Between and Beyond Canons: Mirabai and Hadewijch in Relation to Scripture and the Self
Holly Hillgardner
Journal of Hindu-Christian studies November 7, 2014 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1577 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Mirabai and Hadewijch, despite belonging to different religious traditions, centuries, and regions, each made love-longing her primary contemplative practice. Mirabai expressed desire for God through the Vaiṣṇava genre of viraha-bhakti, while Hadewijch wrote of longing to become Love itself, to be "God with God." |
Abstract
Mirabai, a sixteenth century bhakta, wrote passionate songs of her desire for God. Burning for him, she employed the genre of viraha-bhakti, a mystical eroticism of longing from the Vaiṣṇava tradition, as she begged for him to “[c]ome and extinguish the fire of separation.” Hadewijch, a thirteenth-century Beguine from low-country Europe, wrote poems, letters, and prose that tell of her longing to become Love itself—to be “God with God.” Despite their myriad differences across traditions, miles, and years, Hadewijch and Mirabai can each be said to practice love-longing as her primary contemplative mode.