Great Female Saints of India – Stories of Devotion and Resilience

India is the birthplace of numerous saints and philosophers, including several brilliant women who contributed greatly to Indian philosophy and religious traditions. These extraordinary women, through their unwavering devotion, profound wisdom and selfless acts of compassion, have left an indelible mark on the spiritual landscape of the nation. Their stories serve as a testament to the resilience and devotion of women, defying societal norms and breaking barriers. These remarkable women are a source of stirring and courageous tales of devotion – tales that must be remembered so we can cherish their legacies and carry their lessons forward for generations.

1. Mirabai

Mirabai is a name that resonates with unconditional love and affection in the eyes of many. She is possibly the most revered female saint in India, and the story of her unflinching love and devotion to Lord Krishna is well known and looked up to throughout the country. 

Mirabai was born in 1498 CE, the daughter of Rana Ratan Singh, a Rajput ruler of the kingdom of Kurkhi. According to legend, when Mira was five, a wedding procession passed by her house, looking at which she innocently asked her mother who her bridegroom was. Her mother then took her to an idol of Krishna in the house, pointing to him as her bridegroom. That was the beginning of Mira’s love for Krishna. Thereafter, she would dress Krishna up and spend all her time playing with him. While Mira’s love could have been thought of as childish obsession, it was not. Her love for Krishna only grew with her. 

After she got married, her love for the lord was looked down upon by her in-laws. However, her husband was said to have humoured his wife because he thought she was insane, but harmless. Nevertheless, after her husband’s death in a battle, her in-laws were said to have made multiple attempts to assassinate her, all in vain- poisoned thorns on her bed turned soft and limp like rose petals, poisoned nectar turned pure and Mira herself was said to have floated like wood in water when she was drowned, according to legend. After these attempts on her life, the great saint Tulsidas invited her to her Ashram, which she left for joyfully. Thereafter, Mira sang the praises of her lord and went on pilgrimages to holy sites, with full freedom. She spent the rest of her life devoted to the lord, before leaving the mortal realm in 1547. 

Mirabai’s story is a story of pure and unflinching love and devotion. It was this love that drove her and protected her throughout her life, and she finally merged into the divine. 

2. Andal

Andal, also known as Godadevi, was a Tamil saint who was also the only prominent female Alvar or Vaishnava during the Bhakti movement. The story of Andal is that of love and devotion, and is celebrated even today in the Southern states of India. 

According to legend, Andal was found as a baby under a Tulasi plant by Vishnuchitta, a childless man devoted to the service of Vishnu. Vishnuchitta named the girl Kothai and raised her. As she grew up, it was obvious that she had inherited his devotion to the lord. Soon, as the young girl took to worshipping Vishnu herself, she began wearing garlands first before offering them to the deity, out of love. When Vishnuchitta found out about this, he was very upset and reprimanded her for doing so. However, later, when a fresh garland was offered to Lord Vishnu, it fell to the ground. Lord Vishnu appeared in a dream while Vishnuchittan was sleeping, saying he only wanted the garland worn first by Andal. 

As Andal grew up, she fell deeper in love with the lord. One year, she observed the tradition of keeping a fast for Dhanurmasam, one of the most auspicious months in the Hindu calendar. During this month, she wrote a hymn devoted to Vishnu everyday. This collection of thirty hymns is now known as Thiruppavai and is a very revered work of Alvar literature. Looking at her devotion during the holy month, Lord Vishnu appeared in Vishnuchitta’s dream, asking him to bring her to Srirangam to marry him. According to legend, after the wedding at Srirangam, Kothai herself froze into stone, becoming an idol beside that of Vishnu’s. This idol is still there in Srirangam today.

Godadevi or Andal was the epitome of love and devotion. She was deified after her life, and is now considered an incarnation of Bhudevi. Today, the desire of Vishnu to wear a garland worn by Godadevi is still fulfilled. Every year, during the Garudotsavam, a festival marking Lord Venkateshwara’s descent to the earth at Tirupati, a garland is sent from the Srivilliputhur Andal temple to the Venkateshwara swamy temple in Tirupati, to be worn by Lord after it was worn by his beloved.

3. Lal Ded

Lal Ded is a name synonymous with Kashmiri literature. Despite the religious issues in the state of Kashmir today, Lal Ded is still respected by both Hindus and Muslims. Her works are some of the earliest literary sources in Kashmiri, and she is a figure whose works and life preach values that are relevant even today – of religious harmony, the oneness of God and of society. 

Lal Ded was born in Kashmir in the fourteenth century into a Kashmiri Hindu family. These were tumultuous times for Kashmir- times of invasion and forced conversion to Islam en masse. Besides, Lal Ded was married at the tender age of twelve against her wishes. It was not a happy marriage, and she was badly mistreated by her in-laws. However, unlike the women of her times, Lal Ded was a strong woman who could not quietly tolerate injustice, and walked out of the marriage. She roamed the streets as a wandering mendicant, chanting her ‘vakhs’ or ‘speeches’. It was at this time that she met her spiritual mentor, Guru Shrikantha and was deeply influenced by his views too. She commented on religious orthodoxy, communal barriers and society. She herself was a part of the Kashmiri Shaivite tradition, but espoused communal harmony.

Shiva or Keshva or Jina,

Or Brahma, the lotus-born Lord,

Whatever name He bear,

May He remove from me

the sickness of the world !

It may be He or He or He 

Lal Ded’s preachings were iconic and timeless. She was a pioneering figure in Kashmiri literature, and was a saint, a mystic, and a rebel. Her life and works have much to teach us even today.

4. Karaikkal Ammaiyar

Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a saint of the Nayanar sect- a sect dedicated to the worship of lord Shiva. She was the eldest of the only three prominent female Nayanar saints amongst the sixty-three nayanars who are held in the highest regard by the practitioners of the sect. She was one of the earliest authors of Tamil literature and believed in making the worship of the divine accessible to the masses.

The story of Karaikkal Ammaiyar is unique. She was born as Punitavati into a prosperous family of merchants. She grew up to be a beautiful woman, devoted to Lord Shiva and faithful to her husband. The story of her rise to prominence as a saint started when, one day, her husband sent two mangoes which had been given to him by a saint, home. While her husband was still outside, a Shaiva mendicant visited her and begged her for food. Having nothing else to give since she had not cooked for the day, she served one of the mangoes to him. The mendicant left satisfied and blessed her. 

Later, when her husband returned home and asked for both the mangoes, she panicked since she had only one of them. However, she magically created mangoes out of thin air, which disappeared on her husband’s touch. Convinced that she was something beyond the human realm – a goddess – he left her. 

After this, Karaikkal Ammaiyar renounces the world and begins a pilgrimage to Mt Kailash, making a conscious bid to shed her beauty to resemble the ghouls that worship Shiva. She says 

So, this is his persuasion; oh Lord, rid me of this Burden of flesh poised in beauty and hitherto borne 

    For his sake; fittingly bestow on me Your slave, 

    The form of a ghost to hail You in Your world

On her journey to Kailash, she evidently was met with strange looks and ridicules about her appearance. The following was her response-

If God recognizes me, why would I need a form recognizable to men in all directions who remain mired in ignorance?

Karaikkal Ammaiyar was truly a courageous woman. She devoted her life to God at a time when women were not allowed to renounce the world in the name of God and completely discarded societal expectations regarding her appearance and behaviour, simply devoting herself to Shiva.

5. Akka Mahadevi

Akka Mahadevi was one of the most prominent Lingayat saints and one of the early Kannada poets. She lived during the twelfth century and is famous for her beautifully composed ‘vachanas’ or ‘speeches’. 

Akka Mahadevi’s life is shrouded in legend. There are no formal sources on her life, and most of what we know about her comes from legends written by people who admired her and from her own works. 

Akka Mahadevi was born in Udutadi, a small village in Karnataka. Since her childhood, she had shown signs of great devotion. Soon after she came of age, she left home to pursue her worship of Para Shiva. However, she soon encountered obstacles in her pursuit of the Lord. She was a woman of unparalleled beauty, as a result of which she gained the unwarranted attention of the local Jain ruler, Kaushika. Kaushika asked her hand in marriage, which she refused and consequently adopted renunciation in protest of his threats. 

Another story goes that she laid down three conditions for their wedding – including terms that he could not touch her without her permission and that she was not to be interrupted in the worship of Shiva. It is said that when he later violated the conditions, she renounced all her possessions and travelled to Srisailam, the abode of Para Siva. However, a vachana of Akka Mahadevi writes that toward the end of her life, he visited her and begged for forgiveness.

Anyhow, it was on her journey to Srisailam that she is said to have met the greats of the Lingayat tradition, including Basavanna. Thereafter, she composed four hundred and twenty vachanas in praise of Shiva. She was highly regarded for her knowledge and devotion, and her opinions were respected in spiritual discussions. In fact, the title ‘Akka’ was given to her by some of the most respected Lingayat saints, including Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat movement. 

6. Gangasati

Gangasati is a prominent Gujarati poet-saint who gained popularity for her devotion to God and her beautiful bhajans. Her compositions are timeless and pure and are sung in Gujarat even today. There are no written records of her life, nor are her bhajans written down. Everything about her and by her has been passed through oral tradition. She lived

Sometime between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. 

Gangasati was born in a Gujarati Rajput family. When she came of age, she married Kahlubha, a devout man of her community. The couple was truly made for each other and spent their time in praise of God. Their home became a gathering place for all seekers of the divine in the region. It was in one such gathering that it so happened that a few people of their community dared Kahlubha to prove his devotion by asking him to resurrect a dead cow. 

He did so, but he regretted it, for he feared that he might become known as a miracle mystic. Hence, he decided to attain Mahasamadhi, and Gangasati said she would join him. However, he stopped her from doing so, telling her to pass on their knowledge to Panbai, a young companion who accompanied Gangasati from her home when she was married. Thereafter, she composed one poem everyday for fifty two days, after which she joined her husband. 

Her bhajans and poems speak about a number of themes that are relevant even today, ranging from bhajans against casteism to the nature of the good and the bad. Her bhajans and messages live on even today in the hearts and minds of Gujaratis. 

Conclusion

The female saints of India are much more than just  mystics. They are symbols of strength and sources of inspiration to men and women alike today. Their unflinching devotion in the face of adversity and their resistance in the face of oppressive societal norms can inspire many young people today to pursue whatever they would like to despite harsh societal expectations. Their names, lives and teachings are timeless, and shall remain etched forever in the minds and hearts of all Indians.