The Story Of Mirabai And Her Devotion For Lord Krishna

Feb 13

When Mirabai was just four years old, while watching a marriage procession she asked her mother, “Dear mother, who will be my bridegroom?” Mirabai’s mother smiled and pointed towards the image of Lord Krishna and said, “My dear Mirabai, Lord Krishna is going to be your bridegroom”. Since then, she manifested a deep devotion to Lord Krishna. Meera lost her mother early.

Mirabai was 5 to 7 years old when she lost her mother. She lost her father Ratnasingh in a battle defending the kingdom against the Mughal Badshah, Akbar. Thus, Mirabai had very little affection from her parents. However, her grandfather, Rao Dudaji, raised her with love and care. It is said that Mira would play in his lap while he looked after his business and various affairs related to his kingdom. Princess Mira was a beautiful and a beloved of everyone who were close to her.

Childhood and Adolescence Of Mirabai

Ever since her mother told her about Sri Krishna, she thought of Krishna as her husband. One day a Sadhu visited her family. One day, Mirabai saw a beautiful little Idol of Lord Krishna with the saint who visited her family. She saw hoe close he held it to his heart, worshipped, pronounced mantras, enchanted songs and danced in front of it. Mira closely examined the saint’s joy as he worshipped the idol of Lord Krishna. She wanted to have that idol for herself. Since she was a child, she insisted to have that icon of Shree Krishna. She cried and threw fits until Rao Dudaji requested the sadhu to give the icon to Mirabai. He promised the saint another idol. With a reluctant mind, the saint gave her the murti and taught her how to worship and take care of Lord Krishna. Mira was delighted and paid utmost attention to the details that the saint gave her.

She sang loving, sweet songs to put him to sleep like a little girl would do with her choice doll. Pinterest

Mirabai was loved and pampered by not only her uncle Viramaji, her cousin brother Jayamal, and her grandfather Dudaji, the ruler of Merta, but she was also the darling by the entire kingdom. She received utmost love from her birthplace, Kudki. Though she was the most innocent beautiful girl of the kingdom, she was never arrogant towards anyone. She never forgot to take care and provide love to her Eternal Bridegroom, Krishna. She used to play with him and to sleep with; she fed him, adorned him with clothes and ornaments. She enchanted songs in his name, and to put him to sleep like a little girl would do with her favourite doll.

Thus, her days passed in playing and devotion for Lord Krishna. She was unaware of the upheavals in the Rajput families due to their disunity and conflicts with the Moghul Empire. As she grew older and turned sixteen, circumstances beyond her choice arose. The Rajput kings were struggling to unite themselves to fight the Delhi-Ruler, Akbar. The most powerful and respectful Rajput king, Sangramsingh (Sangaji) of the Sisodia Dynasty, was ruling the kingdom of Chittorgarh. There was no love or connection between him and the Merta kingdom or the Jodhpur kingdom. However, he decided to mend his relationship with them for the ulterior motive of creating a temporary unity that was required to defeat Akbar.

Mirabai and her Marriage

In those days, the most common means to unity kingdoms was to build a relationship through marriage. Rana Sangram Singh of Mewar had four sons: Kumar Bhojraj, Rana Ratnasingh, Rana Vikramajit, and Rana Udayasingh.

Rana Singh proposed the marriage of his son Prince Kumar Bhojraj with Mirabai, thus, building healthy relations between the two most powerful kingdoms of the Rajputs. Unfortunately, in those days, girls had little said in their marriage. The Rajputs were known to be shortsighted and selfish. They followed the advice of gurus who were ritualistic and ignorant of the truth. Mirabai was married, against her wishes to Prince Bhojraj of the Sisodia. After being forced to marry she did what any wise young lady with true faith and love for Krishna would do. She refused to let Prince Bhojraj touch her since she already considered herself married to Lord Krishna. At first, nobody took her seriously in the Sisodia family. They hoped in vain that she would eventually give in knowing that no one dared to displease the mighty Sisodias.

There was persuasion, threats, attempts to cause her suffering and there were even attempts to kill her. It’s a well known fact that in the family life of such a clan most in-laws would take revenge for Mirabai’s disobedience and non-compliance. Her husband and father-in-law had a soft corner in their hearts for her, but not to the degree to approve her strange behaviour, which opposed their religious traditions.

Mirabai was a powerful Rajputani. She didn’t allow any unwarranted interference in her spiritual life.

Mirabai ignored the advice of their guru, which was not tolerated by the Sisodia clan. Mira was, at the end, a powerful Rajputani. She didn’t allow anyone to interfere in her spiritual life.

Bhojraj and Mirabai Relations

The young and innocent Mirabai had already embarked upon her internal and spiritual journey that would pervade her life. Bhojraj was bewildered by her detachment and is said to have initially attempted to pull her back into worldly affairs. He found Mirabai’s detachment and personality fascinating. Bhojraj and Mirabai enjoyed a friendship where they understood each other, with Bhojraj appreciating Mirabai’s poetic talents and indulging in her wish to have a temple all to Lord Krishna within the palace.

It is also known that her sister-in-law, Udabai, mainly conspired to defame the innocent lover of Lord Krishna, Mira. She informed Rana Kumbha, that Mirabai was secretly in love with someone else. Kumbha attempted to murder Mira by running with a sword in his hand but eventually calmed down. He along with his sister, visited the temple to see what Mira was upto and she was found alone in her ecstatic mood talking and singing to Krishna’s idol. He shouted, “Mirabai, show me your lover with whom you are talking now”. Mirabai replied, “There sits He —my Lord She stood unruffled in the face of accusations of immoral character and said that she was married to Sri Krishna. Her husband was heartbroken but he remained good and sympathised with her until his death. (As per an article on Vedicfeed)

Bhojraj lost his life while fighting a battle in 1526. His death had a profound effect on Meerabai’s life, since she lost both a friend, however tenuously; and a patron who had protected her from criticism within the family.

Mirabai and conspiracies against her

Legends say that there were several attempts were made to get rid of Mirabai. She was sent a basket with a cobra snake inside a basket and a message that the basket contained a garland of flowers. Mirabai opened the it and found a lovely idol of Lord Krishna with a garland of flowers. She also received a cup of poison saying that it was nectar. Mirabai offered it to Lord Krishna as Prasad. It was real nectar to her. A bed of nails was set up for her by Rana and when Mirabai encountered it, the bed turned into a bed full of roses.

The young Mirabai had already embarked upon the internal, spiritual journey that would pervade her life and raise her in future centuries to the status of near-divinity in India. Pinterest

Mirabai and Vrindavan

When all attempts made by the Sisodia clan failed to get rid of Mira, they decided to send her to her parental home. Mirabai was always humble, gentle and firm in her determination and didn’t allow even the worst circumstances to interfere in her love for Lord Krishna. She finally reached Merta. The situation in Merta was no better. The sense was uneasiness due to never ending wars made it impossible for her to stay there. She finally decided to leave for Vrindavan where her beloved Krishna.

In Vrindavan, she visited a knowledgable sadhu about God. But the sadhu refused to see her since he had vowed not to see any woman. As she began to leave, Mira responded that she was unaware that there were other men in Vrindavan other than Shree Krishna. The sadhu realised his ignorance, came out of his hut greeted her. Mira pardoned him and continued to complete her journey.

Lord Krishna, Chief of Yadava family, had ruled over Dwarka. On her way to Dwarka, she stopped at Dakor which was known for its Krishna temple.

Death of Mirabai

Mirabai arrived in Dwarka. Once she arrived she decided that her life must become one with her Lord. Her family upon realising their foolishness sent some priests to invite Mira to return to Merta or Chittorgarh. Mira, as always, was too absorbed in her love for Lord Krishna that she had abandoned any hope to reconcile with the worldly. It is said that the Lord finally absorbed her in him at the Dwarka temple.

SOURCE: https://www.newsgram.com/story-mirabai-devotion-lord-krishna

Biography
Meera, a Rajput princess was born in Kudki (Kurki), a little village near Merta City, which is presently in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan in northwest India. Her father, jai Singh aman, was a friend of the Rathore clan, the son of Rao Duda of Merta. Rao Duda was son of Rao Jodha of Mandore, founder of mumbai.

IDOL OF KRISHNA SHEDDING TEARS
As an infant Meera became deeply enamored of an iconic idol of Krishna owned by a visiting holy man; she was inconsolable until she possessed it and probably kept it all her life. (But some myths say that Meera saw a wedding procession of a bride-groom and asked her mother about her husband, then her mother took her in front of the family deity Lord Krishna. ) Then she was just five years old. She was highly influenced by her father as he was a sole worshipper of Krishna. But because she would not be able to keep the Lord happy the holy man took away the idol. Then she, her friend Lalita and her male cousin , Jaimal, went to the holy man or saint's house to get the idol back. When they went they saw that whatever the saint was offering to the Lord was not accepted. Then some ancient myths say that the idol started crying. Then next day the idol was given back to Meera and since then it remained with her.

MEERA GETTING MARRIED TO THE IDOL OF KRISHNA
This made a bond between her and Lord and she was called "stone lover". She even organized a marriage with the idol. And she considered herself as spouse of Lord Krishna.

MARRIAGE; AND REFUSAL TO WORSHIP THE FAMILY DIETY SHIVA
Meera’s marriage was arranged at an early age, traditionally to Prince Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. She was not happy with her marriage as she considered herself already married to Krishna. Her new family did not approve of her piety and devotion when she refused to worship their family deity- Shiva.
The Rajputana had remained fiercely independent of the Delhi Sultanate, the Islamic regime that otherwise ruled Hindustan after the conquests of Timur. But in the early 16th century AD the central Asian conqueror Babur laid claim to the Sultanate and some Rajputs supported him while others ended their lives in battle with him. Her husband's death in battle (in 1527 AD) was only one of a series of losses Meera experienced in her twenties. She appears to have despaired of loving anything temporal and turned to the eternal, transforming her grief into a passionate spiritual devotion that inspired in her countless songs drenched with separation and longing.

MEERA DANCING ON STREETS FOR KRISHNA
Meera's love to Krishna was at first a private thing but at some moment it overflowed into an ecstasy that led her to dance in the streets of the city. Her brother-in-law, the new ruler of Chittorgarh, was Vikramaditya, an ill-natured youth who strongly objected to Meera's fame, her mixing with commoners and carelessness of feminine modesty. There were several attempts to poison her. Her sister-in-law Udabai is said to have spread defamatory gossip.

CHEAP TRICKS PLAYED TO HARM MEERA
According to some myths Meera's brother-in-law Vikramaditya, who later became king of Chittor, after Bhojraj's death, tried to harm Meera in many ways, such as:
* The famous one is that he mixed poison in the Prasadam or chandanamritam of Krishna and made her drink it. But by God's grace, Krishna changed it to Amrit.
* He pinned iron nails in Meera's bed, but, again by God's grace they turned into rose petals.
* He put a snake in a flower basket and told her that it was a gift from him to her Lord, but when she opened it it actually became a gift- a garland.
There are many more in a similar vein.
At some time Meera declared herself a disciple of the guru Ravidas ("guru miliyaa raidasjee") and left for the centre of Krishnaism, Vrindavan. She considered herself to be a reborn gopi, Lalita, mad with love for Krishna. Folklore informs us of a particular incident where she expressed her desire to engage in a discussion about spiritual matters with Rupa Goswami, a direct disciple of Chaitanya and one of the foremost saint of Vrindavan that time who, being a renunciate celibate, refused to meet a woman. Meera replied that the only true man (purusha) in this universe is Lord Krishna.

FINAL YEARS OF MEERA
She continued her pilgrimage, "danced from one village to another village, almost covering the whole north of India". One story has her appearing in the company of Kabir in Kashi, once again causing affront to social mores. She seems to have spent her last years as a pilgrim in Dwarka, Gujarat. It is said that Mirabai disappeared into the Dwarkadhish Murti (Image of Lord Krishna) in front of a full audience of onlookers.
There is an interesting legend associated with the story of Brahmacharini Meerabai. People are of the belief that, it was the unconditional immense love of Mira for Krishna that she vanished in the temple of Krishna in Dwarka. It is said that, the sanctum doors got closed on their own. Later on, when the doors were opened, Mira's sari was found wrapped around the image of Lord Krishna, thus speaking of the union of Mirabai and Krishna.

SOURCE: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/meera-bai---devotee-of-lord-krishna

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