1 verses · ~1 min
आवो सहेल्या रली करां हे, पर घर गावण निवारि। झूठा माणिक मोतिया री, झूठी जगमग जोति। झूठा सब आभूषण री, सांचि पियाजी री पोति। झूठा पाट पटंबरारे, झूठा दिखणी चीर। सांची पियाजी री गूदडी, जामे निरमल रहे सरीर। छप्प भोग बुहाई दे है, इन भोगिन में दाग। लूण अलूणो ही भलो है, अपणो पियाजी को साग। देखि बिराणै निवांण कूं हे, क्यूं उपजावै खीज। कालर अपणो ही भलो है, जामें निपजै चीज। छैल बिराणे लाख को हे अपणे काज न होइ। ताके संग सीधारतां हे, भला न कहसी कोइ। वर हीणों आपणों भलो हे, कोढी कुष्टि कोइ। जाके संग सीधारतां है, भला कहै सब लोइ। अबिनासी सूं बालवां हे, जिपसूं सांची प्रीत। मीरा कूं प्रभु मिल्या हे, ऐहि भगति की रीत॥
इति
The Poet
मीराबाई
Mirabai
1498 · 1546
In the vast tradition of Indian devotional literature, Mirabai stands as an absolute force of fearless independence. Born around 1498 into a royal Rajput family in Rajasthan, she rejected every expectation placed upon a woman of her aristocratic stature. Following the death of her husband, she refused to commit Sati, refused to mourn according to courtly protocol, and instead declared herself eternally married to Lord Krishna. Her entire life became an act of spiritual rebellion against feudal patriarchy. She left the palace, mingled with the lower castes, accepted the leather-worker Ravidas as her guru, and composed ecstatic, deeply personal poetry (bhajans) that mapped the fierce agony and joy of divine love. According to enduring historical memory, she survived multiple assassination attempts by her furious in-laws before leaving Mewar entirely. Five centuries later, her voice remains universally alive. Her songs are sung in temples, villages, and classical concerts across the subcontinent. She did not merely write Bhakti poetry; she weaponized devotion to achieve total personal liberation.
Paired Painting
Portrait of Chola Emperor Rajaraja I from the Brihadisvara Temple Murals
This magnificent fragment preserves the likeness and majestic spirit of Emperor Rajaraja the Great, the visionary ruler who brought the Chola Empire to its zenith of cultural, spiritual, and military power. Painted during the completion of the monumental Brihadisvara Temple, the mural captures the sovereign in rich traditional regalia, adorned with ornate jewelry and a towering crown, holding a ceremonial standard. The gentle yet powerful grace of the figure reflects a golden age where devotion to Lord Shiva inspired peerless artistic mastery. As we gaze upon these earthen pigments, we witness a living prayer rendered in stone and lime, capturing the eternal dignity of a monarch who dedicated his empire to the divine.
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