7/25/2016

MeeraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Meera
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ThisarticleisaboutthepoetofHindubhaktimovement.Forotheruses,seeMeera(disambiguation).
Meera,alsoknownasMeeraBai,[2]wasa16th

Meera(orMiraBai)

centuryHindumysticpoetanddevoteeofKrishna.Sheiscelebrated
asapoetandhasbeenclaimedbytheNorthIndianHindutradition
ofBhaktisaints.[3][4]
MeerawasbornintoaRathoreroyalfamilyofKudkidistrictof
Pali,Rajasthan,India.SheismentionedinBhaktamal,confirming
thatshewaswidelyknownandacherishedfigureintheIndianbhakti
movementculturebyabout1600CE.[5]MostlegendsaboutMeera
mentionherfearlessdisregardforsocialandfamilyconventions,her
devotiontogodKrishna,hertreatingKrishnaasherhusband,and
shebeingpersecutedbyherinlawsforherreligious
devotion.[1][5]Shehasbeenthesubjectofnumerousfolktales
andhagiographiclegends,whichareinconsistentorwidelydifferentin
details.[1][6]
Thousandsofdevotionalpoemsinpassionatepraiseof
LordKrishnaareattributedtoMeeraintheIndiantradition,butjusta

ApaintingofMeeraBai
Religion Hinduism

fewhundredarebelievedtobeauthenticbyscholars,andthe
earliestwrittenrecordssuggestthatexceptfortwopoems,most
werewrittendownonlyinthe18thcentury.[7]Manypoemsattributed
toMeerawerelikelycomposedlaterbyotherswhoadmiredMeera.

Personal
Born

uncertain,~1498CE[1]
Kurki,districtPali,Rajasthan,India

Died

Dwarka,Gujaratafter1546CE[1]

Thesepoemsarecommonlyknownasbhajans,andarepopular
acrossIndia.[8]Hindutemples,suchasinChittorgarhfort,arededicatedtoMiraBai'smemory.[1]Legendsabout
Meera'slife,ofcontestedauthenticity,havebeenthesubjectofmovies,comicstripsandotherpopularliteraturein
moderntimes.[9]
Contents[hide]
1 Biography
2 Poetry
2.1 Sikhliterature
3 Influence
4 Englishversions
5 Popularculture
6 Seealso
7 References
8 Furtherreading
9 Externallinks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera

1/5

7/25/2016

MeeraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Biography

[ edit ]

AuthenticrecordsaboutMeeraarenotavailable,andscholarshave
attemptedtoestablishMeera'sbiographyfromsecondaryliteraturethat
mentionher,andwhereindatesandotherdetailsareavailable.[1]These
recordssuggestMeerawasaRajputprincess[10]borninabout1500
(likely1498)[11]inMerta,RajasthaninnorthwestIndia.[12]
Herfather,RatanSinghRathore,wastherulerofasmallRajputkingdom
Kurki,districtPali,Rajasathan.HermotherdiedwhenMeerawasababy,
Meera'stemple
toKrishnaatChittorgarhFort,Rajasthan

andshewastheonlychildofherparents.[1]Shewaseducatedinmusic,
religion,politicsandgovernment.[2]Shegrewupwithhergrandparents,
whoweredevoutworshippersofdeityVishnu.[13]Meeraunwillingly
marriedBhojRaj,thecrownprinceofMewar,in1516.[13][14]Herhusband

waswoundedinoneoftheongoingHinduMuslimwarsoftheDelhiSultanatein1518,andhediedofbattle
woundsin1521.Bothherownfatherandherfatherinlawwerekilledwithinafewyearsafterher
husband,[1]duringawarwiththeIslamicarmyofBaburthefounderofMughalEmpireintheIndian
subcontinent.[12][15]
Afterthedeathofherfatherinlaw,VikramSinghbecametherulerofMewar.Accordingtoapopularlegend,her
inlawstriedmanytimestoexecuteher,suchassendingMeeraaglassofpoisonandtellingheritwasnectaror
sendingherabasketwithasnakeinsteadofflowers.[2][13]Accordingtothehagiographiclegends,shewasnot
harmedineithercase,withthesnakemiraculouslybecomingaKrishnaidol(oragarlandofflowersdependingon
theversion).[6][13]Inanotherversionoftheselegends,sheisaskedbyVikramSinghtogodrownherself,which
shetriesbutshefindsherselffloatingonwater.[16]YetanotherlegendstatesthattheMughalemperorAkbarcame
withTansentovisitMeeraandpresentedapearlnecklace,butscholarsdoubtthiseverhappenedbecause
TansenjoinedAkbar'scourtin1562,15yearsaftershedied.[16]
Similarly,somestoriesstatethatRaidaswasherguru(teacher),butthereisnocorroboratinghistoricalevidence
forthisandthedifferenceofover100yearsinthebirthyearsforRaidasandMeerasuggestthistobeunlikely.[16]
Thethreedifferentoldestrecordsknownasof2014thatmentionMeera,[17]allfromthe17thcenturyandwritten
within150yearsofMeera'sdeath,neithermentionanythingaboutherchildhoodorcircumstancesofhermarriage
toBhojraj,nordotheymentionthatthepeoplewhopersecutedherwereherinlawsorfromsomeRajputroyal
family.[18]NancyMartinKershawstatesthattotheextentMeerawaschallengedandpersecuted,religiousorsocial
conventionswereunlikelytohavebeenthecause,ratherthelikelycausewerepoliticalchaosandmilitaryconflicts
betweentheRajputkingdomandtheMughalEmpire.[6]Further,thediversityandinconsistenciesinMeera's
storiessuggestthatherbiographywaslikelyinventedandmoldedbyallsides,longafterherdeath,forpolitical
goalsthroughthemediumofhistoricalrewriting.[19]
OtherstoriesstatethatMiraBaileftthekingdomofMewarandwentonpilgrimages.Inherlastyears,Meeralived
inDwarka,Vrindavan,wherelegendsstateshemiraculouslydisappearedbymergingintoanidolofKrishnain
1547.[1][2]Whilemiraclesarecontestedbyscholarsforthelackofhistoricalevidence,itiswidelyacknowledged
thatMeeradedicatedherlifetoHindudeityKrishna,composingsongsofdevotionandwasoneofthemost
importantpoetsantoftheBhaktimovementperiod.[2][16][20]

Poetry

[ edit ]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera

2/5

7/25/2016

MeeraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Meera'spoemsarelyricalpadas(metricverses).[16]Whilethousandsof
versesareattributedtoher,scholarsstatethatonlyasmallfractionof
thoseareauthentic.Therearenosurvivingmanuscriptsofherpoetry
fromhercentury,andtheearliestrecordswithtwopoemscreditedtoher
arefromearly18thcentury,morethan150yearsaftershedied.[7]The
largestcollectionofpoemscreditedtoherarein19thcentury
manuscripts.Scholarshaveattemptedtoestablishauthenticitybasedon
boththepoemandMeerabeingmentionedinothermanuscriptsaswell
asfromstyle,linguisticsandform.[7][22]JohnStrattonHawleycautions,
"WhenonespeaksofthepoetryofMirabai,then,thereisalwaysan
elementofenigma.(...)theremustalwaysremainaquestionabout
whetherthereisanyrealrelationbetweenthepoemsweciteanda
historicalMira."[23]

Meerapoemsarededicatedto
Krishna(left),callinghimtheDarkOneor
theMountainLifter.SomeMeerasongs
remindofRadha(right),themythical
loverofKrishna.[21]

Inherpoems,Krishnaisayogiandlover,andsheherselfisayogini
readytotakeherplacebyhissideuntoaspiritualmaritalbliss.[7]Meera'sstylecombinesimpassionedmood,
defiance,longing,anticipation,joyandecstasyofunion,alwayscenteredonKrishna.[22]
MyDarkOnehasgonetoanalienland.
Hehasleftmebehind,he'sneverreturned,he'sneversentmeasingleword.
SoI'vestrippedoffmyornaments,jewelsandadornments,cutmyhairfrommyhead.
Andputonholygarments,allonhisaccount,seekinghiminallfourdirections.
Mira:unlessshemeetstheDarkOne,herLord,shedoesn'tevenwanttolive.
MiraBai,TranslatedbyJohnStrattonHawley[24]
MeeraspeaksofapersonalrelationshipwithKrishnaasherlover,lordandmountainlifter.Thecharacteristicof
herpoetryiscompletesurrender.
Aftermakingmefallforyousohard,whereareyougoing?
UntilthedayIseeyou,norepose:mylife,likeafishwashedonshore,flailsinagony.
ForyoursakeI'llmakemyselfayogini,I'llhurlmyselftodeathonthesawofKashi.
Mira'sLordisthecleverMountainLifter,andIamhis,aslavetohislotusfeet.
MiraBai,TranslatedbyJohnStrattonHawley[25]
MeeraisoftenclassedwiththenorthernSantbhaktiswhospokeofaformlessdivinity.[10]

Sikhliterature

[ edit ]

PremAmbodhPothi,atextattributedtoGuruGobindSinghandcompletedin1693CE,includespoetryofMira
BaiasoneofsixteenhistoricbhaktisantsimportanttoSikhism.[26]

Influence

[ edit ]

ScholarsacknowledgethatMeerawasoneofthecentralpoetsants
oftheBhaktimovement,duringadifficultperiodinIndianhistoryfilled

Partofaserieson

Hinduism

withHinduMuslimreligiousconflicts.Yet,theysimultaneously
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera

3/5

7/25/2016

MeeraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

questiontheextenttowhichMeerawasacanonicalprojectionof
socialimaginationthatfollowed,whereshebecameasymbolof
people'ssufferingandadesireforanalternative.[27]DirkWiemann,
quotingParitaMukta,states,
HinduHistory

IfoneacceptsthatsomeoneveryakintotheMira
legend[aboutpersecutionandherdevotion]existedas

Concepts

[show]

anactualsocialbeing,thepowerofherconvictions

Schools

[show]

Deities

[show]

Texts

[show]

radicaldemocracywhichpropelsMeeraoutof

Practices

[show]

thehistoricitythatremainsnonethelessascribedtoher.

Gurus,saints,philosophers

[show]

Othertopics

[show]

brokethebrutalfeudalrelationshipsthatexistedatthat
time.TheMiraBaiofthepopularimagination,then,isan
intenselyanachronisticfigurebyvirtueofthatanticipatory

Shegoesbeyondtheshadowyrealmsofthepastto
inhabittheverycoreofafuturewhichisembodiedwithin
thesufferingofapeoplewhoseekanalternative.

GlossaryofHinduismterms
Hinduismportal

DirkWiemann/ParitaMukta,OnMeera[27][28]

VTE

ThecontinuedinfluenceofMeera,inpart,hasbeenhermessageof
freedom,herresolveandrighttopursueherdevotiontodeityKrishnaandherspiritualbeliefsasshefeltdrawnto
despiteherpersecution.[27][28]HerappealandinfluenceinIndianculture,writesEdwinBryant,isfromher
emerging,throughherlegendsandpoems,asaperson"whostandsupforwhatisrightandsuffersbitterlyfor
holdingfasttoherconvictions,asothermenandwomenhave",yetshedoessowithalanguageoflove,with
wordspaintingthe"fullrangeofemotionsthatmarklove,whetherbetweenhumanbeingsorbetweenhumanand
divine".[29]

Englishversions

[ edit ]

AlistonandSubramanianhavepublishedselectionswithEnglishtranslationinIndia.[30][31]Schelling[32]and
LandesLevi[33]haveofferedanthologiesintheUSA.Snell[34]haspresentedparalleltranslationsinhis
collectionTheHindiClassicalTradition.SethihasselectedpoemswhichMiracomposedpresumablyaftershe
cameincontactwithSaintRavidas.[35]andMeeraPakeerah.
SomebhajansofMeerahavebeenrenderedintoEnglishbyRobertBlyandJaneHirshfieldasMirabai:Ecstatic
Poems.[36]

Popularculture

[ edit ]

ComposerJohnHarbisonadaptedBly'stranslationsforhisMirabaiSongs.ThereisadocumentaryfilmAFew
ThingsIKnowAboutHerbyAnjaliPanjabi.[37]Twowellknownfilmsofherlifehavebeenmadein
India,Meera(1945),aTamillanguagefilmstarringM.S.Subbulakshmi,andMeeraa1979HindifilmbyGulzar.TV
series,Meera(20092010)wasalsobasedonherlife.
MeeraBai'slifehasbeeninterpretedasamusicalstoryinMeeraTheLover,amusicalbumbasedonoriginal
compositionsforsomewellknownMeerabhajans,releasing11October2009.[38]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera

4/5

7/25/2016

Seealso

MeeraWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

[ edit ]

Aandaal
Bhajan
Bhaktimovement
Krishna
Vishnu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera

5/5