Rajput.

 The tale of Ajab Kunwari Bai, a Rajput princess from Mewar, is deeply intertwined with the history of Shrinathji, a revered form of Lord Krishna. According to Pushtimargiya literature, Ajab Kunwari Bai became an ardent devotee of Shrinathji after receiving initiation (Brahm sambandh) from Shri Vitthalnathji, also known as Shri Gusainji. Her devotion was so profound that Shrinathji would travel daily from Mount Govardhan to Mewar to play the game of chaupar (an ancient board game) with her. Concerned about the deity's daily journey, Ajab

Kunwari Bai requested Shrinathji to reside permanently in Mewar. He promised her that after Shri Gusainji's earthly departure, He would relocate to Mewar and stay there for many years before returning to Vraj. 

Years later, during a period of political unrest, the idol of Shrinathji was being moved from Govardhan to protect it from Mughal ruler Aurangzeb's iconoclastic campaigns. When the procession reached the village of Sinhad in Mewar, the wheels of the bullock cart sank into the mud and could not be moved further. Interpreting this as a divine sign, the priests established Shrinathji's temple at that spot, fulfilling the deity's earlier promise to Ajab Kunwari Bai. 

This temple, now known as the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, stands as a testament to the deep bond between the deity and his devotee, Ajab Kunwari Bai. It is believed that the temple is located on the site of her former palace. 

Gokul

 Meerabai, the great devotee of Lord Krishna, is said to have traveled from Vrindavan to Gokul as part of her spiritual journey in search of deeper devotion and divine connection with Krishna. The main reasons behind this journey are: 

God loved  meera so.

1. Desire for Union with Krishna – Meerabai longed to be in places associated with Krishna’s divine pastimes. While Vrindavan was dear to her, she also wished to experience the sanctity of Gokul, where Krishna spent his early childhood.

2. Meeting Saints and Devotees – Gokul, like Vrindavan, was a hub of Krishna devotion, filled with saints and bhaktas. It is believed that Meerabai sought the company of like-minded devotees to further immerse herself in devotion.

3. Escape from Opposition – Some accounts suggest that her in-laws, the royal family of Mewar, disapproved of her devotion and way of life. She wandered across many sacred places, and Gokul became one of her destinations where she found refuge and spiritual solace.

4. Following Divine Will – Meerabai believed that Krishna was guiding her path. Her movement from Vrindavan to Gokul could have been inspired by an inner calling or divine vision.

Legends say that Meerabai eventually traveled to Dwarka, where she is believed to have merged into the idol of Lord Krishna, attaining eternal union with her beloved Lord.

Last song of Meerabai.

साजन, सुध ज्यूं जाणो लीजै हो।

1. तुम बिन मोरे और न कोई, क्रिपा रावरी कीजै हो॥

2. दिन नहीं भूख रैण नहीं निंदरा, यूं तन पल पल छीजै हो।

3. मीरा के प्रभु गिरधर नागर, मिल बिछड़न मत कीजै हो॥

Saajan, sudh jyoon jaano leejai ho

1. Tum bin more aur na koee, kripaa raavaree keejai ho

2. Din naheen bhookh rain naheen nindaraa, yoon tan pal pal chheejai ho

3. Meera ke prabhu giradhar naagar, mil bichhadan mat keejai ho.

This bhajan is considered her final declaration of exclusive devotion to Lord Krishna, rejecting all worldly ties. It reflects her deep surrender and ultimate union with Krishna. The lyrics express:

"I belong only to Giridhar Gopal , I have no one else.

I have abandoned my family, my worldly attachments, and even my royal identity.

My heart longs only for Krishna, and I have no other refuge."

Legend of Her Final Moments

According to popular belief, when Meerabai reached Dwarka, she was so absorbed in Krishna’s love that she merged into the idol of Lord Krishna inside the Dwarkadhish Temple. Some say she disappeared in a flash of divine light while singing this last song, leaving behind only her veil.

This marks the spiritual culmination of her life—an ultimate union with her beloved

Folklores

 Folklores are fascinating because they blend history, culture, and imagination. Here’s an example of an interesting folklore:

The Vanishing Village of Kuldhara (India)

In Rajasthan, near Jaisalmer, lies the abandoned village of Kuldhara, which has remained deserted for over 200 years. According to legend, it was once a prosperous settlement of the Paliwal Brahmins, known for their wealth and intelligence.

One day, the tyrannical Diwan Salim Singh, the minister of Jaisalmer, set his eyes on the village chief’s beautiful daughter. He demanded to marry her, threatening dire consequences if refused. The villagers, unable to fight the powerful ruler, took an astonishing decision—they abandoned the entire village overnight.

Before leaving, the Paliwal Brahmins are said to have cursed Kuldhara, ensuring that no one could ever settle there again. To this day, the village remains uninhabited, and locals claim that eerie occurrences prevent anyone from staying overnight.

This tale continues to mystify visitors, making it one of India’s most intriguing folklores. 

Here are a few more fascinating folklores from different parts of the world:

 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (USA)

This famous American folklore, immortalized by Washington Irving, tells the tale of Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher in the quiet village of Sleepy Hollow. He is said to have encountered the terrifying Headless Horseman, a ghostly rider who haunts the roads at night. The Horseman is believed to be the spirit of a Hessian soldier from the Revolutionary War who lost his head in battle. The story remains a Halloween favorite, with eerie sightings still reported in the region.

 The Cry of La Llorona (Mexico)

La Llorona, or "The Weeping Woman," is a ghostly figure in Mexican folklore. She is said to be the spirit of a woman who drowned her own children in a fit of jealousy or rage and now wanders the rivers and lakes, crying and searching for them. Many claim to hear her wails at night, warning children not to go near the water. This legend serves both as a ghost story and a cautionary tale.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Germany)

This eerie folklore tells of a mysterious piper who arrived in the German town of Hamelin in 1284. The town was plagued by rats, and the Piper promised to get rid of them using his magical flute. After leading the rats into the river to drown, the townspeople refused to pay him. In revenge, he played his flute again, this time leading all the town’s children into a cave—never to be seen again. Some believe this legend symbolizes a historical tragedy, while others see it as a moral warning about keeping promises.

The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Middle East/Christian & Islamic Folklore)0

This legend is shared across Christian and Islamic traditions. It tells of seven young men who fled persecution by a tyrannical ruler and took refuge in a cave. Miraculously, they fell into a deep sleep and awoke centuries later, only to find that the world had changed and their faith was now accepted. This tale is often seen as a symbol of divine protection and the passage of time.

The Kelpie: The Water Horse (Scotland)

Scottish folklore warns of the Kelpie, a shape-shifting water spirit that often appears as a beautiful horse near rivers and lochs. It lures unsuspecting travelers, especially children, onto its back, only to drag them underwater to drown. Some versions say it can also take human form to deceive people. The legend of the Kelpie serves as a warning about the dangers of deep waters.

The women.

 This story is a beautiful episode from the divine pastimes of Lord Krishna and the gopis in Vrindavan, highlighting the deep love and devotion of his eternal associates. It is particularly cherished in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

Krishna Disguised as a Gopi to Meet Lalita Sakhi

Once, during the Rasa Lila period, Krishna wished to meet Lalita Sakhi, one of Srimati Radharani’s closest friends, who was deeply devoted to him. However, Vrindavan was overflowing with gopis, all eager to see Krishna, making it difficult for him to move freely.

Lalita Sakhi, known for her wisdom and quick thinking, had sent one of the gopis to bring Krishna inside their private meeting place. However, with so many gopis gathered, Krishna was unable to reach her. Seeing this, a clever and affectionate gopi came up with a plan.

She disguised Krishna as a gopi, adorning him with a saree, bangles, and a veil, transforming him into a beautiful maiden. With his divine beauty, Krishna in this disguise looked just like one of the gopis of Vrindavan. Thus, unnoticed by the others, the gopi led him into the inner chambers where Lalita and the other sakhis were waiting.

Upon entering, Krishna playfully revealed his identity, much to the delight and laughter of Lalita and the other gopis. They teased him for his disguise and praised his beauty, saying that he looked just like one of them. This episode further deepened the bond of love and devotion between Krishna and his dear associates.

The Spiritual Essence

This pastime symbolizes the intimacy and closeness between Krishna and his devotees. It also reflects how the gopis, especially Lalita Sakhi, are always eager to unite Krishna and Radha, orchestrating divine pastimes to enhance their transcendental love. Krishna, in turn, enjoys these playful exchanges, which showcase his willingness to surrender to the love of his devotees.

This story is often narrated in devotional gatherings to illustrate the sweetness of Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes.

Rettai prabha valli.

Srirangam.

 Yes, observing the two-fold Prabha Valli—one on the chariot and the other framing the deity under the arch. This layered arrangement holds deep symbolic significance in Hindu temple traditions, particularly in Vaishnavite and Shaivite processions.

1. The Larger Prabha Valli on the Chariot (Ratha Prabha)

This grand outer Prabha Valli represents the cosmic radiance of the Supreme Being. It signifies the universal energy that pervades all existence, much like how the sun illuminates the entire universe.

During processions, this serves as a halo of divine protection for the deity and the devotees.

It also denotes the glory of the deity’s travel, symbolizing the Lord’s grace moving across the world, blessing all who see Him.

2. The Inner Prabha Valli (Deity’s Halo or Mandala Prabha)

This is a more intimate aura surrounding the deity, emphasizing His personal divine effulgence.

It highlights that the Lord is not just a cosmic power but also a personal deity who engages with devotees.

In iconography, this represents the inner divinity, the sacred space of the Lord, often mirroring the Prabhavali used in temples.

Why Two-Fold Prabhavali?

The outer Prabha (Ratha Prabha) represents His universal presence (Virāt Svarūpa).

The inner Prabha (Mandala Prabha) represents His immanence within the temple and the hearts of devotees.

This dual representation reminds devotees that the Lord exists both within and beyond the known universe—simultaneously accessible and transcendental.

In essence, the two-fold Prabha Valli symbolizes the Supreme Being’s boundless radiance—both encompassing the cosmos and residing intimately within the heart of the devotee.

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equal.

Sri Aurobindo the core of the teachings.

I   am equal in all existences, none is dear to Me, none hated.

Arjuna is the fighter in the chariot with the divine Krishna as his charioteer. In the Veda also we have this image of the human soul and the divine riding in one chariot through a great battle to the goal of a high-aspiring effort. But there it is a pure figure and symbol. The Divine is there Indra, the Master of the World of Light and Immortality, the power of divine knowledge which descends to the aid of the human seeker battling with the sons of falsehood, darkness, limitation, mortality; the battle is with spiritual enemies who bar the way to the higher world of our being; and the goal is that plane of vast being resplendent with the light of the supreme Truth and uplifted to the conscious immortality of the perfected soul, of which Indra is the master. The human soul is Kutsa, he who constantly seeks the seer-knowledge, as his name implies, and he is the son of Arjuna or Arjuni, the White One, child of Switra the White Mother; he is, that is to say, the sattwic or purified and light-filled soul which is open to the unbroken glories of the divine knowledge. And when the chariot reaches the end of its journey, the own home of Indra, the human Kutsa has grown into such an exact likeness of his divine companion that he can only be distinguished by Sachi, the wife of Indra, because she is “truth-conscious”. The parable is evidently of the inner life of man; it is a figure of the human growing into the likeness of the eternal divine by the increasing illumination of Knowledge. But the Gita starts from action and Arjuna is the man of action and not of knowledge, the fighter, never the seer or the thinker.

The character of this inner crisis is therefore not the questioning of the thinker; it is not a recoil from the appearances of life and a turning of the eye inward in search of the truth of things, the real meaning of existence and a solution or an escape from the dark riddle of the world. It is the sensational, emotional and moral revolt of the man hitherto satisfied with action and its current standards who finds himself cast by them into a hideous chaos where they are in violent conflict with each other and with themselves and there is no moral standing-ground left, nothing to lay hold of and walk by, no dharma.1 That for the soul of action in the mental being is the worst possible crisis, failure and overthrow. The revolt itself is the most elemental and simple possible; sensationally, the elemental feeling of horror, pity and disgust; vitally, the loss of attraction and faith in the recognised and familiar objects of action and aims of life; emotionally, the recoil of the ordinary feelings of social man, affection, reverence, desire of a common happiness and satisfaction, from a stern duty outraging them all; morally, the elementary sense of sin and hell and rejection of “blood-stained enjoyments”; practically, the sense that the standards of action have led to a result which destroys the practical aims of action. But the whole upshot is that all-embracing inner bankruptcy which Arjuna expresses when he says that his whole conscious being,  not the thought alone but heart and vital desires and all, are utterly bewildered and can find nowhere the dharma, nowhere any valid law of action. For this alone he takes refuge as a disciple with Krishna; give me, he practically asks, that which I have lost, a true law, a clear rule of action, a path by which I can again confidently walk. He does not ask for the secret of life or of the world, the meaning and purpose of it all, but for a dharma.

To such a disciple the Teacher of the Gita gives his divine teaching. He seizes him at a moment of his psychological development by egoistic action when all the mental, moral, emotional values of the ordinary egoistic and social life of man have collapsed in a sudden bankruptcy, and he has to lift him up out of this lower life into a higher consciousness, out of ignorant attachment to action into that which transcends, yet originates and orders action, out of ego into Self, out of life in mind, vitality and body into that higher nature beyond mind which is the status of the Divine. He has at the same time to give him that for which he asks and for which he is inspired to seek by the guidance within him, a new Law of life and action high above the insufficient rule of the ordinary human existence with its endless conflicts and oppositions, perplexities and illusory certainties, a higher Law by which the soul shall be free from this bondage of works and yet powerful to act and conquer in the vast liberty of its divine being. For the action must be performed, the world must fulfil its cycles and the soul of the human being must not turn back in ignorance from the work it is here to do. The whole course of the teaching of the Gita is determined and directed, even in its widest wheelings, towards the fulfilment of these three objects.

Wow

 The Light She Brings

She walks with grace, yet bears the weight,

Of dreams unspoken, hopes innate.

Through silent storms and trials deep,

She sows the strength she longs to reap.

Her voice—a river, soft yet strong,

A melody that rights the wrong.

She lifts, she leads, she mends, she makes,

A world reborn with each step she takes.

Not bound by chains, nor fate’s decree,

She shapes her path, her destiny.

With wisdom bright and spirit free,

She is the light we long to see.

On this day, we rise, we cheer,

For every woman, far and near.

Not just today—but every hour,

She is the force, she is the power.