Mirabai's divine poetic: a feminist reading

Author (Your Name)

Emily Heiss, Colby College

Date of Award

1997

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Colby Access Only)

Department

Colby College. Religious Studies Dept.

Advisor(s)

Nikky-Guninder K. Singh

Abstract

Despite the beauty I have found manifested in religion, I have also encountered the negative effects of its institutionalization. With the imposition of codes, doctrines, and authorial power, the possession of the self fades. The value and expression of individual life becomes lost. Women, in particular, have been excluded from actively forging and partaking in the beatific aspects of being. As I have sought for feminine voices, I have found them absent, negated, or dismissed by patriarchal perspectives. Centuries of scholarship, theology and history have passed over the significance of the feminine identity. We see the same phenomenon rampant in our twentieth century secular culture. However, despite our oppression, women have sought and continue to ponder, affirm and pursue their sublime presence. In the figures of several female mystics, I find women who have transcended the constraints of patriarchal societies and have engaged in an intimate relationship with the Divine.

Comments

Full-text download restricted to Colby College campus only.

Keywords

Mirabai, fl. 1516-1546 -- Criticism and interpretation, Hindu saints -- India -- Rajasthan, Women -- India -- Folklore, Religious poetry, India -- History and criticism

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