The recognition of non-institutional spiritual knowledge and transmitted wisdom through mentorship, particularly relevant to guru-chela hierarchies in hijra tradition.
Sor Juana's theological work, though ultimately constrained by Church hierarchy, asserted that contemplative knowledge and spiritual insight transcended formal male clerical authority. In hijra and kothi communities, spiritual authority flows through guru-chela (guru-disciple) lineages, where knowledge, ritual practice, and cultural identity transmit outside institutional religion. A hijra guru holds epistemic and moral authority based on experience, teaching capacity, and community recognition—not state licensing or brahminical or clerical credentials. This concept validates non-institutionalized knowledge transmission as legitimate and sacred. Sor Juana's insistence on her intellectual and spiritual agency, despite her position within the Catholic framework, illuminates how marginalized communities develop parallel structures of authority, teaching, and wisdom-keeping. For hijra and kothi, the guru lineage represents both survival strategy and assertion of autonomous spiritual and intellectual sovereignty.
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