Mirabai (मीराबाई) (1498-1547) (sometimes also spelled Meera) was a female Hindu mystical poet whose compositions are popular throughout India. 1498 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 16 - Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ...

She is said to have been a disciple of Shri Guru Ravidas. She composed between 200 to 1300 prayerful songs called bhajans. Raidas or Ravidas (c. ... A Bhajan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. ...

They are in the bhakti tradition, and most passionately praised Lord Krishna. The extant version of her poems are in a Rajasthani dialect of Hindi, they are also considered to be in Gujarati. Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... // Introduction Rajasthani is one of the prominent members of Indo-Aryan languages family. ... Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu, and Gujarati... is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the greater Indo-European language family. ...

Many of the details of Mira's life are pieced together from her poetry and the stories later recounted by members of her community. While these details are taken as truth by modern followers of the Bhakti tradition, the historical authenticity of most of her story is the subject of much debate.

ASHWEEN was born at Merta in Nagaur District of Rajasthan in Rathore clan of Rajputs. When she was six years old, she was given a figurine of Krishna by her mother that she played, sang and always talked with. Her father's elder brother Viram Deo who succeeded to the throne arranged her marriage at the age of 16 with Prince Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. This marriage raised Mirabai to a very high social status, as the ruler of Chittor was considered to be the leader of the Hindu princes of Rajputana. However, her great devotion to Lord Krishna did not always endear her to her husband and family. Her love of Krishna was so absorbing she neglected her social and regal responsibilities. She refused to offer worship to the family deity, Durga. She sang and danced in public temples and mingled with members of all castes. Because of this Mirabai suffered great hardship throughout her life. Her husband died a few years after her marriage and she refused to commit sati, a practice of widow self-immolation held in high regard in royal rajput families of the time. In 1527, the Rajputs opposed a Muslim invasion from Afghanistan. Nagaur is a district in the state of Rajasthan in India. ... Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... This Article is about Hindu Rajput Rathores, thier religion, culture and hisory. ... The royal Rajputs (anonymous, c. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient city in Rajasthan state of western India. ... Rajputana, which means Land of the Rajputs is a region of western India, which now makes up the greater part of Rajasthan state. ... In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: , Bengali: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess, also identified with Parvati. ... The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. ... Sati may refer to any of the following: The Hindu Goddess Sati, daughter of Daksha and wife of Shiva A social practise in some parts of India in past centuries, often spelt Suttee The Buddhist Sati; see mindfulness. ...

Mirabai's father was killed in battle; her father-in-law was wounded in the same battle and died the next year. Mewar got a new child-ruler, who with his mother, made life at the court difficult for Mirabai. In Mira's poems she mentions that her family attempted to kill her twice but that she was miraculously saved both times. These physical hardships became intolerable and after praying to Krishna, she left the palace for good (possibly at the age of 30) and went to the pilgrimage of Mathura, Vrindavana, and finally to Dwarka. Mirabai spent most of her time in prayer and worship of Krishna. She left behind a legacy of many soulful and prayerful songs, which are still sung in India today. Mirabai is widely regarded as a saint in the tradition of the Bhakti Movement. The 16th century Bhakti Movement showed the path to salvation by devotion. Other saints belonging to this culture were Tukaram, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ramananda, Chaitanya. Mathura (मथुरा) is a city in India, located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi. ... Vrindavana is the name of a mythic forest or forested region in Northern India, in which the Hindu deity Krishna spent his childhood. ... Dwarka   is a city and a municipality in Jamnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. ... Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Bhakti movements are Hindu religious movements in which the main spiritual practice is the fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. ... In theology, salvation can mean three related things: freed forever from the punishment of sin Revelation 1:5-6 NRSV - also called deliverance;[1] being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God Revelation 1:6 NRSV - also called redemption;[2]) and a process... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Depiction of saint Kabir on the cover of a Hindi magazine named Shree Kabir Gyanamrit KabÄ«r (also KabÄ«ra) (Hindi: कबीर, GurmukhÄ«: ਕਬੀਰ, Urdu: ‎) (1398—1397)[ — see talk page] was an Indian mystic; a Bhakti saint, a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev, who sang the ideals of seeing all of humanity... Guru Nanak (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ, Devanagari: गुरु नानक) (20 October 1469 - 7 May 1539), the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana... Ramananda was a vaishnava saint, a Ramayat - devotee of Lord Rama. ... Deities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (right) and Sri Nityananda (left) at Radha-Krishna temple in Radhadesh, Belgium Caitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Chaitanya) (1486 - 1534), was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal, India (present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh). ...

Her love for Krishna is epitomized by the popular belief about her final disappearance in the temple of Krishna in Dwarka. She is believed to have entered the sanctum of the temple in a state of singing ecstasy. Dwarka   is a city and a municipality in Jamnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. ... Temple architecture in the Hindu tradition is connected to astronomy and sacred geometry. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ...

The sanctum doors are believed to have closed on their own and when later opened, the sari of Mirabai was seen enwrapped around the idol of lord Krishna, symbolizing the culmination of her union with her lord. The figure-flattering sari can be counted amongst the most graceful dresses A sari (also spelled saree) is the traditional garment worn by many women in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Poetry

Mirabai belongs to the Saguna class of worshippers of Brahman. Theologically, they believed that between Aatma (our soul) and Parmaatma (the supreme Aatma or God), this physical body is the only wall, and upon death the Aatma and Parmaatma will combine just as a pot filled with water is placed in pond and if the pot breaks the water inside (Aatma) will combine with the water outside (Paraatma).

Mirabai's poetry puts love for Krishna above the love for friends and family. She perceived Krishna to be her husband, lover, lord and master. The unique characteristic of Mirabai's poetry is the use of complete surrender to her love for Krishna accompanied by subtle erotic imagery. Her longing for union with Krishna is predominant in Mira's poetry who says she wants to be coloured with the colour of dusk (dusk being the symbolic colour of Krishna). She believed that in her previous life she was one of the several gopis in Vrindavan, in love with Krishna. Much like the gopis, as mentioned in tales of Krishna, Mirabai looked upon Krishna as her lover, seeking spiritual and physical union with him. Her writings were at the same time, spiritual and sensual. Mira's songs portray a personal universe where the only existence was that of Krishna - her sole object of desire. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Love Look up love in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... In Hinduism a gopi (somtimes gopika) is one of the several cow herding girls who had pure devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. ... Vrindavan, in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh is a town on the site of the original forest of Vrindavana. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... Senses are the physiological methods of perception. ...

A Mirabai poem is traditionally called a pada, a term used by the 14th century preachers for a small spiritual song. This is usually composed in simple rhythms and carries a refrain within itself. Her collection of songs is called the Padavali. The typicality of Indian love poetry of those days was used by Mirabai but as an instrument to express her deepest emotions felt for her lord. Her typical medium of singing was Vraja-bhasha, a dialect of Hindi spoken in and around Vrindavan (the childhood home of Krishna), sometimes mixed with Rajasthani. Hindi (Devanagari: हिन्दी or हिंदी; IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is the official language of the Union government of India [1][2]. It is part of a dialect continuum of the Indic family, bounded on the northwest and west by Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu, and Gujarati... Vrindavan, in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh is a town on the site of the original forest of Vrindavana. ... // Introduction Rajasthani is one of the prominent members of Indo-Aryan languages family. ...

An example poem:

That dark Dweller in Braj

Is my only refuge.

O my companion,

Worldly comfort is an illusion,

As soon you get it, it goes.

I have chosen the Indestructible for my refuge,

Him whom the snake of death

Will not devour.

My Beloved dwells in my heart,

I have actually seen that Abode of Joy.

Mira's Lord is Hari, the Indestructible.

My Lord, I have taken refuge with Thee,

Thy slave.

Social Impact

Mirabai did not recognize social and caste barriers and adopted the cobbler/untouchable Sri Guru Ravidas as her Guru. She broke many social normalities. Her work on the horrors of social caste inspired many to this day. Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, enforced by law or common practice, based on classifications such as occupation, race, ethnicity, etc. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Raidas or Ravidas (c. ... Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Bibliography

• Caturvedī, Ācārya Parashurām(a), Mīrāʼnbāī kī padāvalī,(16. edition), Prayāg 1976
• Alston, A.J., The Devotional Poems of Mīrābāī, Delhi 1980
• Bly, Robert / Hirshfield, Jane, Mīrābāī: Ecstatic Poems, Boston, Massachusetts 2004
• Levi, Louise Landes, Sweet On My Lips: The Love Poems of Mirabai, New York 1997
• Schelling, Andrew, For Love of the Dark One: Songs of Mirabai, Prescott, Arizona 1998
• Goetz, Hermann, Mira Bai: Her Life and Times, Bombay 1966
• Mirabai: Liebesnärrin. Die Verse der indischen Dichterin und Mystikerin. Translated from Rajasthani into German by Shubhra Parashar. Kelkheim, 2006 (ISBN 3-935727-09-7)
• Hawley, John Stratton. The Bhakti Voices: Mirbai, Surdas, and Kabir in Their Times and Ours, Oxford 2005.
• Snell, Rupert. The Hindi Classical Tradition A Braj Bhasa Reader, London 1991, pp 39, 104-109. (poems are in both Braj Bhasa Hindi and English)

See also

• List of Rajputs
• Andal
• Classic Bhajans
• Bollywood songs

This is a partial list of famous Rajputs, members of the Rajput community of Northern India and Pakistan. ... Andal, pronounced aanDaaL is one of the twelve Alvars of Vaishnavism, and is the second most important of them. ... Bhajans by Kabir, Mirabai, Surdas, Tulsidas and a few others are considered to be classic. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

External links

• Poems/Bhajans by Meerabai
• Story of previous birth of Mirabai
• Mirabai's Bhajans in Gujarati -
• Poetseers: Mirabai includes English translations of 35 of Mirabai's poems (links to the left).
• Mirabai -Collection of links to various sites on Mirabai
• Mira Bai - two poems in Hindi and English
• Short biography