What Is Love? A Simple Yet Forgotten Story

“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” ~ Rumi

So is it only the physical attraction or a soulful connection that really matters in life?

Our age old confusion on a connection which is purely soulful or an attraction which is only physical is answered by Meera Bai, an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. She is widely known as the reincarnation of Radha, consort of Sri Krishna.

Born in 16^th century to Ratan Singh, Meera Bai belonged to a royal family in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. She fell in love with Lord Krishna at a very tender age. This eternal love story had begun when Meera Bai witnessed a marriage procession. An innocent and curious Meera on seeing the procession on the street, from the balcony of her house, asked her mother for a groom.

To satisfy Meera’s inquisitive mind, her mother then replied saying that she could regard Lord Krishna as her husband. Since then the love of little Meera towards her beloved husband, Lord Krishna knew no bounds. She started spending the whole day with Sri Krishna in bathing, dressing and worshipping the idol. She was completely engrossed in rendering selfless services towards her divine husband.

But one fine day, Ratan Singh arranged her marriage to Bhoj Raj, the crown prince of Mewar and Meera unwillingly agreed to marry him. After her marriage she carried out seamlessly her every duty as a wife but she was least interested in the conjugal life with her husband or in any earthly pleasures. She was always found in the temple with the idol of Lord Krishna. Seeing her disinterest in her marital life, her in-laws started maligning her character and there were speculations that she was involved secretly with someone else. These rumours did not go well with Bhoj Raj and he, along with his family members, started subjecting Meera to inhuman atrocities. She was made to drink poison and ordered to sleep on nails. But as the saying goes – Love conquers it all, every time her Kanha Ji (Lord Krishna) stood by her in her testing times and smoothly sailed her out of the difficulties.

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Unable to bear these harassment anymore Meera Bai wrote to the great saint Tulsidas to guide her in her life. On the advice of Tulsidas, she renounced the materialistic world and made her way to Brindavan, the land of Lord Krishna.

Meera Bai, an ardent follower and a devoted lover of Kanha Ji did not think twice about her societal status before leaving towards Brindaban. The unbreakable connection she had made with her divine soulmate since childhood, was enough for her to survive. Her unmatched faith and worship towards the love of her life had never left her mind even in her trying times. She never thought of any gains that she would achieve from her love. The relation was purely a connection on an emotional and spiritual level.

It is not mandatory, that love should always have a physical connection attached to it. Physical relationships are medium to express the affection between couples.

Nowadays, we find couples who are more inclined towards the earthly pleasures rather than the soulful connections.

But love can never grow or survive without mutual faith and respect between soulmates or life partners.

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