Read on Twitter
#GuruPoornima! Gurus come in many forms and shapes! Some of the greatest Guru's are those who did not have a specific philosophy - their teaching was very simple - #LOVE. It was just the sheer love for God that they imparted. One such Guru is #Meerabai. Who was Meera? A thread
Whenever I think of Meerabai, I am reminded of MS Amma, her Meera Bhajans! The songs - especially, Katriniley Varun Geetham - have a deep spiritual energy. The “Bhakthi Rasa” is remarkable. Was Meerabai a fictional character made into a movie or did she really live in our midst?
Meera was a 16th C Rajput princess. Her story forms a part of the literary piece – Bhaktamala, with biographies of over 200 saints, very similar to Tamilnadu’s own Periya Puranam. While the story is brief in its description, Meera’s life has formed the subject of many accounts.
As a child, Meera Bai saw a wedding procession. The child asked “Who will be my bridegroom, ma?” and the mother, a staunch Vaishnavite, pointed to the idol of Lord Krishna and replied, “This, here, is your bridegroom!”. Meera’s devotion to Lord Krishna began at that tender age.
Along with Meera, her devotion to Lord Krishna too grew. She saw the Lord in flowers, in nature, in rain & thunder. She was an incarnation of Radha, seeing the Lord in every stone, creeper, cloud. She sang songs about Krishna, describing Him as mother, father, husband & child.
At the appropriate age for those times, Meera was married to Rana Khumba, the King of Chittoregarh in Mewar. Carrying her cherished Lord Krishna’s idol, she entered the new stage of her life. She was a dutiful wife, performing all that was required, yet never forgetting her Lord.
Legend says that the family in her marital home at Mewar were devotees of Goddess Durga and hence disliked Meera’s deep attachment to Lord Krishna. They tried many ways to first dissuade her from her faith. When they found that she was steadfast, they decided to kill her
The Bhakthi movement has this one similarity among most of its saints. Their union with their chosen God is opposed, prevented, traumatized. Yet, their irrepressible faith to stay staunchly committed to their God carries them through. In Meera’s case too, it was no different.
When her in-laws found out that Meera was besotted with her Krishna, they tried to kill her. But Meera’s faith made sure that she was saved each time. She was sent a deadly cobra in a basket of flowers. When she opened it, there was a lovely idol of her beloved Lord Krishna!
Another time, she was offered a cup of venom, stating it was kheer. Placing it at the feet of the Lord, Meera began her pujan, singing songs of love to her Lord. After completing her prayers, Meera consumed the poison, taking it as the prasad of her Lord. Lo! It became nectar.
Her husband’s mind was turned against her. He sent her a bed of nails, but when Meera lay down, it became flowers. Suspecting her fidelity, Rana rushed to her room with his knife drawn. There, he saw Meera dancing with her cherished idol of Lord Krishna which had come to life!
Legend has it that Akbar and Birbal visited Chittore in disguise to hear the songs of Meerabai. Amazed by the divine energy of Meerabai, Akbar placed a necklace of rubies at her feet & left. This incident caused a furore at court, with Meera’s dignity brought under question.
When Rana came to know of this, he decided to give the greatest punishment. He bade her to drown herself in the river. Obeying her husband’s orders, Meera walked into the river, chanting “Govinda, Giridhari, Gopala!”. Suddenly she was pulled back by a pair of hands.
It was her Divine Lord.“Oh Meera, your life here at Mewar is over. Proceed to Brindavan!” He said. With this divine command, Meera walked barefoot across Rajasthan to Brindavan. On the way, she was sheltered and fed by strangers who were mesmerised by her music and her Bhakthi.
At Brindavan, Meera’s name and fame grew. She drew countless devotees of Lord Krishna, who visited the Govinda Mandir in Brindavan to see Meera and hear her songs. Several Saints of that age, such as Sant Tulsidas and Jiva Gosain knew of her Bhakthi and sent devotees to see her.
Rana Khumba, who by then, had realised his mistake, was overcome with grief, and decided to go to Brindavan to request Meera to return as his Queen of Chittore. When he saw Meera, dressed as a sanyasi, singing & dancing, lost in the love of Krishna, he wept & revealed who he was
Meera, the dutiful wife, prostrated before her husband and king, but remained firm that she would not leave Brindavan. An incomparable mystic, poet & sage,
Meera dedicated her life to her Bhakthi. She spent her life in staunch faith towards the Lord, enduring all ordeals.
Meera dedicated her life to her Bhakthi. She spent her life in staunch faith towards the Lord, enduring all ordeals.
Meera's identity was that of a Krishna-Premi – one who loved the Lord, above everything else. Her songs are suffused with the spirit of Bhakthi - devotion & surrender. During every calamity that she faced in her life, Meera stood steadfast in her devotion, her faith guarding her
Towards the end of her life, Meera walked to Dwaraka, where as soon as she entered the temple and reached the sanctum sanctorum, she became one with the Lord and shed her mortal coil. Many bhajans attributed to Meera are said to have been composed by those who admired her.
On this #GuruPoornima day, let us remember this divine saint - who served as a Guru, teaching us love, faith and devotion! In every house, we find this ubiquitous doll (I have one too) and may we revere her today and everyday!
@IamRajii @RajeshChakram @tskrishnan @ShefVaidya @wataboutery @krithikasivasw @sviyer @vnsiva @GhorAngirasa - hope you enjoy this #SundaySatsang
