Mira Bai – Born for Shri Krishna’s love and devotion

Few people are born for a cause that is higher over every materialistic wish, desire, ambition, goal or success in the world, and that is devotion. Devotion with no conditions nor desirtes exceot that they immerse their heart and soul in the name of the Almighty and devote their entire lives in the lotus feet of the Supreme Being. To such hard core devotion genre belonged Mira, who, with her everlasting songs about the glories of Shri Krishna made herself his unmatched love in devotion.
Mira was a 16th century Bhakti poetess born in a Rajput family, in Rajasthan. Mira’s mother had a temple dedicated to Shri Krishna in the royal premises and that’s where Mira spent her entire childhood. When Mira was five, one day she dressed herself as a bride and asked her Mother that where was her groom. Her mother smiled at the innocence of Mira and answered showing the idol of Shri Krishna in the temple and said that Giradhara Gopala is your bride. Since then, Mira took great fascination to Shri Krishna and spent her entire time with the idol. For little Mira, her days were filled with listening to the stories of Shri Krishna. She bathed the idol, worshipped it, danced and sang for it, and talked to it. She had unending conversations with Shri Krishna’s idol and was lost in the bliss of devotion for her swami.
However, when she grew, she was married off to Bhojraj from Mewar. Mira as a dutiful wife attended to all the duties of her husband, but without leaving her devotion for Shri Krishna. However, few jealous counterparts could not bear this and filled her husband’s heart with hate on Mira for her devotion. Overcome with anger, Bhojraj asked Mira to leave the devotion of Shri Krishna, but Mira did not compromise. With anger, she was banished away from her husband’s home.
But, Mira never felt low of her devotion to Shri Krishna. She wandered away to many a place, and finally one day reached the River Yamuna. Her heart was filled with ecstasy and she rushed into it to give up her life, but she was rescued by Shri Krishna who blessed her that she belonged to no physical bond, but only to his eternal bond of love. Mira began living on the banks of River Yamuna and singing songs and dancing to the ecstasy of devotion on Shri Krishna.
News spread like wild fire and devotees thronged to look at her and listen to her songs. Meanwhile, her husband repented for his actions and asked her to return back to his home where a temple would be dedicated to Shri Krishna for Mira. Mira agreed and returned back however to be troubled by her brother-in-law Rana. She was once sent a snake hidden in a basket of flower garlands. But, when Mira opened it, she found an image of her beloved Krishna. Then, Rana sent her a cup of poison saying it is nectar, Mira drank it gladly and no harm came to her. Rana understood her true devotion and asked for her forgiveness. Understood and unharmed by anybody since then, Mira spent her life in the devotion of Shri Krishna singing his songs. Mira is a name which strikes when one thinks of the purest form of devotion to Shri Krishna. Even till date, every temple of Krishna fills with her pure love songs reciting Mera to Giridhar Gopala, doosra na koi.