Narsi Mehta Poet.
Poet Devotee Narsi Mehta. (1414-1481)
Narsinh Mehta also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, notable as a bhakta, an exponent of Hindu devotional religious poetry. He is especially revered in Gujarat, where he is acclaimed as its Adi Kavi. His bhajan "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Re Kahiye..." is Mahatma Gandhi's favorite and has become synonymous to him.
He lost his mother in his child hood. Narsinh married Manekbai in the year 1428 and soon he lost his uncle who raised him. Narsinh and his wife went to stay at his cousin Bansidhar’s place. However, the bhabhi did not welcome Narsinh. She was an ill-tempered woman, always taunting and insulting Narsinh for his Bhakti.
One day, when Narasinh had enough of this taunts and insults, he left the house and went to a nearby forest in search of some peace, where he fasted and meditated for seven days by a secluded place, until he realised Mahadev in person.
On the poet’s request, the Lord showed him the eternal raas leela. A legend has it that the poet transfixed by the spectacle burnt his hand with the torch he was holding but he was so engrossed in the ecstatic vision that he was oblivious of the pain. Narsinh, as the popular account goes, at Sri Krishna's command decided to sing His praises and the nectarous experience of the rasa in this mortal world. He resolved to compose around 22,000 kirtans or compositions.
After this dream-like experience, transformed Narsinh returned to his village, touched his bhabhi's feet, and thanked her. He lived in poverty with his wife and two children, a son named Shamaldas, and a daughter for whom he had special affection, Kunwarbai.
He revelled in devotion to his hearts’ content along with sadhus, saints, and all those people who were Hari's subjects - Harijans - irrespective of their caste, class or sex. It also seems that he must have fallen into a somewhat ill repute for his close relation with women followers, with whom he danced and sang.
His community despised him and spared no opportunity to scorn and insult him.
By this time, Narsinh had already sung about the rasleela of Radha and Krishna.
The compositions are collected under the category of love compositions. They are full of intense lyricism, bold in their conception and are not without allegorical dimensions, this saves the compositions from being something of erotic court poetry of medieval India.
Soon after his daughter Kunwarbai's marriage, it was a custom for the girl's parents to give gifts and presents to all the in-laws during the seventh month of pregnancy. This custom, was simply out of the reach of poor Narsinh who had hardly anything except intransigent faith in his Lord.
How Krishna helped his beloved devotee is a legend depicted in ‘Mameru Na Pado’. This episode is preserved vividly in the memory of Gujarati people by compositions by later poets and films.
The episode in which none other than Shamalsha Seth (The Dark one as Seth) cleared a cheque written by poverty stricken beloved, is famous not only in Gujarat but in other parts of India as well.
The Har Mala episode deals with the challenge given to Narsinh by the local king, to prove his innocence in the charges of immoral behavior by making the Lord Himself garland Narsinh. The Garland is seen coming floating and get placed in his neck.
Narsinh depicts this episode. How Sri Krishna, in the guise of a wealthy merchant, helped Narsinh in getting his son married is sung by the poet in ‘Putra Vivah Na Pado.”
He went to Mangrol nearby port, where, at the age of 66, he is believed to have died.
The crematorium at Mangrol is called ‘Narsinh Nu Samshan’ where perhaps one of the greatest sons of Gujarat was cremated. He will ever remembered for his works, faith in God. He is known as the first poet of Gujrat.
He is known for his literary forms " padas ", " Aakhyan ", & " Prabhatiya ". One of the most important features of Narsinh’s works is that they are not available in the language in which Narsinh had composed them. They have been largely preserved orally. The oldest available manuscript of his work is dated around 1612. Because of the immense popularity of his works, the language has undergone modifications with changing times.
