With saint francis of assisi, mirabai starr offers readers an elegant book of prayers, poems, and contemplative writings to inspire readers with the lessons of his life. Hindi poetry including poems, ghazals, kshanika and hindi dohe. Many of these poets came from economically and socially humble. Poetry chaikhana mirabai yogahinduvaishnavakrishna. Some bhajans of meera have been rendered into english by robert bly and jane hirshfield as mirabai. O ye saints and holy men, i have seen the world and its ways.
Mirabai was a devotee of the high, higher, highest order. The worlds poetry archive 6 i am mad with love i am mad with love and no one understands my plight. Her devotion of lord krishna made her go against the traditions and customs of her time and made mirabai is the most famous of. Mirabai was a well known hindu mystical poetess, whose writings are praised all over.
She was a bhakti saint, poet and mystic, and also a rani or princess. Mirabai, also known simply as mira, is a favorite among hindu poetsaints, particularly in the. Her family were vaisnava, worshipers of vishnyu vishnu. Mirabai peart is a versatile violinist, violist and singer. Despite facing criticism and hostility from her own family, she lived an exemplary saintly life and composed many devotional bhajans. On hearing this the spiritual teacher accepted the wisdom of mirabai and agreed to talk to her. Mirabai is a literary and spiritual figure of legendary proportions. There is a documentary film a few things i know about her by anjali panjabi. She wrote most of the poems in the rajasthani dialect of hindi. Well, in this article, we will present you with the biography of mirabai.
More than 1,300 pads poems commonly known as bhajans. Born in the late fifteenth century into a royal family of rajasthan, mira, from her childhood was a great devotee of lord krishna and wrote many beautiful poems in praise of her lord. Mirabai is said to have been devoted to krishna from a very early age, and in one of her poems she asks, o krishna, did you ever rightly value my childhood love. Canyon samadhi, an outdoor adventure retreat in the breath taking nature of zion national park, utah. She was a courageous woman who defied norms and chose to. I am mad with love and no one understands my plight. She taught philosophy and world religions at the university of new mexicotaos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and interspiritual dialog. The sixteenthcentury hindu saint mirabai is both a quintessential artist herself poet, singer, and dancer and lives on in a full range of artistic forms, her story told and retold in hagiography and history, drama and epic song, fiction and film, and her poetry not only performed in every conceivable musical style but also continuing to generate new poems and songs composed in her name. Mirabai was known for the incomparable beauty of the poems and bhajans she composed and sang in devotion to her beloved god, krishna. Mirabai is still much alive in the hearts of indians who adore her so much. She wrote most of the poems in the rajasthani dialect. She is considered one of the greatest female saints.
Dr prayag narayan misra has presented more than 20 devotional poems available in both hindi and english languages. Mirabai, then, there is always an element of enigma. Mirabai was a great bhakti saint, hindu mystic poet and a devotee of the lord krishna. Her mother died when mirabai was only four or five years old. There are so many stories about mira bai that it is very difficult to tell the facts of her life from legend. Born a princess in the region of rajasthan in 1498, mira as she is more commonly known eschewed the marriage her royal family had arranged for her, celebrating instead her right to independence and intense devotion to krishna in both her pdf life and poetry. Only the jeweller knows the value of the jewel, not the one who lets it go. She has performed on many continents, at major festivals and venues ranging from house concerts to iconic venues like carnegie hall and the sydney opera house. A sweetness has entered through them, has pierced through to my heart. Mirabai belongs to a long, rich tradition of songpoems dedicated to krishna, founded by the famous thirteenthcentury poet jayadeva. Her special insight into the love poems of legendary 16th century indian. She composed many, many bhajans, which are prayerful songs to god. O my companion, all i can see is shyam, all i can think of is shyam wherever my feet tread the earth i am dancing in his honour miras lord is the courtly giridhara in his company she is walking the woods and lanes. The worlds poetry archive 12 listen listen, my friend, this road is the heart opening, kissing his feet, resistance broken, tears all night.
Mirabai was a 16th century princessturned saint and poet. Based on poems attributed to the seventeenth century hindi songstress mirabai, these poems by two of our premier american poets are spiritual in an ecstatic, erotic manner. Some 1,2001,300 prayerful songs or bhajans attributed to her are popular. She holds with ashcaked arms her human skull begging bowl. If we could reach the lord through immersion in water, i would have asked to be born a fish in this life. After reading all the poems in the book, we can find that mirabai likes to use the mountains to give people an image that show krishna is strong. Saint nabhadas of the early 17th century praised her in his hagiography, renouncing respect in society and all family ties, mira worshiped lord krishna in the form. Mirabai poems, quotations and biography on mirabai poet page. The sixteenthcentury hindu saint mirabai is both a quintessential artist herself poet, singer, and dancer and lives on in a full range of artistic forms, her story. In the poem the cowherd who carries mountains, the sentence the cowherd who carries mountains is one for mei want no one elsemirabai, 1, appears as the first part. Each song mirabai wrote expressed her inspiration, aspiration and sleepless selfgiving. Women bhakta poets, madhukishwar, editor, manushi, nos. Pdf meerabai a study in context of literature and nature.
Jayshree singh meerabai a study in context of literature and nature meerabai in indian history and indian poetics the poetry of meerabai manifests an absolute sense of aesthetic beauty and. The founder of this tradition was a thirteenthcentury poet, jayadeva, who wrote in sanskrit. Mirabai, also known as meera or meera bai, is one of the most famous figures in the indian community. Born a princess in the region of rajasthan in 1498, mira as she is more commonly known eschewed the marriage her royal family had arranged for her, celebrating instead her right to independence and intense devotion to krishna in both her life and poetry. The sort of heroes that only tolkien or campbell or rowling could imagine. Apr 01, 2009 spiritual poetry is a strange bird, and this spiritual poetry is an even stranger one. Mirabai ceiba engaging new style of world devotional music. Mirabai was a great saint and devotee of sri krishna. My love is reserved for giridhara gopal and for noone else. In pain i wander from door to door, but could not find a doctor.
She has performed on many continents, at major festivals and venues ranging from house concerts to iconic venues like. Eight hundred years later, he is still revered across spiritual traditions as perhaps the most beloved saint. Mirabai starr is an awardwinning author of creative nonfiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. Also included are the two poems whose first line bly used for class writing exercise, and some of my favorites in this anthology. Historical information about the life of mirabai is a matter of some scholarly debate. Mirabai inherited a long, rich tradition of songpoems dedicated to krishna.
Most of her compositions were written in the praise of lord krishna. Only the wounded understand the agonies of the wounded, when the fire rages in the heart. Mirabai, also known simply as mira, is a favorite among hindu poetsaints, particularly in the north indian bhakti tradition, and thousands of poems have been attributed to her. Mirabai, also known simply as mira, is a favourite among hindu poetsaints, particularly in the north indian bhakti tradition, and thousands of poems have been attributed to her. Mirabai was known for her songs of devotion to krishna and for forsaking traditional womens roles to devote life to krishnaworship. The worlds poetry archive 5 a cowherding girl the plums tasted sweet to the unlettered deserttribe girl. Pdf jayshree singh meerabai a study in context of literature and nature meerabai in indian history and indian poetics the poetry of meerabai. They are full of intensity and transcendental spirituality. Dr prayag narayan misra has presented more than 20 devotional poemsavailable in both hindi and english languages. She drinks the venom, plucks the black stone from the basket.
North indian bhakti tradition, and thousands of poems have been. Born in rajasthan in 1500 ad, she was married against her will to a prince of chittor, near the fabled city of udaipur. Three introductory essays deal with her life her place in the bhakti movement and the characteristics of her poetry. The worlds poetry archive 2 a cowherding girl the plums tasted sweet to the unlettered deserttribe girlbut what manners. Mirabai inherited a long, rich tradition of song poems dedicated to krishna. Mirabai, a princess, was a devotee of lord krishna, she was in love with him from her early childhood and her poems are of love and devotion to her lord. Meera bai information in hindi, or meerabai story and sant meera bai biography in hindi language with history for students writing an essay.
Mirabai replied there was only 1 real man in brindaban, sri krishna. Composer john harbison adapted blys translations for his mirabai songs. Born a princess in the region of rajasthan in 1498, mira as she is more commonly known fought tradition and celebrated a womans right to an independent life in her ecstatic poems. Through her poems bhajans she expressed, with a powerful intensity, the spiritual fervour of an aspirant mad with the love of god. Ecstatic poems 2004 mira has finished with waiting. Her publications include fast speaking woman 1975, marriage. Poems of mirabai much of what we know about mirabai comes from her poetry.
I am mad with love by mirabai famous poems, famous poets. A contemporary american poet on pilgrimage in india experiences a chain of extraordinary accidents that trip her into a linguistic revelationshe quickly learns to read and write middle hindi or braj. The author of more than 40 collections of poetry and poetics, anne waldman is an active member of the outrider experimental poetry movement, and has been connected to the beat movement and the second generation of the new york school. She was one of the most significant sants true or saints of the vaishnava. O friends on this path, my eyes are no longer my eyes. Bly has also collaborated with jane hirshfield on mirabai.
Spiritual poetry is a strange bird, and this spiritual poetry is an even stranger one. She remains to be a symbol for women in hindu community trying to gain their voice today. If we could reach him through nothing but berries and wild nuts. Mirabai was one of the most famous of the women bhakta poets of north india.
The meera mahal in merta is a museum dedicated to telling the story of mirabai through sculptures, paintings, displays and a shaded garden. Among the saints of india, she is absolutely unparalleled. Venerable souls drawn to the higher ground, to matters of spirit, to the power they see in small things, to idyllic spaces like our own. Her devotion of lord krishna made her go against the traditions and customs of her time and made mirabai is the most famous of the women bhakta poets of north india. Mira was born in 1498 in the village of kudki into the house of rathore. Meera bais life has been interpreted as a musical story in meerathe lover, a music album based on original compositions for some well known meera bhajans, released 11 october 2009. Her devotional poetry directed toward giridhara, a form of the great godman krishna is so intensely personal that it borders on the erotic while, at the same time, it remains transcendentally spiritual.
Mirabai was born in the year 1498 at merta in nagaur district of rajasthan. By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from. Born a princess in the region of rajasthan in 1498, mira as she is more commonly known eschewed the marriage her royal family had arranged for her, celebrating instead her right to independence and intense devotion to. Some bhajans of meera have been rendered by robert bly in his mirabai versions new york. How long did i stand in the house of this body and stare at the road. The devotional poems of mirabai offers the reader a sober english translation of more than two hundred of her padas, based on the interpretative work of indian scholars that has appeared during the last few decades. Mirabai belongs to a long, rich tradition of song poems dedicated to krishna, founded by the famous thirteenthcentury poet jayadeva. My beloved is a steeped herb, he has cured me for life. The poetry of mirabai california state polytechnic. Mirabai composed hundreds of poems in a simple, unpretentious style. I have left brothers and relatives and all i possessed.
Dispensing with worldly shame, i came to sit with the holy men. It is said that, she was a disciple of shri guru ravidas. Awardwinning author and speaker, mirabai starr, teaches about the interconnected wisdom of the. Meera mirabai meera mira bai1 was a hindu mystic poet and devotee of krishna. Mirabai teaches us, through the ecstasy of her devotion, to identify with the beloved. About the book the devotional poems of mirabai offers the reader a sober english translation of more than two hundred of her padas, based on the interpretative work of indian scholars that has appeared during the last few decades. His epic gita govinda was the model for writing bhakti poetry. Mirabais beliefs mirabai was devoted to krishna as earlier explained krishna is an. Mar 04, 2017 mirabai starr writes, speaks and leads retreats on the interspiritual teachings of the mystics.
Jan 14, 2020 mirabai was known for her songs of devotion to krishna and for forsaking traditional womens roles to devote life to krishnaworship. She dances barefoot at twilight with the sudras playing hand cymbals. As her father was away much of the time, she was then sent to be raised at her grandfathers house. We offer nature retreats and other special events with yoga, meditation and music through out the year.