ART-1208 Mirabai – The Life of Mirabai

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Some 500 years ago Raja Ranjit Singh was a ruler of Kurkhi in Rajasthan. He was a good ruler and was loved by his people. He has a beautiful daughter called Mira.

When Mira was about five years old, a wedding procession passed by the palace. The asked her mother “where is my bridegroom”? Her mother led her to a Deity of Lord Krishna and said “there is you husband, Gopal himself. Love him and serve him as a good wife would.”

Mira took her mother’s instructions seriously. Mira said “from all other play. She started dressing Gopal, singing bhajans to Gopal and dancing for Gopal. The years passed and Mira was steadfast in her love of Her Divine Husband.

In the course of time Mira was married to Prince Bhojrajof Chittor who was known for his valour and his deep hatred of the Mughals. Mira was and ideal wife and served her husband Bhojraj. But as soon as her household duties were over, Mira would turn to her divine husband, her Gopal, whose Deity she had brought with her.

Mira’s mother-in-law did not approve of Mira serving Gopal. She asked Mira to worship Mother Durga, the family deity. Mira was adamant in serving Gopal as she had already offered herself to Lord Krishna.

Bhojraj’s sister, Uda, also tried to encourage Mira to worship Mother Durga, but it was all in vain. As Mira adamant, Uda decided to take revenge. She went to Bhojraj and said that Mira had a lover. That night Bhojraj stood outside the temple room listening. He heard Mira talking with someone. Drawing his sword Bhojraj rushed into the temple and wanted to know who Mira was talking to. Mira showed him the Deity of Gopal.

Bhojraj was convinced that Mira was insane, so decided to humour her. He built a temple for her where she could worship her Deity to her hearts content. Soon devotees flocked around her and she often sang and danced herself in ecstasy.

Mira’s devotion to Lord Krishna with bhajans and dancing spread far and wide. It reached the ears of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar and his court musician, Tansen. They wanted to hear the bhajans sang with devotion by Mira.

Knowing that the Rajputs hated the Mughals, they decided to disguise themselves as sadhus. Wearing the saffron robes, they entered the temple where Mira was sitting before her Lord. Hearing the bhajans Mira sang, Akbar and Tansen went into trance. Akbar approached Mira and touched her feet and placed a necklace on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.

He left with a heavy heart. Mira’s bhajans had filled Akbar’s heart with peace and was yearning for more.

Soon the news reached Rana Bhojraj that the Mughal Emperor had touched Mira’s feet. He was very angry and Mira’s silence made him angrier. In his anger told her to go and drown herself.

Mira was a devoted wife, so she went to the river holding Gopal close to her. As Mira stood on the river bank, the temple bells chimed. As she was about to jump in the river, a hand from behind grasped her. She turned around and met her eyes with heavenly smile of her beloved Lord and fainted. When she regained her consciousness, Lord Krishna told Mira to go to Vrindaban.

Mira sang and danced her way to Vrindaban, hardly aware of all that she suffered on the way. The news spread that Mira had arrived in Vrindaban and the devotees gathered around her. The devotees had heard of her and were waiting for her arrival.

One of the Rajputs saw Mira in Vrindaband and he reported to Bhojraj of her survival. After Mira’s departure, Bhojraj had repented on his harsh sentence. Bhojraj went to Vrindabanand begged Mira’s forgiveness and asked her to return to Chittor. At Chittor, Mira continued her worship of her Lord for many years with complete freedom.

When Bhojraj died, Mira was summoned by her father-in-law to become sati (join her husband on the funeral pyre). Mira refused, “as long as the Divine Lord resides in my heart I will not die”.

Although Mira was now completely free to devote herself to the Lord, the new Rana, Bhojraj’s brother, gave her no peace. He asked Mira not to mix with the devotees, sing or dance before the Deity of Lord Krishna within the palace.

As Mira could not worship the Lord in the palace temple she went out to the public temple. She ignored the taunts received by the new Rana for mixing with beggers (the new Rana called the devotees) and continued with singing bhajans and dancing for the Lord.

The people of Chittor began to love and respect their saintly princess even more and news about her spread all over India. Saints and scholars came from distant places to pay homage to her. Mira would advise everyone to mediate on the lotus feet of the Lord with love and devotion.

The Rana was beside himself with rage and started planning on how to get rid of Mira. Mira’s devotion was unshaken and she continued her singing and dancing for Lord Krishna.

One day the Rana sent Mira a poisonous snake in a basket with a servant, saying it was a garland for her Lord. Mira never refused anything that was given in the name of the Lord. She accepted the basket and when she opened the basket the snake had indeed turned into a garland. Mira garlanded the Deity of Sri Krishna. The servant was shocked to see this transformation.

Again the Rana asked his servant to take the mattress off the bed and replace it with the poison-tipped nails and cover them with rose petals. Mira hardly aware of any change in her bed lay down as usual. Miraculously, the nails turned limp and soft like the very rose petals that covered them. Mira slept peacefully through the whole night, dreaming of her Lord. The next morning the Rana and his evil friends were unpleasantly surprised to see Mira, fresh as ever engaged in the worship of Lord Krishna.

The envious Rana was furious. This time he mixed poison in the bowl of nectar himself and sent it with one of his trusted servants to Mira. Mira hardly conscious of what she ate and drank accepted the nectar and swallowed it mechanically. The poison had turned into nectar. Mira continued sitting before her Lord with a smile.

The Rana was furious when he heard about the poison not having any effect on Mira. He ordered Mira not to go to the public temple any more.

Mira was tired of these ceaseless interruptions to her devotional service. She wrote to Tulidasji, a saint for his advice. Tulidasji advised her to shun those who come in the way of worship even though they were close relatives.

Mira left Chittor for Merta her uncle’s kingdom, where she was warmly welcomed. She was given the full freedom to worship in peace. She lived there for many years.

Mira was getting old, so she decided to go on a pilgrimage to the holy places. She went to Mathura, Vrindaban and Dwarka. She stayed on in Dwarka because the call of her Lord had become louder and more insistent.

One day, in the temple of Dwarkadish, the call came so loud and deafening that Mira while dancing fell into a trance and fainted on her Lord. Mira left her body at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. Mira had worshipped the Lord with great faith and devotion. Her service to the Lord was unalloyed and uninterrupted.