AMN
Saint Meera Bai is one of the famous Hindu mystic poetess of 16th century and a great devotee of lord Krishna. Meera Bai does not require any introduction as her devotion, poetry and love dedicated to Lord Krishna describe her in the best way.
However, the famous poetess of the medieval era, Meera Bai was born into a royal family in Kudki, now Pali district of Rajasthan in 1498 CE. She is the only child of Veer Kumari and Ratan Singh. She spent her childhood in Merta city located in the Nagpur district of Rajasthan. Her childhood name was Yashodha.
It is said that Meera Bai met a saint in childhood who gifted her a statue of Lord Krishna and from there, her devotional journey began. She started praying Krishna considering him as her divine lover. Meera Bai was given royal education including music, religion, and instruction in politics and government.
In 1516, Meera Bai was unwillingly married to Rana Bhoj Raj the crown prince of Mewar. But she did not accept him as her husband and continued her devotion to Krishna which was not considerable for Bhoj Raj. After the death of Bhoj Raj in 1521 CE, Meera Bai left Mewar in search of lord Krishna. She died in 1548 CE at the age of 50 in Dwarka in the Gujarat Sultanate.
Bhaktmal, a poetry collection that describes the biography of Meera Bai, is written by Guru Nabha Dass ji in 1585 CE in Braja language. The songs Meera Bai sang in Braja language while offering prayer and expressing her emotions to lord Krishan are considered her poetry collection. These include Raag Govind, Narsi Ji Ka Mayara, Geet Govind ki Tika, Meera Bai ki Malhar, Raag Vihaag and Garba Geet.