1 verses · ~1 min
कारे कारे सबसे बुरे ओधव प्यारे॥ध्रु०॥ कारेको विश्वास न कीजे अतिसे भूल परे॥१॥ काली जात कुजात कहीजे। ताके संग उजरे॥२॥ श्याम रूप कियो भ्रमरो। फुलकी बास भरे॥३॥ मीरा कहे प्रभु गिरिधर नागर। कारे संग बगरे॥४॥
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
Kaliya's Wives and Krishna
This exquisite painting captures a profound moment of divine grace and cosmic reconciliation from the Bhagavata Purana. Lord Krishna dances victoriously upon the hoods of the venomous serpent king Kaliya, whose poisonous waters once terrorized the Yamuna riverbank. Yet, in this breathtaking Pahari masterpiece, the terrifying spectacle of subjugation transforms into a scene of sublime compassion. Kaliya's devoted wives emerge from the swirling river currents, their lower bodies adorned in radiant serpent tails, pressing their palms together in desperate, pleading prayer. They implore the divine child to spare their husband's life, and their heartfelt devotion melts the sternness of justice into mercy. The lush forests of Vrindavana and the swirling, gentle waves of the Yamuna frame the encounter, evoking an eternal realm where nature itself bows to the divine play of love and redemption.
Open the viewer →