MIRABAI AND TULSIDAS MYSTICAL VOICES OF THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT
ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts December 19, 2025 Jay Vasani, Savita Deogirkar
Mirabai and Tulsidas, two major poets of the Indian Bhakti movement, express devotion and union with the divine in contrasting ways. Mirabai's poetry is emotional and fearless, addressing Krishna as a lover and rejecting social rules to express spiritual freedom through dance, song, and submission. Tulsidas writes with humility, turning to Rama with faith through service, discipline, and remembrance, finding grace in prayer and repentance. Both use simple language and rich symbols to convey mystical experience as lived, not merely believed. Their work shows that Bhakti spirituality encompasses not only silence and solitude but also music, longing, protest, and poetry.