Mirabai | |
---|---|
Personal | |
Born | Jashoda Rao Ratan Singh Rathore c. 1498[1] |
Died | c. 1546 | (aged 47–48)
Religion | Hinduism |
Spouse | |
Parent |
|
Known for | Poems, Bhakti for Krishna |
Other names |
|
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]
Most legends about Mirabai mention her fearless disregard for social and family conventions, her devotion to Krishna, her treatment of Krishna as her husband, and her persecution by her in-laws for her religious devotion.[1][6] She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic legends, which are inconsistent or widely different in details.[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]