India has witnessed many great saints who contributed to art in the form of devotional songs and poems. And 16th century gifted India the most elegant and chaste story of worship. Mirabai is a pristine name that reminds us of the true power of devotion and bhakti.
You could go through all the pages of Indian history and fail to find the faith and devotion that she exercised. She surrendered her life to her beloved God, Lord Krishna. She adored him, she praised him, she served him and she worshipped him. Her songs and poems are all devoted to the deity, Lord Krishna. Her life is the story of true dedication and the power of devotion.
Princess of Merta
Mirabai’s life started in Kurki as the princess of Merta, Rajasthan. But her story spurred when she was introduced to the idol of Lord Krishna by a visiting holy man. From that moment she surrendered her life to her Lord. It is said that she was gifted with a melodious voice and people from miles away visited to please their soul with her mesmerising song. All her songs were dedicated to her ideal Lord Krishna.
The path of devotion was not decorated with rose petals, rather it was adorned with the thorns. But her perseverance and strength transformed the harmful spikes into soft and pleasant stripes. She only believed in Lord Krishna and denied all the social customs even as a wife. She was married to the King of Chittor but her loyalty was reserved for Lord Krishna. After the demise of her husband, Lord Shyam was the only support. She left all the pleasures of the palace to dedicate her time to the worship of Girdhar Gopal.
The life of Mirabai was a puzzle which was solved by joining her devotional songs and poems together. She was a selfless woman who didn’t believe in authorship and thus it’s difficult to say which poems are written by her and which are attributed to her. The artwork dedicated to Mirabai also describes the story of her brother-in-law Vikramaditya.
His plans were evil and he tried to kill the true devotee of Lord Krishna numerous times. But each time his attempts were failed by the blessings of the beloved Lord. The poison converted into Amrit, the nails transformed into petals, and the snake was remoulded as a garland. Mirabai’s heart was pure and she could not bear the hatred. Thus, she left for Vrindavan to worship her Lord in peace.
Mira in Vrindavan
In the birth land of Lord Krishna, Mirabai declared herself as a pupil of Guru Ravidas. This was the period when she dedicated her time for devotional songwriting. She praised Lord Krishna in several verses, individually known as Pada. These were the small devotional songs written to worship her lord. Mirabai’s work described her as a lover of the Lord, as a servant of God and as a friend of the deity. She admired Lord Krishna in every form. It is believed that when she was worshipping in Dwarka, Lord Krishna came to take her soul from the mortal world.
About 1300 of her beautiful creations enjoy the light of popularity in today’s world that lacks faithfulness. She wrote the verses in Rajasthani and worshipped lord through different forms of art. Mirabai inspires the world towards the right path of adherence and allegiance. Her determination and will power portray the strength in women and faith. Mirabai was an exquisite artist and her art was immaculate devotion.