Mirabai

Sant
Mirabai
Sant Mirabai
	Kangra painting of Mirabai playing the veena
Personal
Born	Jashoda Rao Ratan Singh Rathore; c. 1498; Kudki, Kingdom of Marwar (present-day Rajasthan, India)
Died	c. 1546 (aged 47–48); Dwarka, Gujarat Sultanate (present-day Gujarat, India)
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse	Bhojraj Singh Sisodia (m. 1516; died 1521)
Parent	Ratan Singh (father);
Known for	Poems, Bhakti for Krishna
Other names	Meera; Meera Bai; Mira; Jashoda (Birth name);

Meera, better known as Mirabai,^[2] and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition.^[3]^[4]^[5] She is mentioned in Bhaktamal, confirming that she was widely known and a cherished figure in the Bhakti movement by about 1600.^[6]^[7]

Most legends about Mirabai mention her fearless disregard for social and family conventions, her devotion to Krishna, her treatment of Krishna as her husband, and her persecution by her in-laws for her religious devotion.^[1]^[6] She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic legends, which are inconsistent or widely different in details.^[1]^[8]

Millions of devotional hymns in passionate praise of Krishna are attributed to Meerabai in the Indian tradition, but just a few hundred are believed to be authentic by scholars, and the earliest written records suggest that except for two hymns, most were first written down in the 18th century.^[9] Many poems attributed to Meera were likely composed later by others who admired Meera. These hymns are a type of bhajan, and are very famous across India.^[10]

Some Hindu temples, such as Chittor Fort, are dedicated to Mirabai's memory.^[1] Legends about Mirabai's life, of contested authenticity, have been the subject of movies, films, comic strips and other popular literature in modern times.^[11]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Usha Nilsson (1997), Mira bai, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-8126004119, pages 1-15
^ "Mira Bai". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
^ Karen Pechelis (2004), The Graceful Guru, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195145373, pages 21-23, 29-30
^ Neeti Sadarangani (2004), Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact, Sarup & Sons, ISBN 978-8176254366, pages 76-80
^ Ryan, James D.; Jones, Constance (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 290. ISBN 9780816075645.
^ ^a ^b Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot (2006), India before Europe, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521809047, page 109
^ Annals And Antiquities Of Rajasthan Vol. 1 Page no. 75
^ Nancy Martin-Kershaw (2014), Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India (Editor: Mandakranta Bose), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195352771, pages 162-178
^ John Stratton Hawley (2002), Asceticism (Editors: Vincent Wimbush, Richard Valantasi), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195151381, pages 301-302
^ Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 254
^ Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 242

[ushamiralife-1] Usha Nilsson (1997), Mira bai, Sahitya Akademi, ISBN 978-8126004119, pages 1-15

[brit1-2] "Mira Bai". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2015.

[3] Karen Pechelis (2004), The Graceful Guru, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195145373, pages 21-23, 29-30

[4] Neeti Sadarangani (2004), Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact, Sarup & Sons, ISBN 978-8176254366, pages 76-80

[5] Ryan, James D.; Jones, Constance (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 290. ISBN 9780816075645.

[asher-6] Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot (2006), India before Europe, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521809047, page 109

[7] Annals And Antiquities Of Rajasthan Vol. 1 Page no. 75

[nancy-8] Nancy Martin-Kershaw (2014), Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India (Editor: Mandakranta Bose), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195352771, pages 162-178

[hawley-9] John Stratton Hawley (2002), Asceticism (Editors: Vincent Wimbush, Richard Valantasi), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195151381, pages 301-302

[10] Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 254

[11] Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, page 242

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