I would like to add Mirabai's contribution to this thread on Rajasthan's music.
Mirabai
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Mirabai (???????) (1498-1547) (sometimes also spelled Meera) was a female Hindu mystical poet during the Mughal period of Indian history. Disciple of guru Ravidas, she composed many prayerful songs called bhajans. They are in the bhakti tradition, and most passionately praised Lord Krishna.
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Life story
She was born in Merta in Rajasthan, and the extant version of her poems are in Hindi. Her father's elder brother Viram Deo who succeeded to the throne arranged her marriage with Prince Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. This marriage raised Mirabai to a very high social status, as the ruler of Chittor was considered to be the leader of the Hindu princes of Rajputana. However, her great devotion to Lord Krishna did not always endear her to her husband and family. Her love of Krishna was so absorbing she neglected her social and regal responsibilities. Because of this Mirabai suffered great hardship throughout her life. These physical hardships became intolerable and after praying to Krishna, she left the palace for good and went to the pilgrimage of Mathura, Vrindavana, and finally to Dwarka. Mirabai spent most of her time in prayer and worship of Krishna. She left behind a legacy of many soulful and prayerful songs, which are still sung in India today. Mirabai is widely regarded as a saint in the tradition of the Bhakti Movement. The Bhakti Movement was a cult in 16th century India that showed the path to salvation by devotion. Other saints belonging to this culture were Tukaram, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ramananda.
Her love for Krishna is epitomized by the popular belief about her final disappearance in the temple of Krishna in Dwarka. She is believed to have entered the sanctum of the temple in a state of singing ecstacy. The sanctum doors are believed to have closed on their own and when later opened, the sari of Mirabai was seen enwrapped around the idol of lord Krishna, symbolizing the culmination of her union with her lord.
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Poetry
Mirabai belongs to the Saguna class of worshippers of Brahman. Theologically, they belived that between Aatma (our soul) and Parmaatma (the supreme Aatma or God), this physical body is the only wall, and upon death the Aatma and Parmaatma will combine just as a pot filled with water is placed in pond and if the pot breaks the water inside (Aatma) will combine with the water outside (Paraatma).
Mirabai's poetry puts love for Krishna above the love for friends and family. She perceived Krishna to be her husband, lover, lord and master. The unique characteristic of Mirabai's poetry is the use of complete surrender to her love for Krishna accompanied by subtle erotic imagery. Her longing for union with Krishna is predominant in Mira's poetry who says she wants to be colored with the color of dusk (dusk being the symbolic color of Krishna). She believed that in her previous life she was one of the several gopis in Vrindavan, in love with Krishna. Much like the gopis, as mentioned in tales of Krishna, Mirabai looked upon Krishna as her lover, seeking spirtual and physical union with him. Her writings were at the same time, spiritual and sensual. Mira's songs portray a personal universe where the only existence was that of Krishna - her sole object of desire.
A Mirabai poem is traditionally called a pada, a term used by the 14th century preachers for a small spiritual song. This is usually composed in simple rhythms and carries a refrain within itself. Her collection of songs is called the Padavali. The typicality of Indian love poetry of those days was used by Mirabai but as an instrument to express her deepest emotions felt for her lord. Her typical medium of singing was Vraja-bhasha, a dialect of Hindi spoken in and around Vrindavan (the childhood home of Krishna), sometimes mixed with Rajasthani
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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