Meera

Mirabai

Mirabai (1498-1547CE) was a Hindu mystical poetess whose compositions are popular throughout India. Mirabai is held to have been a disciple of Ravidas.

  • Mirabai composed between 200 to 1300 prayerful songs called bhajans. These bhajans are in the bhakti tradition, and most passionately praised Lord Krishna. The extant version of her poems are in a Rajasthani dialect of Hindi and in Gujarati.
  • Many of the details of Mirabai's life are pieced together from her poetry and the stories later recounted by members of her community. While Mirabai's hagiography is held as truth by followers of the bhakti tradition, the historical authenticity of most of her story is the subject of scholarly debate.
    Mirabai Temple, Vrindavan
  • Mira was born in 1498 A.D. in Kudki, a little village near Merta, Rajasthan, which is presently in Pali district. Her father was Ratan Singh, a descendant of Rao Rathor, the founder of Jodhpur.
  • When Mirabai was only 3 years old, a wandering sadhu came to her family’s home and gave a doll of Krishna to her father. Her father took this is as a special blessing, but was initially unwilling to give it to his daughter, because he felt she would not appreciate it.
  • However Mira had, at first sight, become deeply enamoured with this doll. She refused to eat until the doll was given to her. To Mira, this figure of Krishna embodied his living presence. She resolved to make Krishna her lifelong friend, lover, and husband. Throughout her turbulent life she never wavered from her youthful commitment.