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Mahabharata katha London
2012
Meerabai was an extraordinary saint with an amazing output of hymns and
bhajans that are still very popular. Even now, Meerabai's bhajans resonate with our own spiritual
yearnings.
Born at a turbulent time when Hinduism was under sever threat from harsh
and uncompromising Muslim armies of Turks, Krayags, Afghanis and Arabs, Meerabai
shone like a bright beacon of devotion and determination in dark times. At a time when Muslims were
kidnapping and converting Hindu women at random, Meerabai bravely undertook
various pilgrimages all over India, all by herself. Meerabai sang her way across North
India, the heartland of the Islamic kingdom and stayed at Vraj which is within
riding distance of Delhi, Agra and Fathpur Sikri (capitals of various Muslim
rulers of 15th Century).
Born into the royal house of Rathod (Mewad - Jodhpur), Meera married into
the royal house of Mewar (Chittod - Udaipur).
Having lost both her parents early in life, Meera was raised by her uncle
Rao Viram Deo at Merta (Medta). From
a young age, Meera was totally devoted to Shri Krushna and constantly referred
to him as her ‘Girdhar Gopal’. When
she came of age, Meera was married to Bhoj Raj of Chittor. Unfortunately political and military
fortunes of Chittor were not running well at the time and Meerabai (bai was an
honorific adjective used for married princesses) soon lost her husband and
father-in-law in warfare with the Dehli Sultanate.
In those days, women of the warrior caste expected such calamities in life.
They also knew that life could be very hard if you did not have a male family member to
support you. As a princess, Meerabai
was brought up to be tough and her devotion to Shri Krushna only deepened after
her loss of ‘male supporters’ in the family.
Determined and devoted, she refused to bow to social
and political pressure
brought upon her and continued to worship Shri Krushna in public.
Unlike her uncle, husband and father-in-law, the new king of
Chittor, Vikramaditya, didn’t appreciate Meera’s zeal for sharing her religious devotion in
public. As Meerabai was related to a
powerful clan of Rajputs, he could not force her to die as a ‘Sati’ nor could he shut her up in a darkened room. Vikramaditya tried various covert and
overt means to silence her and keep her out of public limelight. When Meerabai discovered that her
brother-in-law had tried various
surreptitious means to assassinate her, she left
Mewar and returned to her uncle’s castle in Merta.
Meerabai’s phenomenal intellect, ability to sing from the heart and simplify complex philosophy in colloquial language made her a popular ‘living saint’. After a brief sojourn in Merta, Meerabai took an arduous pilgrimage to Vraj, Gokul, Mathura and Vrindavan where Shri Krushna had grown up. However once there, Meerabai found that leaders of emerging bhakti sects were unwilling to engage with her or admit her into their ranks.
Through her bhajans and her popularity amongst the people, Meerabai must
have been known to Vitthalnathji (Gusaiji), Rup
Goswami, Raidas, Kabir and even Tuslidas.
Yet none of them admitted her in to their sect. Examining the literature of the
various sects that flourished in North India at the time, it is obvious that
Meerabai’s sincere attempts at engaging with them were rebuffed. Their reluctance seems to stem from a number of social and political
reasons.
For sects that were actively growing at the time, it did not make sense to
have an “enemy of the state” in their sect. It would not have been conducive to
good relationship with the government.
Meerabai was a widowed princess from Mewar, a state that was constantly at war
with various Muslim rulers. Politically, she would have been unwelcome in sects
that were hoping to get royal patronage or at least avoid royal displeasure at
the time. Meerabai also challenged
social rules and norms by refusing to live quietly as a simple
widow. Her
behaviour would have been an uwelcome exaple for others to follow.
With her sharp intellect, she challenged many social and sectarian norms
prevalent at the time, making her an ‘unknown quantity’ for many religious
leaders. For example, once she
wanted to do satsang with Rup-Goswami of Gaudia sect. However, he refused to meet her and
sent a very lame excuse that as a male sanyasi, he did not meet females. Meerabai sharply rebuked him by
stating that according to Gaudia sect, all jivas are of the feminine gender and
only Krushna is MALE. For male
religious leaders at the time, such fighting spirit from
lay female follower was unusual and unacceptable.
Hence though unreasonable, it is understandable why Meerabai never
aligned herself with any sect at the time.
Later, when Mewar was defeated by the Mughals, there was even less reason for sects to admit her. For example, Gaudia and Pushti Marg were patronised (please don’t argue about the word, it’s a historical fact) by Emperor Akbar and his royal courtiers at Agra / Fathpur Sikri. Once again it was prudent not to accept Meerabai as a “saint” as this would send the wrong signal to ladies of these royal houses. As she had deliberately discarded the rigid rules of how royalty should live, she was an outcast and as a result, she has never been included in list of saints by Gaudia or Pushti sect.
Meerabai was well aware of all this. She was a saint, but she was
also a princess. She knew how people thought and behaved and why. Hence
Meerabai never forced the issue and asked for advice and guidance when she
wanted it from the various other ‘living saints’ at the time. BUT, at the
same time, she carved her own niche in the world of poet saints. It’s a major
achievement as she did this without the help of any organised “sect” or
institution that would support her socially, financially or politically.
Meerabai did well to survive in a male dominated world of 15th
Century when women were forced to tow the line, socially and spiritually.
Her faith in her Girdhar Gopal was absolute!
Her “bharoso” in her Thakorji was so strong, she managed to go around
North India at a time when no woman would dare do it on her own.
While on a pilgrimage to Dwarika, Meerabai received an embassy from the new
king of Mewar, Udai Singh, humbly requesting her to return. The royal family of Mewar may have
felt that insulting a ‘living saint’ had cost them their kingdom and loss of
Chittor. Restoring the saint may
restore their political fortunes.
Meerabai resisted their emotional blackmail and died in the city founded by her
beloved Giridhar-Gopal.
Though Hindu sects may not have admitted her into their ranks, Meerabai’s
bhanjans (written in various regional languages) continue to be popular amongst
Hindus across the globe. Phenomenal
singers such as Lata Mangeshkar and MS Shubhalakshmi have sung her bhajans and
several films have been made about her life in various regional languages across
India.
Meerabai was a visionary saint of extraordinary talent and courage. Let us share her passion for divine love which lives on in her wonderful bhajans.