Haqā’iq-i Hindī: A Sufi Poetics of Air and Breath Through Bhakti Songs

The poetics of air and breath in the 16th-century text Haqā’iq-i Hindī reveal how Sufi and Bhakti traditions in early modern South Asia interacted through shared embodied rituals and a common grammar of multivocal symbols, while also maintaining distinct identities. This dialogue was shaped by the broader literary, political, and social contexts of the period. The analysis shows that such poetics enable multi-cultural participation by appealing to embodied consciousness, offering insights for comparative philosophers studying cross-cultural interactions with Sufism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract In my paper, I will explore the web of meanings constructed through the poetics of air and breath in a 16th century text Haqā’iq-i Hindī. My approach will view the Sufi-Bhakti interaction in early modern South Asia through lateral processes of knowledge formation, which found common ground in the emphasis on embodied rituals. This dialogue for both traditions shared a common grammar of multivocal symbols but also heavily relied on identity differentiation. I will begin by specifically situating this grammar within the broader economy of early modern South Asian literary culture, politics, its social milieu and corresponding historical realities that shaped them and then move on to relevant samples from the text itself. My project aims to shed light for comparative philosophers and scholars studying cross-cultural interactions with Sufism on how the poetics of breath and air enable multi-cultural participation through a multivocal vocabulary that appeals to our embodied consciousness.