Meera

Meera Biography

Meera, also known as Meerabai was a princess and great devotee of Lord Krishna. She has written 1300 pads, commonly known as bhajans. These are popular throughout India and have been published in several translations worldwide. The poems (bhajans) belong to Bhakti tradition and are written in praise of Lord Krishna. She has expressed her unconditional love and romance for Krishna through her songs. She propagated the message that Krishna bhakti is the best way to live life as it helps us forget our desires. She devoted her full love in unconditional love towards Lord Krishna. Her love towards Krishna has later become subject of many movies, dramas and songs. Some historians associate her life with Tulsidas while a few others with Tansen.

Meera was a princess of Jodhpur born in 1498. Her father, Ratan Singh, was the youngest son of Rao Duda ruler of Merta of Rathore clan. In her childhood, a saint gifted her idol of Lord Krishna and she became too much attached to it. Her father too was a worshiper of Krishna. She lost her mother Veer Kumari, at the age of 7. She was then sent to her grandfather, Rao Duda and father's elder brother, Rao Viram Dev at Merta. She married Prince Bhoj Raj, the son of Rana Sanga of Chittor in 1516 at the age of 18. But she considered herself already married to Krishna. The family too, compelled her to worship Goddess Durga. Later she went to live in Chittor accompanied by her childhood mate, Mithula, who stayed with Meera till the end.

Meera’s passionate love for Krishna was only a private matter at first. But later it overflowed into an ecstasy and madness that led her to sing and dance in public and other religious folk. She received criticism from her family members too. Yet she was busy praising Lord Krishna and used to leave the Chittor fort at night and join religious get-togethers in the town below. Unbearable tortures prompted her to leave the fort. She reached Vrindavan and declared herself as ‘Gopi’ of Krishna. Meera's songs are in a simple form called a ch' (verse). The extant versions are in a Rajasthani and Braj. Her bhajans were later sung by great Indian vocalists like M S Subbulakshmi and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. She died in Dwaraka in the year 1557.

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Updated: January 16, 2014