Mirabai

MIRABAI

BY SIDDHANT RANKA

THE BEGINNING Meera was born long ago in a desert land with little rain. Rival Kshatriya clans, known as Rajputs, fought one another for control, establishing their own small kingdoms. Meera was born to the royal family of Marwar, niece of the king, in the city of Beawar. She began life as a normal Rajput child. She learned to help her mother manage a household, she learned her family’s religious rituals, and she learned the importance of maintaining the family’s honor. But there was always a uniqueness among the little girl. Every night, as her family prayed and performed puja, she felt a connection inside, a calling to the gods.

THE IDOL One day, a Brahmin sage came to the city. The king, a dutiful Kshatriya, invited him into the palace. The whole family came to pay their respects. When little Meera came the Brahmin pulled out a little idol of Krishna. Suddenly, Meera heard a voice inside her head.

“You and I are one, ” the voice told her. “We will be together your whole life.” The voice seemed to be coming from the idol of Krishna itself. A sudden urge came over her. This was her purpose, she realized, to devote herself to Krishna and share that devotion with others. She needed the idol. After much pleading, the idol was hers.

DEVOTION AND MARRIAGE For years, Meera focused on her worship of Krishna. Her family grew concerned and frustrated, believing she prioritized Krishna over the traditions of her family. When she reached a marriageable age, her father betrothed her to Bhojraj Singh Sisodia, son of the Maharana of Mewar, an even more powerful clan than her own. Despite her cries that her life was devoted to Krishna, her father married her off to Bhojraj. In Mewar, her in – laws expected to meet a traditional Rajput girl who held up the customs of a Kshatriya woman, especially by worshipping Shiva. Instead, Meera shocked them all, continuing to devote her life to the worship of Krishna, still carrying that little idol she was gifted all those years ago.

MARRIED LIFE Bhojraj for a time was perplexed by his wife’s attitude, but one day, looking at the idol Meera procured from the Brahmin all those years ago, a voice came into his head too.

“By Kshatriya custom she is legally wedded to you, but in her heart she is my bride, ” the voice said. “It is your duty to protect her, to let her spread her devotion.” Bhojraj was stunned. He didn’t understand what happened, but it seemed that the idol was speaking to him. Struggling with himself, he decided to support his wife’s devotion and let her be. He became her fiercest defender and her best friend, protecting her from his family’s remarks and becoming her closest confidant. Meera was delighted with the sudden change, and in her heart she knew that Krishna had finally reached Bhojraj.

LOSS Sadly, this happiness was not to be. One day, another war broke out, and Bhojraj was killed in battle. Meera was inconsolable. She had lost her dearest friend and closest human companion. Soon after, a ruler named Babur from beyond the Himalayas came, seeking to conquer all the clans. Both Meera’s father and father in – law would not bow to a man from a distant place. For the first time in centuries the clans united. A fierce battle was fought, but the Rajputs lost and both men were killed. Thus began a time of trouble and woe for Meera.

THE SNAKE Bhojraj’s older brother, Vikram Singh, took the throne of a weakened Mewar after the battle.

He despised Meera and wanted her dead. One day, he approached her with a basket of flowers.

“Meera, I have brought you these flowers.

Please do me the honor of accepting them.”

Meera accepted the flowers without any suspicion. Little did she know that Vikram Singh had placed a snake inside the basket. However, something mysterious happened when Meera opened the basket. Instead of a snake, there was a garland of flowers. She thanked a perplexed Vikram Singh and went on her way.

THE NECTAR Furious at the first failure, Vikram Singh soon sent his servant to give Meera nectar secretly spiked with poison.

“Lady Meera, you look uncomfortable in this heat. Won’t some nectar do?”

She drank the nectar, and miraculously, the poison inside didn’t harm her. She gave the cup back to the servant.

“Thank you for the nectar, it was very soothing.” The servant reported this to a furious Vikram Singh.

“Nothing seems to work!” It’s like Krishna really is protecting her!” fumed Vikram Singh.

THE LAKE Vikram Singh decided the only option now was to execute Meera. He decreed that Meera had dishonored the clan and ordered Meera to drown herself. Meera obeyed her king’s command, having lost all interest in the material world after the loss of her family.

However, as Meera submerged herself into the water, she simply floated back up. She waded deeper and deeper until she could no longer stand, but she still floated back up.

Vikram Singh stood in fear. Shocked, he announced she had regained her honor and hurried back inside the palace.

DWARKA After the events of the lake, Meera left Mewar to take a pilgrimage to Dwarka, the ancient kingdom of Krishna. She walked on foot in the garb of a hermit, with no one recognizing her as a royal Kshatriya. When she reached Dwarka, the brahmin priests eagerly greeted her. They themselves had heard a voice, telling them there would be a lady of high spirituality coming to practice her devotion to Krishna, and that they must accept and listen to that lady. The brahmins did not plan on following this request at first, but one of Meera’s hymns played into their minds, and the hymns stirred the very souls of the brahmins. The brahmins had a sudden change of heart and agreed to all conditions.

THE END Meera, now known as Sant Mirabai, spent many years in Dwarka. There she continued her devotion in peace. She wrote many hymns, hymns that stirred the souls and hearts of those who listened. Kings would travel to Dwarka to see Meera. Those who listened to her hymns would immediately feel a deep connection to Krishna One night, she entered the temple of Krishna.

The next morning, she had vanished without a trace. It is said she merged into the statue of Krishna in the temple. To this day Mirabai is still venerated for her lifelong devotion to Krishna and for her soulful hymns.

CITATIONS The battle against Rana Sanga at Kanhua in 1526 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_battle_against_Rana_Sanga_at_Kanhua_in_1526_(6124530405).jpg 'Udaipur, 1916' woodblock print by Charles Bartlett, 1917 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Udaipur,_1916%27_woodblock_print_by_Charles_Bartlett,_1917.jpg Krishna Idol Somnathpur - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krishna_Idol_Somnathpur.jpg Marriage Procession in a Bazaar - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marriage_Procession_in_a_Bazaar.jpg Mirabai and Krishna - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mirabai_and_Krishna.jpg

CITATIONS (CONT) Naja naja (Indian cobra) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naja_naja_(Indian_cobra).jpg Dwarka (1909) (20161999144) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dwarka_(1909)_(20161999144).jpg Krishna as Dwarkanath - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krishna_as_Dwarkanath.jpg Rajasthan in India (disputed hatched) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rajasthan_in_India_(disputed_hatched).svg Mirabai - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meerabai.jpg

CITATIONS(CONT)

Story reference: Mirabai – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabai