डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्‍वविद्यालय दिल्ली
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Established by The Government of NCT of Delhi

Course coordinator and team: Krishna Menon and Bindu K.C.

1. How does the course link with the vision of AUD?

As the Guidelines for Incorporating Indian Knowledge in Higher Education Curricula
asserts: “The pursuit of Knowledge (Jñāna ज्ञान), wisdom (Prajñā प्रज्ञा), and truth (Satya सत्य)
was always considered in Indian thought and philosophy as the highest human goal”(p: 1).In
this course, piety (Bhakti भक्ति), usually associated with women, is seen an important pillar of
Indian knowledge systems in addition to Jñāna, Prajñā and Satya. AUD’s vision is to give a
voice to frameworks of marginalized groups and be an integral part of knowledge production
from subaltern perspectives. This course aims to amplify unheard voices, aligning with the
university's overarching vision.

2. How does the course link with the specific programme(s) where it is being
offered?

It is linked to courses in Gender Studies from which it is offered because it looks at the period
of Bhakti through a gendered lense by focusing on the women figures of the early Bhakti
tradition. While offered through the Gender Studies programme, it will be available as an
open elective, fulfilling Gender Studies' mission to disseminate its framework and
perspective to the broader university community.

3. Does the course connect to, build on or overlap with any other courses offered in
AUD?

This course is situated within the framework of B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi's endeavor
to explore and embrace Indian knowledge systems in its diverse forms. It is linked to courses
in Gender Studies, Literary Studies, History, and Sociology. What sets it apart is its focus on
addressing the gaps present in many higher education programs, particularly the neglect of
pre-colonial histories of South Asia. The course examines this period through a decolonial
lens, incorporating a gendered perspective. This course speaks to the courses offered as a core
course, foundation and electives in the MA Gender Studies programme:

• Introduction to Gender
• Sexualities
• Bodies
• Ideas, Knowledge Ethics
• Intellectual Histories in South Asia: Women thinking the World

4. Specific requirements on the part of students who can be admitted to this course:
 

5. No. of students to be admitted (with justification if lower than usual cohort size is
proposed): As per AUD norms

6. Course scheduling: (summer/winter course; semester-long course; half-semester
course; workshop mode; seminar mode; any other – please specify): Monsoon - Semester
Long in keeping with the M.A. Gender Studies programme.

(Pre requisites; prior knowledge level; any others – please specify) As per AUD norms on prerequisites

Summary

The Guidelines for Incorporating Indian Knowledge in Higher Education Curricula asserts: “The pursuit of Knowledge (Jñāna ज्ञान), wisdom (Prajñā प्रज्ञा), and truth (Satya सत्य) was always considered in Indian thought and philosophy as the highest human goal”(1).In this course, piety (Bhakti भक्ति), usually associated with women, is seen an important pillar of Indian knowledge systems in addition to Jñāna, Prajñā and Satya. Bhakti and Jñāna have often been pitted against one another. The course tries to move away from this binary and sees this as gendered. It tries to bring out the question of being and knowing that the female figures associated with Bhakti embody.

This course, inspired by the debates detailed above, seeks to look at areas of women’s experiences that are steered by spiritual and religious imperatives. This can be considered an initial foray into engaging with particular forms of knowing and being in the world from a gendered perspective.

In this course, the focus is on women and Bhakti. The movement had two distinct phases – the first beginning in the 6 th or 7 th century from the Tamil speaking region. The movement underwent a second phase when it spread through the Marathi speaking areas and the Gangetic plains This course will focus on the first phase.

The course sees Bhakti as a way of engaging with the world, of being in the world and of creating knowledge about the world. A huge corpus of poetry and verses written by many women who followed this path of Bhakti, the course suggests, should be seen as one of the many sources of legitimate knowledge creation. The course proposes that this corpus provides us with alternative ways of thinking about pre-colonial lives and knowledge quests,
helping us move away from our dependence on colonial sources.

What is the relevance of this course in a Gender Studies programme? The fluidity, flexibility and open-endedness of Bhakti traditions, make it possible to question socially assigned roles to individuals. From a Gender Studies perspective, we can say that the lives and experiences of women across India who have sought a path different from the quotidian concerns of marriage and domesticity, while following the path of Bhakti, provides us with interesting insights of knowing and being in the world. Methodologically, the course does this by following certain female Bhakti figures through writings/songs attributed to them, texts around their lives and retrieval of these figures in our contemporary world.

b. Objectives

• Engage with the idea of Indian Knowledge Systems4
• Destabilize the binary between Jñāna and Bhakti
• Explore women’s engagement with the Bhakti tradition in India

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion:

Students will be able to:

• critically examine some aspects of the colonial foundations of knowledge production and epistemological frameworks.
• appreciate the span and philosophy of the Bhakti movement
• specifically appreciate the contribution of some of the women Bhakti saints
• nurture this tradition of knowledge and put it to new use and develop new research themes
• engage with various aspects of Indian society, poetry, religion and so on from a gendered perspective

d. Overall structure:

This is a 4 credit course. There are modules that help the student place the course in a conceptual way. Then it moves into specific modules that deal with certain women figures of Bhakti, introduced through their works as well as texts that deal with their lives. The course also deals with the contemporary articulation of some of these figures as well as other women figures in the spiritual realm.

e. Course Contents

i. Modulewise format
Module I: Engaging with the Idea of Indian Knowledge Systems

This module aims to familiarize students with some important theoretical debates that seek to
move away from an exclusive dependence on the tools, analysis and accounts of Eurocentric
perspectives and foster a more inclusive, diverse, and contextually relevant understanding of
knowledge in order to create the basis for an Indian knowledge system.

Essential Readings

• Sai Deepak, J. India that is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution. New Delhi: Bloomsbury, 2022.
• Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo. Decolonising the Mind : the Politics of Language in African Literature. London: Heinemann, 1986.

5 Nigam, Aditya. Decolonizing Theory: Thinking across Traditions. New Delhi: Bloomsbury India, 2020.

Tuck, Eve & K. Wayne Yang. "Decolonization is Not a Metaphor." Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society 1.1 (2012): 1-40. <https://journals.scholarsportal.info/pdf/19298692/v01i0001/nfp_dinam.xml_en>. Kapoor, Kapil. Text and Interpretation: The Indian Tradition. New Delhi, D K Printworld, 2005.

Module 2: Bhakti Tradition: Women, Poetry and Performance

Bhakti movement, historians claim, spanned from the 6 th or 7 th century emerging in the Tamil region and spreading northwards upto the 17 th century. The Bhakti movement is characterized by some scholars as a “storm of songs.” This provided the much needed impetus for the growth of local language and literature.

Jñāna as erudition and reason is often contrasted with Bhakti. Bhakti has space for the “irrational” and passionate. Women have often, been associated with intuition and spontaneity (including irrationality”) while men have been linked with “reason”. Perhaps, this is why Bhakti provided room to women (and others) who were out of the circle of reason and intellect.

Essential Readings

• Hawley, John Stratton. A Storm of Songs: India and the Idea of the Bhakti Movement. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015.
• Iwo, Shima Teiji Sakata, and Katsuyuki Ida. The Historical Development of the Bhakti Movement in India: Theory and Practice. New Delhi: Manohar, 2011.
• Menon, Krishna. "Women in Bhakti Tradition: A Critical Perspective." (Eds)., Ankit Tomar & Suratha K. Malik. Ancient and Medieval Indian Thought: Themes and Traditions. New Delhi: Sage Texts, 2020.
• Pillai, P. Govinda. "The Bhakti Movement: Renaissance or Revivalism?" New Delhi: Routledge, 2023.
• Pollock, Sheldon (Ed). . Forms of Knowledge in Early Modern Asia: Explorations in the Intellectual History of India and Tibet, 1500-1800. Durham: Duke University Press, 2011. Schelling, Andrew. The Oxford Anthology Of Bhakti Literature. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011.
• Sharma, Krishna. Bhakti and the Bhakti Movement, A New Perspective : a Study in the History of Ideas. Charlottesville VA: University of Virginia Press, 1987
• 6 Ramaswamy, Vijaya. “Rebels, Mystics or Housewives? Women in Virasaivism.” India International Centre Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 3/4, 1996. pp. 190-203.

Module 3: 6 -The Ghoul and her Lord ( 6 th Century CE)

Kariakal Ammiyar who was born as the beautiful Punitavati, prayed to Shiva to transform her into a ghoul with a gnarled and twisted old body that would repel people. She chose to transcend her body in the quest of Bhakti and gave up on a life of matrimony and domesticity.

Essential Readings

• Cacivalli, S. Sasivalli. Karaikkal Ammaiyar . Charlottsville: International Institute of Tamil. Studies, University of Virginia, 1984.
• Craddock, Elaine. "The Anatomy of Devotion: The Life and Poetry of Karaikkal Ammaiyar." (Ed)., Tracy Pintchman. Women's Lives, Women's Rituals in the Hindu Tradition. New Delhi: Oxford Academic, 2007. 131–148.
• Natarajan, Navia. Navia Natarajan presents Karaikal Ammaiyar. n.d. 30 January 2024. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqcPvAszUVs>.

Module 4: Andal: Passion and Abandon (8th Century CE)

Andal in her poetry talks unabashedly about her passion directed at Lord Vishnu-at the Srirangam Kshetra Temple. Legend has it she mysteriously disappeared into the sanctum sanctorum after a ‘marriage ceremony’ with her Istha Devata.

Essential Readings

• Jayasri, B. (2020). Bombay Jayashri - Andal's Poem (Official Video). Retrieved January 30, 2024, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwNzjkWERs
• Somasundaram, O. (2019). Divine Love: The Bridal Mysticism of Andal, Journal of Psychosexual Health. Journal of Psychosexual Health, 1(1). doi:10.1177/2631831818823636
• Venkatesan, A. (2016). The Secret Garland: Andal, Tiruppavai and Nacciyar Tirumoli. New Delhi: Harper Perennial India.

Module 5: Avvaiyar – Respected Grandmother (9 th Century CE)

Avvaiyar - respected grandmother- is known, not only for her extraordinary poetry, but also,
as a noble and revered saint. She chose to become a woman of religion and she channelized

7her musical and literary creativity into devotion to the Lord. She resolved the perennial dilemma of the body and sexuality by transforming herself through prayers into an old and wizened woman who wandered from land to land and shared her wisdom.

Essential Readings

Abhay, K. The Bloomsbury Book of Great Indian Love Poems. New Delhi: Bloomsbury India, 2020.

Grammar, Cozy. A Poem from Avvaiyar's book Moothurai: "To Behold a Good Person" | Ask Cozy Grammar. n.d. 30 January 2024. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEKZe_sgerg>.

Pechilis, Karen. "Revisiting the Experiential World of Women’s Bhakti Poetry." Religions 14.6 (2023): 788.

Pruiksma, Thomas. Give, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar. Pasadena: Red Hen Press, 2009.

Module 6: Akka Mahadevi -Transcending the Body (12 th Century CE)

Akka Mahadevi lived and wrote and wandered in search of Shiva in the Kannada speaking areas of South India. She spurned her husband to follow unabashedly her passion and love for Shiva.

Essential Readings

Ramaswamy, Vijaya. Divinity and Deviance: Women in Virasaivism, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1996.
Alka, Tyagi. Andal and Akka Mahadevi: Feminity to Divinity. New Delhi: DK Printworld, 2014.

Chaitanya, Vinaya. Songs for Śiva: Vacanas of Akka Mahadevi By Akkamahādēvi. New Delhi: AltaMira Press, 2005.
Dhaare, Vachana. Akka Kelavva - Vachana in Raga Pahadi. n.d. 30 January 2024. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S41PIJVsIg>.

Rao, Mukunda. Sky-Clad (The Extraordinary Life and Times of Akka Mahadevi). New Delhi: Westland Publishers, 2018.

Singh, Avadhesh K. The Voice of Women: Gārgī to Gaṅgāsatī. New Delhi: DK Printworld, 2008.

Module7: Women and Bhakti in the Contemporary World

The UGC guidelines on Indian Knowledge System urge us to do the following : “Sharing the
life and work of contemporary scholars and innovators who have made seminal contributions
in their fields using IKS , in order to motivate teachers to explore various dimensions of IKS”

8(UGC, guidelines, page 9). In keeping with this recommendation, this module seeks to engage with a more contemporary setting and determine whether Bhakti has continued to animate women’s lives and experiences in India.

Historians have pointed out that the contemporary is always part of any look at the past since often, a historical impulse is steered by present concerns and thus all modules so far also deals with the contemporary. Yet, this module particularly looks at some of the transmogrifications of Bhakti in the contemporary world. Bhakti continues to be a source of inspiration for many individuals, including women. Bhakti practices and gatherings provide a space where women can express their devotion, share religious experiences, and contribute to the broader discourse on spirituality. This module will focus on Sister Nivedita - one of the pioneers of the Sarada Math and a close associate of Swami Vivekananda, and Mata Amritanandamayi who is known both for her intense Bhakti and Seva.

Essential Readings

Harris, Ruth. Guru to the World: The Life and Legacy of Vivekananda. New York: Harvard University Press, 2022.

Warrier, Maya. "Processes of Secularization in Contemporary India: Guru Faith in the Mata Amritanandamayi Mission." Modern Asian Studies (2003): 213-253.

Suggested Readings

Chakravarti, Uma. “The World of the Bhaktin in South Indian Tradition: The Body and Beyond.” Manushi (1989): 50-52.

Chandel, Samarth Singh. Feminism in India. 10 March 2022. <https://feminisminindia.com/2022/03/10/the-complex-reality-of-women-devotees-in-the-bhakti- movement/>.

Hawley, John Stratton, Christian Lee Novetzke, Swapna Sharma. Bhakti and Power: Debating India's Religion of the Heart . Washington: University of Washington, 2019.

King, Anna S & John Brockington (Eds.). Intimate Other: Love Divine In Indic Religions. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan, 2005.

Menon, Nivedita. Misdirections of Secularism. New Delhi: Permanent Black, 2024.

Muthukumaraswamy, M.D. Sahapedia. 16 November 2016. <https://www.sahapedia.org/the- dynamics-of-bhakti>.

Nagaraj, D R. Flaming Feet. London: Seagull Books, 2011. Namakkal, Jessica . “European Dreams, Tamil Land: Auroville and the Paradox of a Postcolonial Utopia.” Journal for the Study of Radicalism. 6: 1, 2012. pp. 59-
88https://www.jstor.org/stable/41955483

Pintchman, Tracy (Ed.) Women's Lives, Women's Rituals in the Hindu Tradition. OUP, 2007.

9 Ramaswamy, Vijaya. Walking Naked: Women, Society, Spirituality in South India. Shimla: Indian Institute Of Advanced Study, 2007.

Sangari, Kumkum. "Mirabai and the Spiritual Economy of Bhakt." Economic and Political Weekly 25.27 (1990): 28-32.

Sen., Anandaroop. “J Sai Deepak’s India that is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution. .” Social Dynamics A journal of African studies (2021).

Mignolo, Walter D., Catherine E. Walsh. On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis. Durham: Duke University, 2018.

Yocum, Glenn E. “Shrines, Shamanism, and Love Poetry: Elements in the Emergence of Popular

Tamil Bhakti.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion (1973): 3-17.

ii. Assessment Plan (Weight, Mode, Scheduling):

• Mid Term Assessment: 50%
• End Term Assessment (Summative Examination): 50% (mode and scheduling will be determined by the individual faculty member).

8. Pedagogy

• Instructional design: Classroom teaching, visual texts and research, attending Bhakti music and dance concerts.
• Special needs (facilities, requirements in terms of software, studio, lab, clinic, library, classroom/others instructional space; any other – please specify): Classroom.
• Expertise in AUD faculty or outside : Within AUD
• Linkages with external agencies (e.g., with field-based organizations, hospital; any others): N.A.