[INDOLOGY] Internalizing sectarian markers in poetry?

[Westin Harris]

Dear esteemed Indologists,

I am trying to remember a term I once encountered that refers to a
particular poetic modality or topos that recurs throughout pre-modern South
Asian poetry -- for example, in the dohākośa and caryāgīti of Buddhist
siddhas, in Nāth bāṇī attributed to figures like Carpaṭnāth and Jalandhara,
and in Sikh gurbāṇī. Specifically, I am talking about the association of
"external" sectarian/sartorial markers with "internal" qualities, and even
the eschewal of the former in favor of the latter.

For example (these are paraphrased/hypothetical, not exact quotes), a bāṇī
attributed to Carpaṭnāth might say something like "I don't wear the sacred
thread because truth is my sacred thread. I don't wear the kundal earrings
because the guru's words are my earrings." Or a song attributed to a
Buddhist siddha might say "What need is there for shaving my head when
wisdom is my shaven head? What need is there for wearing robes when I am
robed with compassion?" We see similar verses attributed to Guru Nanak in
the Sidh Ghoṣṭi, and also attributed to Kabirdās, romantic poets, etc.

I remember reading somewhere that there is a word for this type of poetic
modality, but for the life of me I cannot remember the word or the source.
I might be misremembering. I would be very grateful for your help in
remembering this term and for any secondary sources you can recommend on
the topic.

Thank you.

*Sincerely, *


*Westin Harris, PhD*

Resident Scholar in Himalayan Cultures

Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art


Review Editor

Nidān: International Journal for Indian Studies

https://ucdavis.academia.edu/WestinHarris
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