Introduction
One of the greatest devotees of Lord Krishna. The daughter of a prince and the
daughter-in-law of a prince, she gave up every thing and faced persecution. Her songs live
on the lips of people to this day.
Mira Bai
Sree Giridhar aage nachungi
nach nach piva rasik rizhavu,
premi jan ko jachungi!
prem, preeti ke bandh ghungharu,
surath ki kachani kachungi II
Lok laj kul ki marjada,
ya me ek na rakhungi!
Piya ke palanga ja powdungi II
Mira Hari rang rachungi II
"I shall dance before Giridhar Gopal, I shall dance till he is supremely delighted. I
honor even those who love him. I shall tie round my ankles the tinkling bells of love and
compassion, and wear the dress of His remembrance, and dance. I do not care for honor or
the good name of the family which people consider important. I go and lie in the bed of my
lover, Hari, and enjoy the bliss of His love.
"Sri Krishna alone is my lover. I ha gone mad with grief."
"I will have no peace of mind unless Sri Krishna comes to me."
"Mira is the bond slave and the L is He, Sri Krishna."
The woman who composed this song, who was thinking always of Sri Krishna and desired only
His love, was not a character in a story nor was she a Gopi from Gokula, but a historical
figure who lived about four hundred years ago. She was Mira Bai, the daughter of a king
and the daughter-in-law of a king.
She dedicated her entire life to God and endured all the difficulties of life. Awake or
asleep, all the time she thought only of Sri Krishna. Thus Mira lives in the hearts of the
people of India as the very embodiment of Bhakti (or devotion to God).
Even today people sing the songs of Mira whom, forgetful of everything, was in love with
Giridhar Gopal and offered herself entirely to Him. 'Mira Bhajan' has developed into a
unique tradition in Indian Music.
She was a princess. She lost her mother in her childhood. She married a prince, but she
lost him also when she was young. Her husband's family objected to her worshipping
Krishna. Even the king was against it. They attempted to murder her. But whatever
happened, the same words lived in her heart and on her lips: 'Giridhar is the Lord and
Mira in His servant.'
This is all that we know for certain about her.
People narrate several stories about Mira Bai's life. It is difficult to distinguish facts
from fiction in such narration. Such stories get changed as they descend from generation
to generation. It is not fair to dismiss all the stories as mere legend. Some details may
be wrong but from these tales we can get at least a clear idea about achievements.
Mira was a devotee of Sri Krishna. She is worthy of being ranked with the mystic; poets.
The mystics give no importance to their personal lives. They see only God in everything
and forget themselves. That is why not much is known about them. Mira too has not said
about her life. She has mentioned in some of her songs that she was from Medatha and
belonged to the family of Doodaji. She has also described in her songs how she suffered at
the hands of the Rana.
We wish we had more informants about this great devotee. |
