Explain how the biography of the saint poetess Mirabai has been reconstructed. How did she defy the norms of society?
Mirabai is considered the best-known woman poet within the Bhakti tradition. Her biographies have been reconstructed on the basis of bhajans sung by her. These bhajans were transmitted orally for centuries. Mirabai was a Rajput princess of Merta in Marwar. She was married against her wishes to a prince of the Sisodia clan of Mewar. She defied the order of her husband and refused to take the traditional responsibilities of a wife and mother. She recognized Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, as her husband.Her in-laws tried to poison her but she left the palace and started to live as a wandering singer. She composed a number of songs full of intense expressions of emotions. Mira also defied the norms of a caste-based society. It is said that after rejecting the comforts of the palace, she had donned the white robes of a widow or the saffron robe of the renouncer. Although she did not attract a number of followers and neither she found a sect but she remained a source of inspiration for centuries. Songs sung by Mirabai are still sung by people even today especially by poor people of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
