Meerabai, the princess of Mewar, turned hermit at the end of her journey and spent her life in search of her 'Madhav'. She was free by then from the bondages of regular 'grihastashram'. She had lost her husband, Bhoj Raj, within a year of her marriage. A person never lured by the riches around her, this incident resulted in her renouncing all worldly pleasures and seeking her 'love of life'... 'Krishna/Madhav. She suffered a lot of criticism from the members of the royal family and wrath from the then Rana of Mewar.
She was considered to be a mad woman, who dressed up like a 'jogan' in the palace and considered 'Madhav' to be her husband.
Having sought advice from Goswami Tulsidas, she left the palace one day and reached Vrindavan...the place where her Beloved resided. In due course, she became a travelling saint, an outcast, where she was once a princess!
She sang hymns in His praise, calling him to visit her just once.
In this bhajan, she requests Lord Krishna to make her His servant. That would be her way to have His company. Vrindavan, which is a 'kunj', a dense forest with Tulsi shrubs, is where He comes to meet His Gopis. She shall sing songs/bhajans in His praise there, just to please Him.
chaakar raakho ji, mhane chaakar raakho
chaakar rahisu, baag lagasu,
nit uth darsan paaasu
Vrundavan ki kunj galin mein
teri leela gaasu ..
And, how is He? He adorns the peacock feather in His head gear, dresses up in a 'Pitambar' and carries a garland of 'Vaijayanti' flowers. He will definitely visit Vrindavan, since He brings the cows to graze there. The entire forest will be enchanted by the tunes of His flute.
mor mukut peetambar sohe
gal vaijanti mala
Vrundavan mein dhenu charaye
Mohan muraliwala ..
oonche oonche mahal banaun
bich bich raakhu baari
hare hare nit baag lagasu
bich bich raakhu kyari
Saanwariya ke darsan paasu
pahar kusummi saari ..
Who all have arrived in Vrindavan? Ohhh...There are the yogis/jogis, who have come here to do 'yog sadhana', to seek enlightenment. Then, there are the sanyasis, who have abandoned the worldly desires and come to Vrindavan to meditate and to seek the ultimate truth. And then there are the Sadhus, who, through their bhajans for 'Hari' or Krishna, fill the entire atmosphere with 'Bhakti Ras'.
Never will one otherwise find a clear distinction between the three titles ... Yogi, Sanyasi and Sadhu.
Vrindavan is, thus, a pious place, where Krishna will surely visit. She consoles herself by saying that her Lord is a serious person and not someone who will easily please His devotees. One should have faith and patience. Love Him truly... as if there are just Him and you in this world.
jogi aaya jog karan ko
tap karne sanyasi
Hari bhajan ko saadhu aya
Vrundavan ke vaasi
tere Vrundavan ke vaasi ..
meera ke Prabhu gahar gambhira
hriday dharo ji Dheera
aadhi raat prabhu darsan dehe
prem nadi ke teera ..
mhane chaakar raakho ji
The music was inspired by Dilip Kumar Roy's hymns. The bhajan, though traditional, is an adaptation by Pt Narendra Sharma for the movie Meera; the character immortalized by MS Subbalakshmi.
Dilip Kumar Roy was a follower of the Vaishnava movement in Bengal and co-authored 'The Beggar Princess' along with Indira Devi in 1955. The title created much furore amongst some closed German language circles when it was translated recently.
Today, being Kartik Ekadashi, this post is my offering to the Lord.
Yah sangeet pushp aur mere man ka bhaav pushp Prabhu ki seva mein arpan 🙏
