ABSTRACT
The Muhabba, or love of the disciple for his Shaykh or Murshid (spiritual guide), is viewed as the first step of his love for God. But how does a receiver of spiritual grace approach his master or Murshid? How does a disciple become attracted to his Murshid or make himself attracted to his Murshid? Drawing insights from Kugle (2009 [2007]), this chapter analyzes some selected mystical songs of the Maizbhandariyya Tariqa composed by Mawlana Addul Hadi (1842–1905) and Kavial Ramesh Chandra Shil (1877–1967), who portrayed themselves in some of their songs as female devotees who longed for union with their Murshid, the beloved. This chapter also analyze the erotic language used in their song lyrics to show how they conform to or contravene the bhakti traditions of South Asia.
