Meera - Prem Diwani -III

I am continuing from the previous posts. My earlier posts on Meera Bai are here:

Meera-Prem Diwani

Meera reaches Brindavan which is also known as Vrindavan. Here she lives by Onchcha Vrutti(begging for alms for living as done by a Sanyasi), worshipes Lord Krishna in the (now) famous Govinda Mandir. Here she once again meets Sant Raidas who inspires her more towards the path she has chosen. She called Raidas as her Guru.

Once when in Brindavan. Meera seeks the audience of Jiva Gosain, the head of the Vaishnavites in Brindavan. But he declines to see her as he would not allow any woman in his presence. Mirabai retorts saying that everyone in Brindavan is a woman. Only Giridhar Gopala is Purusha. Jiva Gosain thus put to shame, at once goes to see Meera and pays her due respects.

Meera’s fame spreads far and wide. She was immersed in satsang day in and out. She keeps on singing in praise of Lord Krishna.

Rana Kumbha, her husband, now repentant, feeling that her wife was actually a real saint, visits Meera at Brindavan and requestes her to return to Chittorgarh. Mirabai agrees, much to the displeasure of the rest of her family and returns to Chittorgarh. 

She resided in the Krishna temple and Rana Kumbha placed no restrictions on her activities as he now understood her devotion. 

However soon after, Rana Kumbha dies at a very young age (1520s) in a battle with the Moghuls. This worsens the situation for Mirabai. She is forced to commit sati but she refuses saying that Lord Krishna, her real husband had not died.

After the death of Rana Kumbha, his younger brother, Vikramaditya Singh or Vikram Singh became the king. He was very cruel towards meera. He was also influenced by the rumours and sister's complaints against Meera and attempts to kill Meera many times. 

Once he sends her a basket of flowers with a poisonous snake inside. But when Meera opens it she finds a beautiful idol of Lord Krishna with garlands. She was asked to lay down on a bed of nails, but it turns out to be a bed of roses for her. He sends her a cup of poison but it turns out to be nectar. 

Tired of their tortures, Meera left Mewar and went to her childhood home Merta.But here her father had died and one of her uncles was ruling the kingdom. He too objected to Meera's ways of living and public display of her devotion. She again fled to Brindavan. Here she is said to have joined a religious groups of sants and sadhus and wandered from place to place on a series of pilgrimage. 

Eventually she is said to have settled in Dwaraka. Her devotion to Krishna and her songs became very famous. 

Around 1546-47, Udaya Singh (father of Maha Rana Pratap) who succeeded Vikramaditya Singh sent a delegation of Brahmins to bring her back to Mewar. The Brahmins, went to Meera and requested her to come back. When she refused, they sat on hunger strike. so Meera not wanting any harm to be done to the Brahmins, told them that she would seek permission of Krishna. She entered the Krishna's temple in Dwarka. 

According to a legend, when Meera entered the temple, and laid her head on the idol of Krishna's feet, there was lighting and the doors of the temple closed on their own. When the doors were opened in the morning, her sari was found enveloping the idol. No one knows what happened to her. It is a popular belief that Meera merged with Lord krishna. 

To be continued......

Meera-Prem Diwani -II

    Lord Krishna

Meera brings along with her the idol of Lord Krishna and installs it at her quarters in her new home. She continues with her Krishna Bhakti despite threats from her in-laws. Her husband though does not like it first, learns about her devotion and appreciates her. He goes on a pilgrimage with her to many places including Pandharipur. He like to listen to her devotional songs or bhajans and takes up canting of Lord's name. He even builds her a very beautiful temple for Krishna at Chittorgarh.

See the temple and also the fort of Chittorgarh.

http://www.asrema.com/tpa/India-Rajasthan-Part2-MLT/slides/Rajasthan-Chittorgarh-Krishna_Temple.htm

Meera never had any interest in leading a life of ordinary married women. She was spiritually inclined and loved only lord Krishna. However she did not neglect her duties, attended to them and after completion, she used to go to the temple of Lord Krishna, to worship, sing and dance. At first the temple was meant for queen Meera. 

Many devotees, sadhu and sant (sages) hearing her soulful rendering want to visit the temple. So the temple is opened for the public. Many devotees, commoners, sadhu and sant used to frequent the temple. Interaction with these great saints increased the spiritual inclination in Meera more and more. 

Meera's mother-in-law, sister-in-law (Udabai) and other ladies of the palace did not like it at all. They did not understand the feelings or devotion of Meera. They were of the opinion that a lady after her marriage has to attend to her in-laws and her husband only. Her mother-in-law forced her to worship Durga and would taunt her often. Her sister-in-law too would complain against her to her brothers. They did not like Meera to go freely and mingle with men, sadhu and sant as Rajput women maintain purdah system and were strictly confined to their homes-especially the royalty. They put many restrictions on her. They complain against Meera saying that Meera's behaviour was tarnishing the image of their family,clan and that of Rajputs'. But Meera remained steadfast and unfazed.

This made the ladies of the palace even more enraged. Meera’s sister-in-law conspired against her and began to defame her by spreading many stories. She informed Rana Kumbha that Meera was in secret love with some one, she goes to the temple to meet her lover, and that she would show him the person if he would accompany her to catch them red handed. Meera's husband loved her a lot and had trust in her pious nature. So he refused to believe these concocted stories or rumours. 

However his sister was very persistent with her accusations. As this went on and on Meera's husband began believing these scandals and one day he rushed into his quarters in great anger, with sword in hand to kill Meera,  A relative of the Rana counselled him and pacified him. He advised him to enquire into the allegations carefully with a calm mind for finding out the truth. Out of sheer jealousy the ladies might have spread rumours against her to defame her. He pointed out that Meera was a great devotee of the Lord Krishna , very pious natured and for this reason he had married her.  Kumbha calmed down.

However his sister urged him to punish Meera for her illicit relationship (allegedly). So he accompanied his sister to the temple. He broke open the door, rushed inside and found Meera alone in a trance talking and singing to the idol.

He could find no one so he demanded that Meera should show him her lover who she meets daily. Meera points out at the idol of Krishna and replies, "There He is -My Lord, My Lover—who has stolen my heart". Rana is ashamed that he listened to his sister's concocted stories and returns back.

Meera continues her devotion and keeps on meeting the saints who visit her from far of places hearing about her great devotion and her melodious singing. She renounces all luxuries and wears simple clothes and no jewellery. Her songs, in simple language of Braj, sung soulfully, set to beautiful melodious music, attracted the listeners and transported them to a spiritual plane. Her singing and her devotion became very famous in North India and were much talked about. She was known as Meera-Prem Diwani (mad with Love) and as an incarnation of Radha.

  

The ladies of the palace unable to bear this(in those days ladies from royal families and of good lineage were not supposed to mix with or talk freely with men outside their families) floated rumors that Meera was mixing very freely with sadhus or saints and talked ill about her. They kept on torturing her through their malicious gossips, carrying tales to her husband and through other activities.

Meera does not like these interruptions or the restrictions on her devotion. She seeks the advice of Goswami Tulasidas, by writing a letter to him, who advises her to leave those who don't believe in Ram or Shyam and seek the Lord.

But Akbar's visit to Meera was the turning point. Akbar the famous Moghul Emperor, was a very powerful ruler and rival of the Rajputs especially Rana. But he was interested in various religious paths. He had heard about Meera's devotional and melodious singing. So Akbar and his famous court musician Tansen came in disguise to Chittor to hear her songs. They went and sat in the temple and listened to her soul - stirring songs to their heart’s content. Before his departure, Akbar touched the feet of Meera and placed a necklace made of precious gems in front of the Krishna's idol as a gift. 

This news reaches the Rana Kumbha. He became furious and angrily tells Meerabai, that she brought disgrace to the family by meeting their arch rival Akbar and accepting a gift from him. So he orders her to drown herself in the river and never show her face in future. 

Meera obeyed the king's(her husband's) orders and proceeded to the river to drown herself. She sang chanting Krishna's name as Giridhari, Govinda and Gopala and dances in ecstasy on her way to the river. 

When she enters the river, a hand from behind grasps her and embraces her. It was none other than her beloved Giridhari. She faints on him. After a few minutes when she opens her eyes, Lord Krishna smiles and gently whispers "My dear Meera, your life with your mortal relatives is over now. You are absolutely free. Be cheerful. You are and have always been mine. Go to Brindavan where you can peacefully seek me"

She obeys the divine guidance and leaves her home for Brindavan-where lord Krishna spent his child hood and youth.

She travels bare foot on hot sands of the desert, singing and dancing in ecstasy. Where ever she goes she is welcomed with great love and affection as well as devotion. Her fame spreads far and wide. her singing and her bhajans become popular with the common folk as well as the learned.

To be continued......

Update -2-4-2015:

This post has been modified slightly (the last paragraphs) for a more clearer picture of Meera Bai's life.  

Meera-Prem Diwani -I

                                                    

Lord Krishna

India is the land of saints, seers, sages, poets. So many great souls who gave so many great messages. They not only stood as role models on the spiritual path but left back a great legacy of great thoughts, wisdom, philosophy, poetry, writings and sayings. One just needs to tap those to follow the proper path to Godhead.

In Hinduism there are many paths of devotion. One can choose a convenient path to reach the Lord. Female saints like Meera, Andal, Akkamahadevi and many more kept the spiritual knowledge and the paths of the ancient seers alive. One common factor amongst these three women was that they accepted the Lord as their husband or bridegroom and devoted their lives to Him.

One of such great souls was Meera or Mira also known as Meera Bai. She was the exponent of Prem Bhakti-spiritual love or devotional love. She was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, loved Him intensely and took Him to be her husband and Lord. She wrote beautiful love poetry or rather songs set her own tunes. She sang them melodiously immersed in her love for her Lord. Such was her power of singing and her songs that whoever listened to her were mesmerised. 

Even today her songs known as Meera Bhajans are very popular and sung with great devotion.

It is difficult to write about her details exactly as there are many stories, many versions, and some facts and may be some fiction. I have tried my best to give as accurately as possible from the available information.

She was born in 1504 AD at Chaukari village in Merta a small state in Marwar District of Rajasthan. Some say she was born in Kurki in Plai district in 1498. It is difficult to give the exact year and place as there seems to be no historical evidence.

The place was ruled by the Rathores. Her father’s name was Rana Ratan Singh. She lost her mother at an early age and was raised by her grandfather Rao Duda.

Rathores were great devotees of Vishnu. Like in any Rajput families, her education included knowledge of Vedic scriptures, music, and also war fare. She grew up amidst an atmosphere of total Krishna bhakti or devotion, which was responsible in moulding her thoughts to complete devotion towards Lord Krishna.

When she was just four years of age, she happened to watch a marriage procession. She asked her mother innocently, "Mother, who will be my bridegroom?" Her mother, half in jest and half in earnest, pointing towards the idol of Lord Krishna replied, "My dear child, Lord Krishna - Neela Megha Shyama-this handsome black one – will be your bridegroom". This was etched on Meera's tender mind and heart. 

As Meera grew up, her desire to be with her Krishna grew intensely day by day and she firmly believed that Lord Krishna would marry her. As time went by, she was firmly convinced that Krishna was to be her husband. She was completely devoted to lord Krishna.

Meera was very gentle, soft spoken and was gifted with a melodious voice. Since she was from a religious family, she would sing in praise of Lord. She was one of the most extraordinary beauties of her time and the fame of her beauty spread far and wide to many princely states. Many kings and princes vied to marry her.

Rana Sangram Singh(Rana Sangha), the powerful King of Mewar, approached Rao Duda for MiraBai’s hand in marriage to his son Bhojraj (also known as Rana Kumbha or KumbhaRana). 

Rana Kumbha had seen Meera and fell in love with her beauty and wanted to marry her for her beauty, pious nature and divine intent. Rao Duda also agreed to it. However, Meera could not bear the thought of marrying a human being as all along she considered Lord Krishna as her husband. She pleads and argues. But her family forces her to the marriage as it was by then very difficult to guard a beautiful daughter against the princes and kings who wanted to marry her even by waging a war.

She agrees to the marriage out of her respect to her grandfather. She marries Rana Kumbha in 1518. She was hardly 14 years of age. But child marriages were common in those days and 14 was considered to be much older age.

She leaves for Mewar(Chittorgarh) with the Rana Kumbha her husband. She discharges all her duties to her in laws and her husband as any wife would. 

                      To be continued........