Bhakthi rathnakara- 1.3 Meera- marriage celebrated

[Guest guest]

Marriage of Meera

Meera

was desolate knowing that she had to get married against her will. She fell sick and

became emaciated. Her grandfather and others were worried that she was

deteriorating rapidly at the time of her marriage. They tried to give her

medicine but they were of no avail. Then Meera said that the only medicine that

could cure her was the union with her Giridhari, like Andal who says `aaNaiyaal neerennaikkaakka vEndil

aaypaadikkE ennai uytthidumin,' " If you wish to save me from my death take

me to Gokula because seeing Krishna is the

only medicine for me."

When

every one left her she pleaded to Giridhari to take away the life which belongs

to Him to avoid becoming a wife of some one else when she has been wedded to

Him in all respects. She went to sleep weeping and the Lord came to her and

told her that the time had not yet come for her to unite with Him and she could

not go against her destiny. He told her that she was born to spread devotion

and her marriage would not in any way hamper the relation between Him and her.

He embraced her and disappeared.

Then she

said to Him, " I belong to you body and soul. If you wish to give me to others

I will obey. I completely surrender to you. You do whatever you wish to me."

Thus she attained complete saranagathi in which one becomes the sesha of the

Lord, the dasa who does the His bidding without question.

In the

meanwhile a sadhu came to Chithore from Mewar and hearing about Meera and her

total commitment to the Lord which made

her reluctant to get married. He met her

and talked to her. He narrated the devotion gopis had with Krishna

but that did not deter them from discharging their duties towards their

husbands and family. Moreover he said that Kumbha Rana who wanted to marry her was

a great devotee himself and would not stand in her way in her worship of her

Giridhari. Meera was finally reconciled to her fate and consented to marry.

But she

was disgusted with the formalities and the attitude of people around her and

all the time she was thinking about her Giridhari and none else. Even at the

time of marriage she sat with her idol of Gitridhari in her lap because in her

mind the marriage was between her and Giridhari. All the people especially

those on the bridegroom's side ridiculed her but Kumbha Rana told them to leave

her alone as he was pleased with the depth of her devotion. And thus the

marriage was celebrated but nothing registered in the mind of Meera. When the

bride and bridegroom started on a procession to Mewar after marriage, Rao

Dhoodha felt terrible that he had married her against her will but he was

helpless against tradition and family honour. Meera consoled him saying that

everything happens with the will of the Lord. Meera was traveling in a palanquin

with her Giridhari and Rana was in another palanquin. Thus Meera went to the house

of her husband in Mewar.