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The Rebel Saint: Retracing the Stories of Meera Bai

This is a folklore retelling of the life of Meera Bai. Little is known about her historically, except that she was a devotee of Lord Krishna and the granddaughter of Rao Dudha of Marwar. Since Rana Sanga was an ally of the king, she was married to the crown prince of Mewar, Bhoj Raj, who unfortunately died in one of the many battles Mewar fought with Babur. After that, her journey from Mewar to Merta to Vrindavan and Dwarka can be traced only through folklore. Historically, her mention is only found twice, once in the chronology of Merta, where her father Ratan Singh, the youngest son of the king, is mentioned as having a daughter married to Kunwar Bhoj Raj and another time when the temple for her Lord was commissioned by Rana Sanga, for the private use and worship of his firstborn's widow. The Palace at Merta Merta The palace at Merta was alive with festive preparations. Rao Dudha, the fourth son of Jodha Rao, the founder of Jodhpur, was returning from war with his sons. His grand...

Brothers and Sisters of Mahabharata

The Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics of Hindu mythology, not only recounts tales of valour, destiny, and dharma but also reveals intricate relationships between siblings whose lives shaped the moral and political fabric of the narrative. The bonds between brothers and sisters in the epic are diverse: marked by affection, rivalry, loyalty, and sacrifice. These relationships, though complex, embody the human emotions that transcend divine lineage and royal blood. Satyavati and Her Lineage Satyavati and her brother Matsya were born from a miraculous union between a Cursed Nymph in the form of a fish, Adrika and the King Uparichara Vasu, whose semen the fish had consumed when it fell in the river. They were discovered by their adoptive father, King Dusharaj, the ruler of the fishermen, and thus came to be known as  Matsya Santan , meaning “children of the fish.” When the king found out about the twins, he claimed the male child as his heir and gave the girl, Satyavati, to the fis...