leader Hasan-al-Basri was one such man humbled by her spiritual and intellectual power. In a short Sufi narrative he declares, “I passed one whole night and day with Rabia speaking of the Way and the Truth and it never passed through my mind that I was a man nor did it occur to her that she was a woman. At the end when I looked at her I saw myself as bankrupt and Rabia as truly sincere.”
There are many other narratives written about the interaction between Hasan-al-Basri and Rabia which show Rabia surpassing her male counterpart. In one story Rabia is seen by al-Basri meditating near the bank of a river. To get her attention al-Basri placed his prayer carpet on top of the water, sat on it and called out to Rabia to float over and converse with him. Understanding his intention was merely to show off his spiritual powers to others, Rabia tossed her prayer carpet high into the air and floated up to it. “Oh Hasan,” she said, “come up here where people will see us better.” Hasan became silent because he knew it was not within his power to fly. “Oh Hasan,” Rabia continued, “that which you did a fish can do . . . and that which I did a fly can do. The real work for the sufi lies beyond both of these.”

“She often spoke of the concept of Hubb-e-Illahi or Divine Love in sufi philosophy.
She expressed her love of God as:
“I love you with two loves, a love of passion and a love prompted by your worthiness of that.”
Among the many anecdotes that have arisen relating to the life of Rabia is one which tells of the night a thief entered her hermitage. Being overcome by weariness she had fallen asleep. A thief entered and finding nothing of value decided to leave with her chador. When he made to leave, the doorway was barred. He dropped the chador and approached the exit finding it open this time. He seized the chador again and as he began to exit, the doorway got barred again. He repeated this seven times, utterly perplexed, when he heard a voice coming from the corner of the hermitage; “man do not put yourself to such pains – it is so many years now that she has committed herself to us. The devil himself does not have the boldness to slink around her. How should a thief have the boldness to slink around her chador? Be gone, for if one friend has fallen asleep, one is awake and keeping watch.” Such was the reciprocity awarded to Rabia by her Divine Friend and Beloved.
Rabia taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserve for their sins but also offered them far greater hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God’s servants. Emotions like fear and hope were like veils – hindrances to the vision of God Himself.

In her later years about seven years before she died, Rabia moved to the Mount of Olives [Tur] in Jerusalem with a woman companion and attendant. There she bought a small house with some land surrounding it and lived as a hermit inside the Tomb of Pelagia near the Chapel of Ascension where she was eventually laid to rest. Everyday she would walk down to Al-Aqsa mosque where she prayed and gave sermons to the people. Both men and women comprised her following – they would come in droves to listen to her. She was accepted as a master of the path by both men and women, as it was Allah who had made her a means of manifesting Himself to those who sought Him. After praying she would walk back up to the mountain. This she did every day till she died in the year 185 A.H / 801 C.E. After her death her followers built a tomb for her which still exists near the Christian Church of Ascension on Mt of Olives. It is visited by those who remember this lady saint and thank Allah for the blessing which He granted through her life – the example of a holy soul filled with Huu.
Rabia was in her eighties when she died, having followed the mystic way to the end. By then she was continually united with her beloved. As she told her Sufi friends, “My beloved is always with me.” She became the guide and spiritual director of many souls who came to seek her counsel. Her spiritual realization carried an overwhelming dread of judgment after death. The idea of sin disturbed her as leading to separation from the divine rather than the fear of punishment. In her, the fire of this all-conquering love demanded eternal union with the Eternal Flame and death to her was the bridge whereby the lover would be united with the beloved.
Rabia’s final departure from this world is recorded in a beautiful account by a Persian biographer. He says that during her last moments, many of her followers surrounded her but she bade them to leave, asking them to make way for the arrival of Allah’s messengers. When they had left her, they heard her voice making the profession of faith – La illaha ilallah – and then a voice saying “O’ soul at rest, return to thy Lord, satisfied with Him, giving satisfaction to Him. So enter among my servants and enter into my paradise.” [Al-Quran].

PHILOSOPHY

Rabia was the one who first set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. Much of the poetry that is attributed to her is of unknown origin. After a life of hardship she became spontaneously realized. When asked by Sheikh Hasan- al-Basri how she discovered the secret, she responded: “You know of the how, but I know of the how-less.”
On one occasion she was asked if she hated Satan. Hazrat Rabia replied: “My love for God has so possessed me that no place remains for loving or hating any save Him.”
When Hazrat Rabia would not come to attend the sermons of Hazrat Hasan Basri, he would deliver no discourse that day. People in the audience would ask him why he did that and he would reply, “The syrup that is held by the vessels meant for elephants cannot be contained in the vessels meant for ants.”

There are many folk lore attached to her – whether true or not is not the issue – the important thing is that she was quite an enigma for the people of her times. It is said that once Hazrat Rabia was on her way to Mecca and half-way there she saw the Kaaba coming to meet her and she said, “It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet Him who said that whosoever approaches me by a span’s length, I will approach by the length of a cubit. The Kaaba which I see has no power over me; what joy does the beauty of the Kaaba bring to me?”

“Rabia al Basra was a woman of courage, love,
dedication – an example of a woman master in her own right.
She never claimed to be a master,
yet her life and her words worked as perfect catalysts
to transform the lives of many seekers.”
At that same time, the great sufi saint Hazrat Ibrahim-bin-Adham arrived at the Kaaba but he did not see it. He had spent fourteen years making his way to the Kaaba, because in every place of prayer he performed two rakats. Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adham said: “Alas! What has happened? It maybe that some injury has overtaken my eyes.” An unseen voice said to him: “No harm has befallen your eyes; the Kaaba has gone to meet a woman who is approaching this place.” Ibrahim Adham ran to see who it was and saw Rabia arriving and the Kaaba was back in its place. When he saw that he said: “O Rabia! what is this disturbance and trouble and burden which you have brought into the world?” She replied: “I have not brought disturbance into the world; it is you who have disturbed the world because you delayed arriving at the Kaaba by fourteen years.” He said: “Yes, I have spent fourteen years in crossing the desert because I was engaged in prayer.” Rabia said: “You traversed it in ritual prayer (Salat) but with personal supplication.” Then, having performed the pilgrimage she returned to Basra and occupied herself with the work of devotion.
It is hard to believe that a woman of her stature survived the Islamic conservative clergy. Rabia al Basra was a woman of courage, love, dedication – an example of a woman master in her own right. She never claimed to be a master, yet her life and her words worked as perfect catalysts to transform the lives of many seekers.
It is said in sufi literature that miracles were given as a sanction to the prophets, but to the saints they were granted as a test. Though endowed with such miraculous powers, Rabia knew the value of humility. Divine riza or God’s will was the only goal she fixed her vision on. Her resignation to the divine will and trust of Allah was so great that once when she was terribly sick, Sofyan-e-Thauri a fellow ascetic, on seeing her condition urged her to pray for a cure. She replied that he should be aware that God had willed her suffering and knowing that, how could he bid her to request Him the contrary of His will. She ended saying that it was not proper to oppose one’s Friend. She had reached such a level of spiritual synchronicity with the ‘divine will’ that to wish for anything else was a grievous sin.

“No harm has befallen your eyes;
the Kaaba has gone to meet a woman
who is approaching this place.”

“A tapasvin into the world came I
And bodha illumined my path to the self”

Lalleshwari was a great poet-saint of Kashmir. Her life is shrouded in mystery, miracle and legend – and much of what we know of her is through the oral tradition. ‘Lalla Vakyani’ (1920) by Sir George Abraham Grierson and Lionel D. Barnett Litt. D., is the only scholarly work on the subject to date. The earliest recorded mention of Lalleshwari is in ‘Asrar-ul-Abrar’ by Baba Dawud Mishtaki written in 1654. Sanskrit documents dated earlier do not mention her at all, neither is there any mention of her in Kalhan’s Rajtaringini, or in any other chronicle till 1746 – may be because these were records of political events and not of social history. Or may be her teachings and fame took time to spread and she became a legend much later. It is only as late as the middle of the 18th century that Khwaja Muhammad Azam Dedamari writes in ‘Waqi ‘ati Kashmir’ : “Lalla Arifa, a saintly mystic of the highest order, devoted to God, flourished during the reign of Sultan Alau-ud-Din ( 1344-55). In the early period of her life, she was bound in wedlock; a prisoner of family life and household chores; but at the same time she became God-intoxicated and having given herself up to a life of detachment and retirement, she passed sometime in seclusion away from people……….She passed away during the reign of Sultan Shihab-ud-Din (1355-73).
Some though asleep, are yet awakesome though awake, are yet asleep despite ablutions, some are uncleandespite householder’s active life, some by their actions are untouched
Recent writers follow one or other of the earlier chroniclers, but none mentions the authority or source material for what they believe to be the date or place of her birth. Or indeed, of the events they narrate or of the legends current about her which they mention.
From various sources, we have three dates for her birth: 1300-01, 1334-35 and 1346-47 A.D., and two for her place of birth: Sempore (near Pampore) and Pandrethan. However, all agree that she was born in a brahmin family and was pious from childhood. There is evidence of the fact that in those times ‘liberal education’ was imparted to women. From a study of her ‘vaakh’ too, it is clear that she was educated during her early life in her father’s house.

“In time past, we were in time future, we shall be throughout ages we have been forever the sun rises and sets forever Siva creates dissolves and creates again.”

At the age of twelve Lalleshwari was married to Nica Bhatt. At her in-laws house she came under the influence of their family priest, Siddha Shrikantha, who was fondly called Siddha Mol or venerable father. Her husband’s step-mother treated her very cruelly. She was reproached, scolded and reprimanded at the slightest pretext. Padmavati – the name given to her after marriage – bore all quietly and never complained or protested. Several of her vaakhs are about the situation in her life. Her mother-in-law used to serve her food placing a stone on the plate and then covering it with rice so that other family members did not realize her cruelty.

“They may kill a big sheep or a tender lamb, Lalla will have her lump of stone alright.”

Early morning before dawn, Lalla would leave the house and go to the river to fill water. Her mother-in-law questioned this action and slyly accused her of infidelity. But the truth was soon out. Lalla used to go to the shrine of Nata Keshava Bhairava at the ghat of Zinypor and meditate quietly over there. One day when she returned home, her husband, instigated by his mother, struck the pitcher of water on her head with a stick. Legend has it that the pitcher broke but the water remained in place!

Lalla filled all the pots in the kitchen and then threw the remaining water outside. The water collected into a pond and came to be known as ‘Lalla Trag’ or ‘Lalla’s Pond’. According to Pir Ghulam Hassan – the Persian chronicler – the pond continued to be filled with water till 1925-26 and then went dry. Unfortunately, this incident revealed her truth to the public. Her fame spread far and wide and crowds started coming for her darshan. But Lalla was not interested in public adoration; the fall-out of this was that she was released from the bondage of a householder’s life. Now, in total disregard of appearances, she shed her clothes, let loose her long hair and walked away from home and all earthly constraints. She roamed the streets, singing and dancing in divine ecstasy – unaware of her nakedness or of people’s reaction to her state.

“My guru gave me but one precept, from without withdraw your gaze within, fix it on the innermost self, I, Lalla, took to heart this one precept and therefore naked I began to dance.”

As time passed, anecdotes and legends grew around Lalla. Once, she demonstrated to her guru Siddha Shrikantha, what true penance should be. She stood on an earthen pot and her body began to shrink with the waning of the moon, till, on the 15th day of amavas, there was nothing left in the pot but a small quantity of quicksilver – shaking and trembling. Then, with the waxing moon, her body started growing and on the full moon night, she was herself again. Lalla, her guru realized, had progressed far beyond him. When he asked why the quicksilver in the pot was trembling, she said that it was her – shorn of all senses, desires, mind and ego – yet she (the quicksilver) was trembling in fear that she ( her penance) may not be accepted. “Penance”, said Lalla, “does not bring mukti.” It comes with God’s grace.

“Knowing the truth, O soul, be not misled it is distance that makes the turf look green.”

Lal Ded – or granny Lalla – as Lalleshwari now came to be called – had outgrown the need for pilgrimage, appearances, rites, rituals, ceremonies, fasts and the worship of icons. Sometimes, indeed, she denigrated all these, as is apparent from the following verses:
“O fool! right action does not lie in fasting and in ceremonial rites

The idol is but stone the temple is also stone from top to bottom all is stone O fool! with your eyes shut which stone do you worship?

The pilgrim sanyasi goes from shrine to shrine, seeking to meet the one who abides within his own self.”

One day, her father-in-law saw her in a public gathering. Embarrassed by her nakedness in public, he asked her to put on some clothes. She replied that she did not feel the need to dress for animals. Lo & behold! everywhere her father-in-law looked, he saw sheep!
To Lal Ded, all those engrossed in material pursuits were no better than animals. The only time she felt compelled to hide her nakedness was when she saw Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani approaching. Shouting, “here comes a man, I should cover myself”, she ran and hid in an oven in a baker’s shop. Legend says that when she emerged, she was ‘attired in cloths of gold’.

“Can you understand what oneness is?
it has turned me into
nothingness
Though he is one,
Alone and All
yet I am caught in the war of duality
though he has neither colour nor form
yet I am caught in his
wondrous forms.

”Lalla, who come to be fondly called Lalla-Arifa, Lalla-Ded and even Lall and Lalla-yogini, lived for long – roaming the streets of Kashmir – her vaakh or sayings spread by word of mouth and there is not a Kashmiri today who does not have atleast one on the tip of his tongue.
The date, time and place of her death are not known. She seems to have disappeared into the great void – only her ‘vaakh’ or ’speech’ remains, surviving to date.
There is no monument to Lal-Ded. But she lives on in her vaakh – her true legacy.

Some leave their home, some the hermitage but the restless mind knows no rest so watch your breath, day and night and stay where you are.

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