#meerabai

[janaknandini-singh999]

Meera Ke Prabhu Girdhar Naagar

Krishna looked on

As he had looked on when she had been given poison which turned to nectar when she offered it to him

As he had looked on when snakes were thrown at her but again she offered it to him like flowers and it turned into a garland

It was just his murti that looked on

But for Meera it was really him

How else would she be saved from death's grasp every time if it wasn't Krishna himself looking out for her?

She sang to him as she always did but tonight there was a sad undertone

She had had enough

Despite being the queen, she was constantly harassed by her devar

She remininsced about her husband who she respected. He let her do her duties and then spend the rest of the time in the temple of the Mahal with her beloved Krishna. But after his death, she was being tormented by his brother.

She folded her hands to Krishna's murti and then at the jauhar kund where her mother in law, the late Maharani, had done jauhar with thousands of other women when Akbar had attacked Chittorgarh

"Mother, not everyone can do what you did. Not even me. You held on to your honour till your very last breath. But jauhar is done by those when the invaders close in with their egos. What about those who are attacked by their own family? There is no such pratha that can save them. My husband, your son, was a benevolent king. But your other son.. If I commit Jauhar my image will be tarnished forever because there are no invaders. Jauhar is done by those who have no other hope, mother. But I have one." she turned to look at her Krishna with teary eyes

"The only element I'd let myself to be consumed by is him. My only hope since birth, to death, is him."

"Maharani" a daasi entered the temple and curtsied "I apologize for interrupting your prayers."

Meera didn't turn around but she closed her eyes and nodded as the tears rolled down

"Your highness, you really need to leave. He is on his way back to the palace. I can't see you-" she stopped herself as she was about to mention Meera's bruises and scars caused by her brother in law's abuse

It was a wonder indeed because when the daasi had seen them for the first time and pointed it out Meera had calmly replied that she didn't feel a thing because she was thinking of Krishna

"Why does your Krishna allow so much pain in your life?" the daasi's voice cracked on seeing her queen like this so she looked away

"No. Not a word against him. I would've been long dead if it weren't for him." Meera put a hand on her shoulder and smiled

"You should ask him to hold you with him forever, away from it all"

"Maharani!" A soldier came huffing and curtsied rigidly "Sincere apologies but they're on the horsebacks and can arrive any moment now."

Meera stood up hurriedly and collected her pooja samagri, dashing. But just at the gate, she stopped

"Does running away make me a coward?" She whispered

"No, maharani. You are going to your lord." the daasi said

"No no no wait! What about YOU ALL?" Meera's voice rose and suddenly an arrow whizzed past them

"DON'T worry about us, Maharani! Just GO PLEASE AAPKO SHRI KRISHN KI SAUGANDH!"

The soldier winced in pain as an arrow was shot again which lodged itself in his arm.

The daasi almost shrieked but carried him over and dragged him outside.

Meera saw a lover's spark between the two and despite the situation she smiled. She silently prayed to Krishna for their protection

And then she ran

She ran and ran and ran throughout the villages, the jungles, her feet and knees getting scraped, she went on for days without food or water and she ran

"I'm waiting, sakhi" a voice breathed in her ear

Finally she reached Dwarka and broke down at Dwarkadheesh's feet

A few days were spent in bliss as she became the poet she was meant to be

But not for long because they followed her even there

The time had come

She took a last, long breath in front of the murti

And closing her eyes, she folded her hands

"Swami. The world has never understood me. It has only given me agony until I met you. The only love I've ever felt is when I've thought of you. So I did. Until you became every thought of mine, written on every breath of mine. The only thing I've ever longed for is to be associated with you for as long as the kaal chakra goes on, my name be taken in the same breath as your name. But who am I? I'm not your lover who you'd playfully burst the maakhan matki of, I'm not your wife who you'd immediately, fiercely, desperately ride on your chariot to rescue. I'm not even a devotee like Hanuman ji who had the opportunity to be alive in the same yug to serve his God. Who am I to be yours? But where else am I to go? I can't survive in any place which isn't your heart.

The world has come to get me again so I come to you. And I won't breathe until I reach you"

She started walking to the murti, holding her hands out as alms

The tyrants were upon her now but suddenly they were dazzled by a bright light

And then a divine hand extended out to her, he smiled with tears streaming all the way as Meera immersed herself completely in Krishna

The light vanished. They opened their eyes again and were baffled to see Meera gone.

Except her dupatta that swayed peacefully from the side of the murti

Centuries later

"Mother! Whose is that?" a small voice pointed excitedly

The woman looked on and recognized Meerabai's dupatta

"The legendary poet bhakt of Krishna, child. Her name was Meerabai."

"Was she married to him?" curiosity sparked in her eyes

The woman thought for a bit. It wouldn't be that simple to explain to her little daughter the leelas of Shri Krishna with his many wives and lovers.

The girl looked at the murti now "Did they both love each other?"

"Yes" the woman answered, smiling

"Of course" her daughter nodded, completely satisfied "Just look at him! Who wouldn't fall in love with him?" as she laughed and swooned, swinging around a nearby pillar as Meerabai's dupatta swayed higher and touched the little girl's head

Meanwhile, Krishna grinned at the whole scene as Meera joined her, laying her head on his lap as she whispered

"It feels like I've waited for you since forever."

"I know, love. And I have, too. But I've been with you all the way. It broke my heart to see what they did to you." He kissed her forehead

"You are safe now" As he held on tight to her for eternity

Not just two lovers, but the union of two forms that go back to the same source to begin with. The river finally meeting the sea, the rain kissing the soil, incense embracing the ambience and far away just a besotted finally flying to the muse

Meera uniting with Krishna

[achyutapriya]

Shyam has stalked off to punish me

And is frolicking about with other women

He will not even speak to me

He will not even come into my lane,

But steps into courtyards of others

He will not even touch my finger,

But twists the arms of others

He will not touch my shawl,

But He lifts the veil of others

Shyam is Mira's Lord,

But he wanders about like a rake.

~~ Devotional Poems of Mirabai

[teaah-art]

Desi LGBT Fest 2023 (hosted by @desi-lgbt-fest)

Day 7 : Faith/Rituals of Love

Definitely geared heavily towards the 'Faith' part of this prompt as soon as I read it!

If being Queer is defying conventions and if being a part of the Queer community means going against heteronormativity and gender conformity, is it not Queer to forego materialistic ties and the love of a human partner and embrace the love of a greater being you have only heard about in stories?

All four individuals featured here were integral part of the Bhakti Movement and/or Sufism in South Asia. None were married other than Meerabai.

(Panel order from top to bottom)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) : A key name of the Bhakti Movement and the Gauriya Vaishnav tradition in 15th Century Bengal, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was believed to have been a vessel for both Radha and Krishna. Bengali doesn't use pronouns or gendered language and we may never know what they would have preferred to be identified as in a language they didn't know (English), I will simply resort to using They/Them for them. Their written teachings are few and far between but the verse mentioned here is the seventh verse of the only written record of their teachings, the Shikshastakam - a collection of 8 total verses. The translation here is my own and quite literal so that the interpretation is left to the reader.

Meerabai (1498-1597) : [CW : IMPLIED QUEERPHOBIA/APHOBIA] Meerabai was born into Rajput royalty and was married off, also to Rajput royalty, in likely an arranged marriage. While most of the stories surrounding her are folklore whose historicity is yet to be confirmed, her marital status can be confirmed, and so can her devotion and affection for Krishna and the divine, which she has herself penned in numerous poems and songs. Folklore does strongly imply that she was non-committal to her marriage and that her in-laws tried to poison her to death multiple times for it.

Kabir (1398–1448 or 1440–1518) : Found as an orphan by a Muslim weaver couple, Kabir's religion grew to become somewhat of an enigma for future generations. His stance, however, on the topic romance and marital relationships is quite clear - he looked down upon them and a huge chunk of his couplets strongly imply that romantic and sexual relations simply obstruct spiritual enlightenment.

Bulleh Shah (1680-1757) : Bulleh Shah, though an ardent proponent of loving the divine, was declared a Kafir, a non-believer/non-Muslim by a quite a few Muslim clerics of the time. He was known for speaking up against existing power hierarchies of the time and used vernacular speech for his writings (Punjabi, Sindhi) which not only served to popularize his works, but also let people connect to his words.

A personal note on my motivations under the cut.

A while back when I was actively going through the anxiety of finding out that I am ace and that I will never fit into the current South Asian society that the wedding industry has a chokehold on, I desperately wanted to see people from my own culture living happily without a partner. During one of my history rabbit hole escapedes, I restumbled upon the story of Meerabai, how she always insisted on loving and devoting herself towards Krishna, despite being married into a normative and wealthy household and despite her in-laws repeatedly attempting to poison her for not committing to her husband. Most of us from India grow up hearing about Meerabai, her spiritual connections to Krishna, and her struggles. The moral of those stories is always framed as 'believe in god, he will help you through tough times'. But this was the first time I was making a different connection, I was drawing different morals. And when I took Meerabai's non-conformity to her married life and started looking for more examples like hers, I was overwhelmed by how many more individuals existed without a partner, condemned being in a normative, married relationship, admitted to having lost human connections and faced resistance even, and yet stayed true to their orientation and sounded HAPPY! It was extremely hard to narrow it down to these four, but these do make my point! Labels are hard to transpose across cultures and history. But if being queer means being nonconforming of marital structures and being aspec/arospec implies neutrality, indifference, or aversion to romance and intercourse, then no one fits the label if they don't.

[arjuna-vallabha]

Meerabai, marble sculpture

[bukreview]

"A Man Without Self-Knowledge Is Lost"

Remaining Story OF : Meera Bai Got Refuge From Satguru – 2  God protected the Bhavan Minister The devotee was the Bhavan General Secretary. He was the king’s uncle and was very loyal. Rana had great faith in Bhavan because he was his uncle and served him sincerely. Bhavan had full faith in God. Another minister wanted me to become the General Secretary so that all commands would be in my hands.…

[lighthousekrishna]

www.lighthousekrishna.com #lighthousekrishna #meditationclass #spontaneouskriyameditation #bethelight #bhakthi #meditation #krishnasarvadaman #advaita #sarvadamanbanerji #yoga #meditationwithouteffort #adiyoga #nondoingmeditation #krishnaconsciousness #krishnagangalighthouse #kriyayoga #meerabai https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg0peNYrCoa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wandererinside]

#krsna #krishnalove #krishna #vishnu #meerabai #mirabai #ighaiku #haiku #haikupoetryday #instahaiku #haikuslam #igwriters #igwritersclub #poetry #poem #poetryisnotdead #poet https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc91J3PJ98N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[natdsphotography]

मेरे तो गिरधर गोपाल दूसरों न कोई| जाके सिर मोर मुकट मेरो पति सोई|| #Sketch #pencildrawing #passion #peace #meerabai #krishnalove https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc6Oz3IPNKO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bishh-kanya]

Modern day meerabai

Requested by anon <33

[ramayantika]

Krishna (mystery academia)

I was inspired from that old Vishnu post and that Delhi vala post so here we go. No idea how this will turn up though par dekhte hain.

No, it can't be a dream. You have pinched yourself twice, and your sister has been calling your name out from the past five minutes, but you can't help yourself. Your eyes are transfixed at that giant grey cloud hovering majestically in the sky. A face is etched on the cloud. He looks enchanting.

Your books have fallen on the floor. A mysterious flute tune rings in your ear. You haven't heard it anywhere recently, but the melodious tune starts to grow too loud. Look carefully, who is the girl in a pink saree, her golden bangles blind your vision and you hear a boy's sweet laughter before your legs give out.

It's Janmashtami night. The clock struck 12 and kids from your society broke the pot. They jump around in getting some money from the dahi handi while the adults clap and call their kids to come home. Everybody chants jai shri krishna and bows down folding their hands. You too close your eyes. Once you raise your head to look at the Krishna murti, your eyes see a person standing behind the murti, twirling a flute with his nimble fingers. Someone snaps their fingers beside your ear. The figure vanishes.

'yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham' Goosebumps rise on your skin and a divine vision graces your being. The sun and the stars collide, but everybody keeps breathing. The sound of a conch fills your mind and you see someone larger than any human, than any other organism on earth stand in a battlefield. He looks fierce once and then in a blink turns as calm as a river.

'paritranaya sadhunam vinashayacha dushkritam dharma sansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge' Tears flood down your eyes as you wake up from yet another dream of this all pervading misery encircling the world that has given itself to crimes and murders, forgetting that the quest for lust, greed, pride and ruthless power has gone in vain. Once again you stand on a battlefield witnessing hundreds and thousand of mighty warriors flanked by their elephants and horses. On your side stands one man. Just one man -- wielding a chakra and a large mace. He charges off at every soldier. In seconds bodies pile up on the battlefield and a guttural cry pierces your ears. The lone warrior clutches every fallen body and weeps.

The sweet smelling fragrant chandan makes you smile. The old temple priest, a gentle soul patiently applies tilak to all the devotees. After ten people comes your turn to apply the tilak. The priest's eyes brighten as if he has known you since long. You don't know him. This Krishna temple is far away from your home. The priest looks back at the beautifully decorated Krishna murti and smiles. You blink and turn your eyes to a pillar beside the garbhagriha. There stands a boy too gorgeous to be real, a form so enchanting that it etches itself on your eyes. You feel your heart thumping as the fragrant chandan clouds your senses. You are about to fall, but that lovely looking boy catches you in his arms. Flowers fall on your head and a sweet voice whispers, "Will you finally come back, sakhi?"

The night sky is full of stars tonight which is highly unusual for this busy city. Two stars gleam the brightest. You try to figure which constellation they belong too until hundreds of stars come together forming an image of a peacock feather.

At Prem Mandir in Vrindavan, you eagerly watch all the moving sculptures showing different pastimes of Krishna. Somewhere nearby, a group of ladies are singing Meerabai's songs. Your feet tap on their own accord and you feel yourself sway. When did you raise your arms to the sky and twirl? Nobody knows. Your family watches you laugh and dance in the temple. You look at no one but Krishna. The handsome boy from the temple is back again wearing bright yellow clothes -- not too hard to miss. A rough shake on your shoulders makes you open your eyes. The devotees in the temple are staring at you, but you blush in awareness of a certain dark one looking at you.

You sit gazing at the cool waters of Yamuna, the river which played an important role in Krishna's life. She saw his arrival into Gokul and his departure to Mathura. The texts and the old say that she later accompanied him as his wife to Dwaraka. You bow your head at her and dip your feet into the water. Nobody is at the ghat, it's all quiet and peaceful. Yamuna cools your body and a sense of calmness pervades your mind. You feel yourself slipping somewhere. The river like a gentle mother's touch touches your skin. "Do not fear, friend."

The car is about to cross the borders of Vrindavana. You feel your heart cry for an unknown separation. All these nights, you heard female voices whispering, "do not leave." At dawn you woke up with the sounds of a flute and sometimes your evenings were blessed with a boy gracing your hotel's terrace at sunset. He carried a peacock feather with him. You never shared a word with him nor did he with you. The steep silence yet felt comfortable.

Should I stay? Should I go? Should I call that boy and say goodbye, but how do I find him? What is this feeling in my heart? I feel it break into pieces. The driver caught your eye in the mirror and you hear a screeching break, The small flute replica hits the backside of the mirror and there you see a divine view once again.

Surrounded by cows, his feet crossed, he stands with a flute donning yellow garbs. You see the sun and the moon in his eyes. The universe gleams in his limbs. He appears magnificent. The divine sound of the conch rings again and you fall at his feet. 'I am all yours, Shyam.'

'Glad to have you back finally sakhi...' Red palms touch your forehead and the figure in front shines with bright white light like a halo around him. A lotus flower is placed on the last page of your book over Krishna's photo. The afternoon sky is now grey and far away you see a dark cloud emerging towards you.

"It shall start again, isn't it?"

Tagging the sakhis: @sanskari-kanya @shut-up-rabert @krishna-sahacharini @ketchup-jar-ka @arachneofthoughts @jessbeinme15 @ma-douce-souffrance @tumhari-bhairavi @manwalaage @inexhaustible-sources-of-magic @reallythoughtfulwizard @bambioleo @morally-gayy @krishna-priyatama @kaal-naagin

[krsnaradhika]

Do you think about Krishna sexually?

I am sorry? Wait? Are you genuinely questioning or just a jobless hater?

If you mean lusting, it's a no, really. Kāma as a feeling is very pure, and as we know it stands third in the line of the purushārthas, so yes maybe that. It's been quite misinterpreted lately. Not lusting tho.

I am very very whipped by what I have learnt of him over the years, crushing, having butterflies at his thought, smiling like a fool everytime I think of him, yes. I try to find him everywhere and he assures me he's there, everywhere.

Also, don't come at me! If you want and if you can, might as well go object on every poem of Andal Nachiyar, Meerabai, Akka Mahadevi which convey kāma in mādhurya bhakti. I've been a huge huge admirer of them all. Highkey obsessed atp. Since I do not understand their languages mostly, Meerabai yes (credits : Kanha's MIL ; my mom) but all others no, I go for English translations. Literature enthusiast after all. Kanha and I go together on dates, he gets me jhumkas, we love teasing each other and I balter aimlessly at romantic songs, I oil his curls and he holds my hands everytime it gets a little difficult here. I trust him in every situation, even when the path ahead seems brittle and dark. And he never lets it break either.

And to be honest, dark has never been so lovely before.

[janaknandini-singh999]

Dear Chandramukhi,

I remember watching Devdas and being instantly mesmerized by your character. You were inspired by Meerabai, who committed her life to Lord Krishna, just like you did to Devdas. While everyone pitied Paro - who was forcibly married into an affluent aristocratic family, caged in the lavish mansion - far away from her childhood sweetheart, I was drawn further by your enchantingly melancholic persona - "ek tawaif jogan ban gayi" ( "a courtesan became a devotee"). For a girl who was used for her body all her life in the rangeen kothi (bustling brothel), you were strikingly tethered to your soul.

But when Devdas entered, all bondage of yours was demolished and you finally felt free, only for you to miserably realize that you were just a distraction for Devdas, who loved and shall only ever love Paro. Someone like you was never meant to be truly cared for, that's what they said, it's what Devdas made you feel too in the end, in his own intoxicatingly bittersweet way. You accepted it all nevertheless with a fiercely sweet smile, just like you always had. And you still loved Dev, perhaps you had understood that some things never turn out the way we want them to, but when has that ever stopped us from falling in love? Your only fault that you did so while having been born 'lowly'.

On one day like this, Paro confronted you. Instead of reaping jealousy, you regarded Paro as a kind of Goddess who had the privilege of being showered Devdas's affection, so you bent to touch Paro's feet in deference. And what did Paro do in return? Mock your circumstances and taunt you for coming close to Dev - before complying to befriend you, later on. You had dealt humiliation through your entire life but you chose to suffer the most by Dev's anguish - seeing your love ruined by his love.

Paro and Devdas were eternally each other's souls, but there was no one to make unsung Chandramukhi whole. Paro and Devdas may have ended in tragedy to make us all weep, but Chandramukhi lived her broken tale that our hearts were too heavy to keep...

[hoursofreading]

meerabai would have loved tumblr, would have spent all her time writing self insert x kanha fics

[akshinayak]

Oh oh I just found out, one of my friend's purvaj is LEGIT MEERABAI, Like Bhai....

Aur hame dekho, my purvajo are from Gandhar.

MAIN SHAKUNI MAMA KI VANSHAJ HU !!!!!

[arjuna-vallabha]

Meera Bai

[bukreview]

" Meera Bai Got Refuge From Satguru - 2 "

सतसंग में जाना मीरां छोड़ दे ए, आए म्हारी लोग करें तकरार। सतसंग में जाना मेरा ना छूटै री, चाहे जलकै मरो संसार।। ।। थारे सतसंग के राहे मैं ऐ, आहे वहाँ पै रहते हैं काले नाग, कोए-कोए नाग तनै डस लेवै। जब गुरु म्हारे मेहर करें री, आरी वै तो सर्प गंडेवे बन जायें । ।। 1 ।। थारे सतसंग के राहे में ऐ, आहे वहाँ पै रहते हैं बबरी शेर, कोए-कोए शेर तनै खा लेवै। जब गुरुआं की मेहर फिरै री, आरी व तो शेरां के गीदड़…