Mata Roopa Bhawani

The woman who unshackled from the social norm and attained Parabhairav!

- Uma Kant Kachru

History is as old as when it began to be documented and thus has its recorded influence. On the other hand, folklore and mythology have no time stamp, yet they have a formidable influence on our socio-cultural lives. Kashmir has had a unique distinction of having an equitable contribution from women from time immemorial in social and spiritual development of the society. Mythology tells us that in the beginning of Kalyug, when the Bhairav Tantras and Kashmir Shaivism were lost, Lord Shiva appeared on Kailash Parbat as Srikanthanath and taught Rishi Durvasa the theory of Bhairav Tantra. To dissipate the thought, Rishi Durvasa created mind born children, one of whom was a woman who was named Ardhatryambaka (Source: Kashmir Shaivism – Secret Supreme by Swami Lakshman Joo). Thus, from the ancient times, woman has been on an equal pedestal with the man in every aspect of life in Kashmir.

Much has been written about Alakh Ishwari Mataa Roop Bhawani as the mystic saint. I will, therefore, refrain from repeating this aspect. It is important for us to reflect on her another side of life which is her feminine persona.

Being influenced by the practices of Trika Darshan, popularly called Kashmir Shaivism, Kashmir saw an equitable role from men and women without any subservience. This has been a formidable influencing factor in shaping the socio-cultural system of the society. This, perhaps, is the reason for many women spiritual saints considerably impacting the social ethos of the Hindu society in Kashmir. Two most important names that had resounding influence were Laleshwari or Lal Ded in the 14^th century and Alakh Ishwari Mata Roopa Bhawani in the 17^th century. Both were Shaivite saints. Having lived three centuries apart, there are striking differences in the ways they propagated and influenced the followers of their times. While in Lal Ded’s time, the Muslim influence had impacted the society through, both soft and violent conversion to Islam, freedom of expression was relatively easy. Her thought process influenced across the sects. Added to that, Lal Ded’s Vaakhs were in the common Kashmiri language that became popular amongst both, Hindus and Muslims. Her influence spread thin and wide.

However, situation three hundred years later in the 17^th century was completely changed in the valley. The socio-cultural scenario was far different from that of Lal Ded’s time. The Hindu Brahmans had systematically been suppressed through multiple genocides, mass killings, forced conversions, destruction of their sacred temples and scriptures, reducing the community to a humiliated lot. The social fabric was predominantly Islamic with Kashmiri Hindus having become a week, suppressed miniscule minority. They practiced their faith with low profile. Besides, the Islamic fanaticism, terror and torment had caged the, once open, society into orthodoxy. This, particularly, took a toll on the women. Child marriage, deprivation from education and male dominance relegated her to home chore and child bearing. Intellectual pursuit, that once was an equal opportunity to her, got buried under the slogging home chore.

In this social milieu was born a baby girl, Roopa, in the family of a spiritually elevated Brahman, Madhav Joo Dhar who lived in down town, Khankah-e-Sokta, Safakadal in Srinagar. There are variations in the dates quoted by different writers about the year of her birth. It ranges from 1621 to 1625 CE. Little is known about her early childhood except that she was attracted towards the spiritual practices her pious father was engaged in. She was graced with Shaktipaath and showed the ascetic tendencies at an early age. However, the innings of love, care and fondling of parents was short-lived as she was married and sent off to the difficult terrains of in-laws at the tender age of seven. It is here that the life of Roopa Bhawani takes a major turn. The intellectual incompatibility led to harassment from the in-laws, forcing her to take the unheard-of step in those days. Despite taboos, Roopa Bhawani demonstrated the courage to unshackle herself from the restrictions of the social system of that time and boldly walked out of the marriage. In this, she was whole-heartedly supported by her father who welcomed her back. This incident talks volumes about the family’s progressive outlook despite unfavourable social conditions.

Being a woman of substance with spiritual leanings, Roopa Bhawani took little time to get initiated into the study and practice of Trika Darshan under the guardianship of her father, Madhav Dhar. He very early realised that she was on the path of sainthood and guided her to her destination. Soon she left the warmth of her parental abode and wandered from place-to-place practicing, meditating and preaching for long stretches of time. Having the knowledge of Sanskrit, facilitated her study of the Shaiva scriptures. The divine enlightenment fountained forth into poetic expressions in her and, like Lal Ded, she started preaching through her vaakhs. Unlike Lal Ded, the times had advanced to the extent that Roopa Bhawani’s poetic outpourings were in manuscript form and hence got preserved and compiled as Rahasyopadesa which is a collection of 146 vaakhs. Roopa Bhawani acknowledges in this vaakh that Lal Ded and her father are her first Gurus:

“I have placed my teachers, Lal and Madhav

In my cleansed, purified mind

Reduced to nothing, I have become

The Supreme Self, a part of Brahma”

(Excerpted from the book – The Mystic and The Lyric by Neerja Mattoo)

In her long life which spans almost a century, Roopa Bhawani was a wanderer. She didn’t stay at one place. She demonstrated healing powers, of which there are many household stories. For instance, the story of the well at Vaskur shrine dug by a blind devotee on her command got him his eye sight on completion of the task. Her wanderings and the temporary abodes became places of pilgrimage for her devotees. Vaskur, Manigam, Lar, Chashme Sahibi and her birth place at Safakadal, Srinagar are the shrines visited even today by her devotees. Her day of Nirvaan is observed as Sahibi Saptami, twice a year. One on Magh Krishna Paksh Saptami in the winter and the other in Pitra Paksh.

Roopa Bhawani’s life is an example of a woman who defied odds, broke social clutches and followed her intuition to attain the state of Parabhairav in her lifetime.