Author – Awadhesh Sharma
Mirabai was a princess who became an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. She composed Bhajans, devotional songs dedicated to Krishna. She danced and sang at temples and among devotees in devotional ecstasy.
She became one of the well-known devotional poets during Bhakti period in India. This period is also characterised by political uncertainty, internal strife and foreign domination. Intellectuals sought relief in spirituality and expressed their sentiments through devotional compositions.
The earliest reference to Mirabai is found in Nabhadas’ Shree Bhaktamal composed between 1597 and 1623 AD. In its commentary entitled Bhakti-Rasbodhini, completed in 1712 AD, Priyadas expanded the Nabhadas’ narrative. Both texts focussed on Mirabai’s devotion to Krishna and mentioned her suffering due to harassment from family members.
Biographical details of Mirabai have been a matter of debate among academics. Scholars have formulated her biography by analysing historical data. Where historical details are missing, her own writings and legends prevalent about her in the community have been used to complete her profile.
Mirabai’s mother was Vir Kumari and her father’s name was Ratan Singh. Ratan Singh was the youngest son of Rao Dudaji, who had established Merta near Jodhpur as an independent kingdom. Rao Dudaji’s father was Jodhaji who had founded Jodhpur. Recognising his outstanding service, Rao Dudaji had given a number of villages including Kukri to his youngest son as a reward for maintenance of his family.
Mirabai was born in 1498 AD at Kukri, where Ratan Singh’s family resided. It is generally accepted that during Vir Kumari’s pregnancy, Rao Dudaji sent a priest to Ratan Singh. He performed religious rites and narrated stories from scriptures for Vir Kumari, hoping that these rituals would shape virtuous qualities in the baby.
Mirabai was a child when her mother died. She came to Merta to live with her grandparents. Rao Dudaji was a devout worshipper of Vishnu. Mirabai displayed religious leaning from her early childhood. She was educated at home and received rigorous training in music. In addition to cultivating desirable qualities of a princess, she was taught skills that a warrior class woman required to have to cope with the difficult times of sixteenth century Rajasthan.
It is believed that in her childhood she received an idol of Krishna to which she became very attached. There are differing narratives about how she came into possession of this idol. According to one narrative, when her mother was on her deathbed, she gave Mira the Krishna’s idol, assuring that Krishna would be her guardian.
Another version states that a wandering Sadhu named Raidas, also known as Ravidas, an adherent of Ramanandi Vaishnav sect, presented it to her. Mirabai had mentioned Raidas as her Guru in her poems. Opinion on this is divided, as Raidas would have been over a hundred years of age at the time he is supposed to have given her the idol.
One legend relates the idol to a wedding party, which passed by her palace. Observing the procession, she asked her mother who would be her bridegroom. The mother gave her the idol of Krishna and said that he would be her husband. Mirabai took it seriously and inferred that she was married to Krishna.
She spent most of the time with the idol and treated it as her divine husband. She decorated the idol, sang songs, worshipped and danced to please it.
Mirabai wedded prince Bhojraj, the son of Rana Sanga of Mewar in 1516 AD. During the marriage ceremony, Mirabai kept the Krishna’s idol with her. After the wedding she moved to Chittor, the capital of Mewar with her husband. She took the idol with her.
Chittor’s patron deity was goddess Kali. After the wedding, Mirabai was brought to the Kali temple to worship the deity but she refused to do so stating that her deity was Giridhar Gopal, Krishna.
As per family tradition Mirabai was asked to cook meat as an offering to Kali. She detested the killing of innocent animals for deities and declined. Bhojraj’s family, especially his mother and sister Uda, were annoyed with her behaviour. They considered her refusal to adhere to family tradition as a bad omen. Their displeasure and meddling in her activities continued in the future. They tried to find faults with Mirabai’s actions and instigated her husband against her.
Bhojraj was sympathetic to Mirabai’s feelings. Mira loved her husband and performed her household duties diligently. Whenever she was free, she devoted her time to adoring Krishna. She used to visit a Krishna temple outside the palace. Bhojraj built a Krishna temple in the palace where Mirabai could worship in private.
Five years after their marriage, her husband died in 1521 AD due to a battle wound. Her relatives insisted that she should commit Sati, burn herself willingly on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. Mirabai declined indicating that her husband was Krishna who remained with her and had never died.
After the death of her father-in-law, her brother-in-law named Ratan Singh became Rana or the head of the kingdom.
The widowed Mirabai became fully engrossed in Krishna’s worship. She spent most of her time in Krishna’s temple.
She met sages, religious scholars and wandering Sadhus who visited the temple. A large number of devotees attended her discourses. She broke the conventional traditions of royal household by establishing contacts with outsiders.
The family disliked her meeting outsiders. Dancing and singing in public was beyond the norm of a royal warrior class family.
Ratan Singh was strongly opposed to Mirabai’s religious activities. He especially hated Sadhus who visited her. He presumed them to be spies for his opponents. He wanted to put an end to her actions and planned to kill her.
Once he sent a poisonous snake hidden in a flower basket to Mirabai. After offering prayers to Krishna, she opened the basket to offer flowers to him. She found the box filled only with flowers. No snake could be seen.
According to another version when she opened the box she found a Shaligram, the stone form of Vishnu instead of the snake.
On another occasion, Ratan Singh sent a cup full of poison for Mirabai to drink suggesting it to be sanctified water. Mirabai offered it to Krishna and drank from the cup without coming to any harm.
It is also stated that Rana placed poison tipped nails concealed in rose petals on her bed. When she lay down on the bed, the nails turned limp and soft like the rose petals.
Mirabai described these incidents in her poems and credited her escape from death to Krishna.
Ratan Singh was assassinated in 1531 AD and Vikramjit succeeded him.
Mirabai continued her routine of singing and dancing in the temple as usual. Visitors to temple spread her devotional songs, which became popular across northern India. Her fame spread far and wide.
According to one legend, emperor Akbar became aware of Mirabai’s fame and spirituality. He wished to see her. He travelled in disguise with his court poet Tansen and attended her congregation.
Akbar was impressed by her devotion and spiritual fervour. He placed at her feet a priceless necklace during his departure. Mirabai put the necklace on Krishna’s idol. The news of Akbar touching her feet reached Vikramjit. He was furious and ordered her to commit suicide by drowning in a river.
She decided to honour his command but as she entered the water, Krishna held her hand and directed her to go to Vrindavan, the sacred site where he had spent his childhood. She could worship there in peace. She followed Krishna’s instruction.
After some time Vikramjit became repentant, assuming that Mirabai was a real saint. He travelled to Vrindavan and requested her to return home to which Mirabai agreed.
Despite requesting Mirabai’s return to his kingdom, Vikramjit continued to prosecute Mirabai even though she was not involved in political intricacies.
Tired of interference and harassment from her husband’s family Mirabai left Chittor and returned to Merta, her parental estate. She could not stay in peace in Merta for long. Her uncle Viramdeo was the head of the kingdom and he objected to her life preferences. He alleged that her activities were more suited to an ascetic woman than to a royal princess.
She sought advice from poet Tulasi Das for her recourse. It is believed that following his advice Mirabai decided to go to Vrindavan again. There she stayed for sometime and dedicated her time to composing devotional songs and singing them in front of Krishna’s idol.
In Vrindavan, Mirabai once wished to see a saint. She went to his Ashram and requested his disciple to inform the saint about her request. The disciple informed her that the saint did not meet women. She was surprised and commented, “I knew that there was only one real man in Vrindavan. He was Krishna. All others are Gopis, lovers of Krishna.” The saint overheard her comment and realised his fault. He came running and urged her to visit his Ashram but she refused and went away.
Vrindavan was not very far from Chittor and Merta. Devotees from these regions used to visit her regularly in Vrindavan. The royal families of these kingdoms were also irritants to her services to Krishna. She decided to move away from there to Dwarka, another place associated with Krishna. In Dwarka she lived till her end. She died in 1546 AD.
A legend is also woven to her death. It is believed that Udai Singh who succeeded Rana Vikramjit on the throne of Chittor sent a deputation of renowned Brahmins to bring Mirabai back. Mirabai was reluctant to return home. When forced by Brahmins, she indicated her wish to spend the night at the Ranchhorji temple. She went inside and was never seen again. It is believed that she merged with the statue of Krishna.
It is not known whether she actually died in the night or she quietly left Dwarka at night to maintain her independence and religious belief, and spent the rest of her life incognito visiting pilgrimage sites.
As the date of Mirabai’s disappearance is accepted as 1546, her meeting with Akbar and Tansen is inconsistent with historical facts. Tansen joined his court after Akbar ascended the throne in 1556 AD. Akbar could have met her only after her escape alive from the Ranchhorji temple.
Mirabai composed her poems or song verses in Braj-bhasha, which was widely popular in North India during her time. Some words from Rajasthani and Gujarati can also be found in her poems.
A female attendant named Lalita always accompanied her. Lalita was loyal to her and was also educated. She wrote down Mirabai’s poems during her companionship. Mirabai herself might have written some poems.
Original manuscripts written by Mirabai or Lalita were mostly lost. Travelling saints and devotees who attended Mirabai’s congregation spread her works by remembering and later reciting them during their subsequent gatherings.
There are differing opinions about the number of her poetical works. The oldest available complete volume of Mirabai’s poems contains 103 poems. Songs culled from other anthologies number around 400. Most of these are repetitions of the 103 core poems with slight variations.
Many followers of Mirabai believe that she was an incarnation of Radha, the Gopi friend of Krishna’s childhood. Others claim that Mirabai displayed jealousy against Radha assuming that she was also competing for Krishna’s love.
Mirabai in her poems followed the Bhakti tradition established by devotional poets dedicated to Krishna such as Jayadev, Vidyapati and Chandidas. Her Krishna as worshipped by most devotees was not the warrior of the Mahabharat, but the Giridhar Gopal, the one who lifted Mount Govardhan. He was the cow grazier, lover of Gopis and the heroic child of Yashoda of the tenth book of Bhagavat Puran.
Her poems refer to Krishna as her saviour, friend and lover. They mostly display Dasya, Sakhya and Madhurya modes of devotion to God as acknowledged in the Vaishnav tradition.
Mirabai remained steadfast in her belief despite suffering persecutions from those who were supposed to protect her. She symbolises determination. She is recognised as a saint in Hindu tradition. Her devotional poems remain popular throughout India.