Mirabai | |
|---|---|
 Kangra painting of Mirabai playing the veena | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Jashoda Rao Ratan Singh Rathore c. 1498[1] |
| Died | c. 1546 (aged 47–48) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Spouse | |
| Parent |
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| Known for | Poems, Bhakti for Krishna |
| Other names |
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Meera, better known as Mirabai,[2] and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition.[3][4][5] She is mentioned in Bhaktamal, confirming that she was widely known and a cherished figure in the Bhakti movement by about 1600.[6][7] She used to have madhurya bhav (looking upon the lord as one's beloved) towards Krishna in her poems.
Most legends about Mirabai mention her fearless disregard for social and family conventions, her devotion to Krishna, and her persecution by her in-laws for her religious devotion.[1][6] Her in laws never liked her passion for music through which she expressed her devotion they considered it an insult of the upper caste people .It is said that amongst her in-laws her husband was the only one to love and support Mira in her bhakti while some believe him to be against her. She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic legends, which are inconsistent or widely different in details. According to a legend when her in laws tried to kill her by giving her poison she tied a thread on the idol of Krishna believing he will save her and so he did, since then the ritual of tying rakhi to god's idol began.[1][8]
Millions of devotional hymns in passionate praise of Krishna are attributed to Meerabai in the Indian tradition, but just a few hundred are believed to be authentic by scholars, and the earliest written records suggest that except for two hymns, most were first written down in the 18th century.[9] Many poems attributed to Meera were likely composed later by others who admired Meera. These hymns are a type of bhajan, and are very famous across India.[10]
Some Hindu temples, such as Chittor Fort, are dedicated to Mirabai's memory.[1] Legends about Mirabai's life, of contested authenticity, have been the subject of movies, films, comic strips and other popular literature in modern times.[11]
- ^ a b c d Usha Nilsson (1997), Mira bai, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-8126004119, pages 1-15
- ^ "Mira Bai". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ Karen Pechelis (2004), The Graceful Guru, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195145373, pages 21-23, 29-30
- ^ Neeti Sadarangani (2004), Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact, Sarup & Sons, ISBN 978-8176254366, pages 76-80
- ^ Ryan, James D.; Jones, Constance (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 290. ISBN 9780816075645.
- ^ a b Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot (2006), India before Europe, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521809047, page 109
- ^ Annals And Antiquities Of Rajasthan Vol. 1 Page no. 75
- ^ Nancy Martin-Kershaw (2014), Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India (Editor: Mandakranta Bose), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195352771, pages 162-178
- ^ John Stratton Hawley (2002), Asceticism (Editors: Vincent Wimbush, Richard Valantasi), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195151381, pages 301-302
- ^ Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 254
- ^ Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 242