Monday, April 27, 2015

W for Worship




“When love and worship merges together, its power can move not just the mountains, the oceans and the earth but the entire universe.”

This is a tale of love, of worship and of devotion to Krishna. This is a tale of a Gopi, who stood so awestruck by the image of Krishna holding up the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger, that even when a boulder fell on her head, the image of Lord Giridhar filled her heart with an undefined, unmanifested sweetness, and an ecstasy beyond description. She died to be reborn as Meerabai, and came to be known as the epitome of worship filled with infinite love for Giridhar Gopala.

                                                                       ********************

“I wish to worship my Lord before I come with you,” she said to the people of Mewar who had come to take her back to the palace.

They nodded and waited outside as Meera closed the door of the sanctum sanctorum and locked it from within. She bowed before the idol of Krishna and hugged the idol of her Lord.

“Giridhar, do you remember the time my mother joked that you would be my husband?” She had been just nine years old then, but she had taken those words to heart. The thought of marrying her Lord had filled her with immense pleasure! “In my mind, I have been married to you since then, Giridhar,” she said cleaning the idol and bathing it in water. “No one understood my love for you Shyam, but can I fault them?” As she decorated the Lord with flowers, she sang a soft tune reminiscent of those days.

I am madly in love in with you 
and no one understands my plight. 
Only the wounded 
understand the agonies of the wounded,
Mira's pain will subside 
when Shyam comes and places his hand on her wounds.

“I have spent every moment singing your praise, and you stood by me in all those moments. I feel blessed,” she said tears flowing out of her eyes.

“Poison couldn’t kill me, neither the most poisonous snake. The poison, you turned to nectar and the snake to a garland of rose. And when they tried to starve me, you nourished me all the more.” Frustrated with Meera’s devotion, her in-laws had tried to kill her many times, but each time, her Krishna had come to her rescue.

And then she picked up her ektara in one hand and danced as she sang again.

I might not distinguish 
splendor from filth 
but I’ve tasted the nectar of passion. 
I might not know any Veda, 
but you swept me away
I frolicked in heaven, ecstatically bound 
to you my lord. 

The love for her Giridhar Gopala, that had begun in her past life as a Gopi was now filled to the brim and bursting over.  It had been a difficult life, but fulfilling nevertheless. She had risked humiliation, had been called insane, and had borne threats to her life, but nothing could stop her from worshipping Krishna.

“Giridhar,” she said, “I am tired my Lord, all I want is to sleep,” she said settling at his feet again and closing her eyes, humming one last tune.

Sleep has not visited me the whole night, 
Will the dawn ever come? 
O my companion, 
Once I awoke with a start from a dream. 
Now the remembrance from that vision 
never fades. 
My life is ebbing as I choke and sigh, 
When will the Lord of the Afflicted come 
I have lost my senses and gone insane, 
But the Lord knows my secret. 
He who deals out life and death 
knows the secret of Mira's pain.

The sound of the songs subsided and the people waiting outside got impatient after a while. They broke open the door, but Meera was nowhere to be seen.

The Lord had absorbed his most ardent worshipper into himself.

                                                                 ******************

Here is one of my most favorite Krishna bhajan sung in praise of Meera's love for Krishna. Gives me goosebumps each time I listen to it.




P.S. The couplets marked in italics are written by Meerabai.


This day...Last year...W for Wish

17 comments:

  1. Meera's devotion to Krishna is truly legendary. Good to know it was rewarded, and she was freed from her earthly troubles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such adoration and devotion filled story. But I didn't know about Meerabai's past life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have left me teary-eyed, Titli! What more can I say? Nobody like Mirabai and her love for Giridhar...

    I hope to catch up soon with the other posts I have missed...

    ReplyDelete
  4. There is so much of love and devotion in this story! This has to be true love :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a love filled and devotional story. This has to be true love.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Titli this is so moving. mira bai's life is an example of pure love.Beautifully written

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautifully presented Titli. I have heard Meerabhai's story, but didn't know she was a gopika in her earlier life. Thank you for that info :)
    My A-Z posts: http://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's so wonderful to read about Meera's devotion ... You surely know how to make these stories even more lively.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a wonderful story of love and dedication..Not everyone can do that with such honesty.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Meera, Radha, Rukhmini...all loved Krishna with equal devotion, unconditionally and unique in their own way. It is a rare gift to be so devoted. Beautifully written.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a tender story of love and devotion. You have captured the imagination of Meerabai so vividly! I love the way she gives in at the end and merges with her Shyam. A beautiful narration!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love in it's purest form. Beautifully described. :)
    P.S. I did not know Meerabai was the reincarnation of a Gopi. Thanks for sharing.
    *Shantala @ ShanayaTales*

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is a beautiful ending to absolute devotion...

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

    ReplyDelete
  14. The emotion of surrender and submission at the lotus feet of the almighty is beautifully narrated. The narrative at the ending is so serene that it gave goosebumps. My eyes went moist.
    So simple yet so elegantly written post on devotion.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Even I didn't know that she was a Gopi in her past life. To be able to worship so deeply and devotedly is a rare gift. She must have had such great love and faith for her Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Power of love, aesthetic in appeal. I enjoyed reading you, marrying love and mythology in an aesthetic way. Congrats for finishing the challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The power of love and devotion!! Amazing and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person..deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within me!! your comments will be appreciated..

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...