MIRABAI SINGS OF LORD KRISHNA
Oh my Krishna! Oh my Lord!
Come let me décor you
In all new possessions and art
It’s morning;
and you’re not
ready for worship
your temple is not
anointed
come let me garland you
my Lord
forgive
my meanness, forgive me
I couldn’t be dear
to you
I kept on thinking
What was missing
it’s probably the chandan
and flowers
at your feet
wasn’t I a worshiper enough
did I only worship your
outward form
wasn’t I supposed to drink
the poisoned chalice……..
but I dropped dead in fear -
i was afraid
to dissolve and die
to sever from you
by all means……..
I am a woman
tied in matrimony
not supposed to worship another…….
I am not your gopies (your charming maids)
neither your beloved Radha
I am but a speck of dust
at your feet
let me lie there
for ages to come
and worship you
in my way.
Radha Krishna 8 -- NP Razeshwarr
Meera Bai was a 16th-century mystic poet and celebrated saint with temples, such as the one in Chittorgarh fort, dedicated to her memory, and she is one of the 16 historic Hindu figures who have been adopted by the Sikhs as well. Thousands of poems in passionate praise of Krishna are attributed to her, but scholars accept only a few as authentic. She was born into a Rajput royal family in Pali and married the crown prince of Mewar in 1516, and he died in battle five years later. Her in-laws tried to execute her by sending her a glass of poison and telling her it was nectar or by sending her a basket with a snake inside, but the snake became a garland of flowers (or an idol of Krishna in some accounts). In old age she lived in Dwarka, Vrindavan, where she disappeared by merging into an idol of Krishna in 1547. The earliest records of her life (with two poems credited to her) are from early 18th century.
ReplyDeleteKrishna was the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. A gopi was a cowherd; a "gopika" was one of the 108 female milkmaids who exemplified "suddha-bhakti," the highest form of unconditional love for Krishna; their spontaneous and unwavering devotion is described in detail in the later chapters of the "Bhagavata Purana." The chief among them was Radha, an avatar of Vishnu's consort Lakshmi. In some accounts she was a married woman who became Krishna's faithful but adulterous lover. This depiction was standard until the 12th century, when Nimbarka repaired her reputation as the eternal consort of Vishnu-Krishna and was the first to worship her; in his "Vedanta Kamadhenu Dashashloki," he wrote, "The left portion of the body of the Supreme Lord is Shrimati Radha, seated blissfully, as beautiful as the Lord Himself; who is served by thousands of gopis: we meditate on the Supreme Goddess, the fullfiller of all desires." At about the same time Jayadeva Goswami popularized her new elevation in the seminal poem "Gita Govinda." The core of the Radha-Krishna legendary cycle is found in Badu Chandidas' 15th -century poem "Srikrsnakirtana" consisting of 412 songs divided into 13 sections. In the 16th century, she became the supreme object of devotional love for the many divine incarnations of Radha-Krishna as the supreme forms of God, in the Gaudiya Vaishnavism ("Hare Krishna") cult founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Krishna's hidden avatar in Kali Yuga), particularly as expounded by Rupa Goswami (an avatar of Rupa Manjari, the foremost junior gopika who eternally serves Radha-Krishna under the guidance of Lalita, Radha's constant companion). Such was the love of Radha towards Krishna that they became one; collectively they are the combination of the feminine and masculine aspects of God. Since Krishna is the source of all manifestations of God, Radha is the source of all shaktis (feminine manifestations of divine energy). It is believed that Krishna enchants the world, but Radha enchants even him, so she is the supreme goddess of all.
ReplyDeleteChandana is the Sanskrit word for sandalwood; Lakshmi lives in the sandalwood tree, and the wood brings devotees closer to the divine. The wood is made into a paste using sandalwood powder and used in rituals and ceremonies, to mark religious utensils, to decorate icons, to distribute to worshipers (who apply it to their foreheads, necks, or chests), and to calm the mind during meditation and prayer. The preparation of the paste is done only in temples and during ceremonies entrusted only to priests. The paste is made by grinding wood by hand upon granite slabs shaped for the purpose, and water is slowly added. Jains use sandalwood paste mixed with saffron to worship; they shower their sadhus and sadhvis (monks and nuns) with it as a blessing, and dress their dead in sandalwood garlands in cremation ceremonies. Some Buddhists consider sandalwood to be part of the padma (lotus) group and attribute it to Amitabha, the Buddha of comprehensive love; sandalwood scent is believed to transform one's desires and maintain one's alertness while in meditation, and it is one of the most popular scents used as an incense offering to the Buddha or a religious leader. Similarly, Indian Sufis apply sandalwood paste on graves as a mark of devotion.