Nuditas Virtualis: A Jungian Analysis of Lal Ded’s Vaakhs

Abstract

Lal Ded is the North Star amongst the mystics of Kashmir. It is said that when Lal Ded left her husband’s home, she wandered naked, dancing and singing. The symbolism of Nakedness is multilayered and complex. We are all born into this world naked, pure nothing to hide. Nakedness then represents a return to one’s true nature; at the same time nakedness can also be symbolic of unbridled sexuality. In the present paper, an attempt is made to analyze the theme of Nakedness in Lal Ded’s sayings or ‘vaakhs’ from the perspective of analytical psychology revealing the symbolically rich world of Lal Ded’s mystical poetry to a larger audience outside the milieu of Kashmiri society.