Rasikpath - Final Edition
When Love Finally Teaches You to Choose Yourself
Hello, Rasikpaths!
This is it, the last one.
And I’m not going to lie - I’ve been staring at this blank page for days, trying to figure out how to end something that changed me while I was writing it for you.
We started this journey with Mirabai literally merging into Krishna’s heart-her soul just said “peace out” to her body and disappeared into the divine. We danced under the full moon, watching the gopis get their lifetimes-long moment with Krishna. We witnessed a courtesan see God’s form and forget how to breathe. We survived tedhe din-those crooked days when even gold feels like dust.
And now. we conclude where it all leads.
With the toughest and most lovely option of all: choosing yourself.
Not selfishly, not dramatically, but just. honestly.
This is Meera’s final declaration. And it is going to wreck you in the most necessary way.
The Pad That Ends Everything (And Begins It)
बाला मैं बैरागन हूंगी Child, I will become a bairagan (renunciant)
जिन भेषा मेरो साहब रीझे, सोहि भेष धरूंगी Whichever form pleases my beloved, that form I will wear
कहो तो कुसुमल साड़ी रंगावा, कहो तो भगवा भेष Say the word - I’ll dye my silk saree, or I’ll wear saffron robes
कहो तो मोतियन मांग भरावा, कहो छिटकावा केश Shall I fill my parting with pearls, or let my hair fall loose?
प्राण हमारा वह बसत है, यहाँ तो खाली खोड़ My life force lives where He is - this body here is just an empty shell
मात पिता परिवार सहूँ है, कही ये दिन का तोड़ Mother, father, family - I endure them. But how long can one stretch a single day?
या तन की मैं करूँ कींगरी, रसना नाम कहूँगी I will turn this body into an instrument, my tongue into His name
मीरा के प्रभु गिरधर नागर, साधां संग रहूँगी Meera’s Lord is Giridhar Nagar - I will live among seekers
This isn’t a breakup letter to the world,
This is a love letter to truth.
And before we go any further, let’s get one thing absolutely clear:
This isn’t rejection. This isn’t disappointment. This isn’t ‘I’m done with this world.
“This is a LOVE DECLARATION.”
Meera is not running AWAY from something. Meera is running TOWARDS Krishna. TOWARDS truth. TOWARDS alignment.
The difference? EVERYTHING.
Running away = bitter, reactive, closed.
Running toward = full, complete, obvious.
Meera is not renouncing. She is ORIENTING
Let me show you this with an example.
The Instant She Spoke It Out Loud
Just visualize Meera standing in that courtyard of a palace.
Her in-laws watching, her “well-wishers” gathering. Everybody with an opinion on what she SHOULD do, who she SHOULD be, how she SHOULD act.
And she opens her mouth and says:
“बाला मैं बैरागन हूंगी” - Child, I will become a bairagan.
Not asking permission. Not seeking approval. Not explaining or justifying.
She just says it. Plain and clear. Like saying the sun rises in the morning. Like saying fire burns.
“I will become what I already am inside.”
Can you envision the SILENCE that must have ensued?
Shame upon shock. Outrage: The “how dare she”, “what will people say”, “this is unacceptable.”
But here’s what gets me: Meera doesn’t argue. She doesn’t defend. She doesn’t perform her reasoning.
She simply skips to the next line.
“जिन भेषा मेरो साहब रीझे, सोहि भेष धरूंगी” - Whatever form pleases my beloved, that’s what I’ll wear.
Translation: “I’m done dressing for your comfort. I’m done performing for your approval. Tell me what’s TRUE, and I’ll meet you there.”
The One Question That Changes Everything
“कहो तो कुसुमल साड़ी रंगावा, कहो तो भगवा भेष”
“Say the word - silk saree or saffron robes?
Here is where people misunderstand Meera completely.
They believe she is confused. Torn between marriage and renunciation. Between being a “good woman” and being herself.
Not at all.
She is asking a much deeper question:
“Do you want the COSTUME or do you want ME?”
Because here’s what Meera figured out-and what took me 9 editions to finally say:
We spend our whole lives changing costumes, thinking it’s the same as changing.
We keep switching:
Jobs (but stay unhappy)
Cities (but repeat old habits)
Relationships (but make the same errors again)
Looks (but remain just as confused)
Silk or saffron. Married or single. Following the rules or breaking them. Business suits or meditation robes.
None of it changes anything if you’re just faking it all.
Meera says: “I can dress up in anything you ask me to. But one of them is real. So tell me, which one matters to you?”
When Your Life Is No Longer Where You Live
“प्राण हमारा वह बसत है, यहाँ तो खाली खोड़”
“My breath lives where He is. This body here? Just an empty shell.”
This line. THIS LINE.
Meera says this is something society absolutely cannot tolerate:
“You cannot control a woman whose life no longer lives in your approval.”
She’s still in there: still breathing, still walking around, still there technically.
But the center of her has shifted.
Physically she is amongst family and society, but her life force has shifted elsewhere emotionally and spiritually - to Braj, to Krishna, to truth.
And here is the coolest thing: when your center moves, people SEE it.
Not because you proclaim it, but because alignment is VISIBLE.
This is why Vaishnavs wear tilak, kanthi mala. Why when they meet strangers, they greet with “Radhe Radhe” - instant recognition: “Oh, you’re oriented toward Vrindavan too? I can see it on you. Your inner shift became outer reality.”
When Braj is the home of someone’s breath, it shows. On their face, in their eyes, how they move through the world.
And when that happens - when someone’s life force moves from “what will people think” to “what does my soul need” -
All of your power over them comes crashing down.
You can try to manipulate, guilt, shame, demand, or beg.
But they’re no longer there. Not in your grasp.
Their life has moved to a place you can’t reach now. Somewhere far from where you are.
That kind of freedom is the most dangerous.
How Long Can You Stretch One Day?
मात पिता परिवार सहूँ है, कही ये दिन का तोड़
“Mother, father, family-I endure them. But how long can one keep breaking the same day?”
This is NOT rejection.
This is EXHAUSTION.
“कही ये दिन का तोड़” - How long can one keep BREAKING the same day?
This picture kills me.
Each morning, you wake up and tear pieces of yourself just to fit into the day. You tear down your truth. You tear apart your own being. You tear who you are.
Day after day after day.
Until you realize, I am not living. I’m BREAKING. Over and over. The same break. The same compromise. The same self-betrayal.
Meera doesn’t feel angry at her family. She doesn’t point fingers. She doesn’t even wish for them to change.
She’s just exhausted. Exhausted from living a life that doesn’t even feel like her own. Tired of holding out for “someday” to be who she is. Worn from trying to stretch a tiny moment of honesty into a lifetime of pretending.
How many of us are doing just this?
Lasting. Coping. Surviving. Thriving.
Telling ourselves:
“Just a few more years”
“After this milestone,
“When the timing is right”
“Once they understand”
Delaying our truth like it’s some trip we’ll go on.
Meera watched it all crumble and said: “No more. Not another day.”
The Turning Point That Breaks You Open
No one really warns you about picking yourself.
It doesn’t come with a bang. There’s no grand speech. It happens on an ordinary day.
One morning, you wake up and think: I can’t keep living like this. I can’t keep being who they want me to be.
It’s not because they’re terrible people. It’s not because the love isn’t there.
It’s because faking who you are starts costing more than the fear of showing your true self.
For Meera, her normal day arrived. And she said it out loud.
In Edition 8, the courtesan experienced it when she saw Krishna’s presence.
In Edition 9, the gopis found it during tedhe din, the moment they stopped feeling sorry about their devotion.
And me? I found it while writing this series.
The Real Reason This Is Ending (No More Hiding)
There’s something I haven’t admitted yet:
Rasikpath is ending because I am becoming a bairagan in my own way.
Not in the literal sense. I’m not giving up everything or going anywhere.
But I am done trying to stretch one genuine moment into a lifetime of what-should-be’s.
When I started Rasikpath, I thought my role was to teach. To bring forward ancient wisdom. To interpret timeless beautiful pads.
I was learning. With you. Because of you.
Each edition helped me figure out:
What Mirabai’s surrender actually costs (Edition 5)
What it is like when time stands still in real presence by Edition 6
How to love when you’re not perfect yet Edition 7
What happens when you get stuck on the right thing-Edition 8
How to survive when everything bends (Edition 9)
And now, the final takeaway: Choosing yourself .
This series was my silk saree phase. Beautiful. Comfortable. Expected.
What’s next? Not sure yet. Perhaps saffron. Perhaps something entirely different.
But I know I can’t keep writing Rasikpath while pretending I’m not changing. While performing consistency when I’m actually transforming.
That would be the ultimate betrayal of everything Meera taught us.
What Meera Actually Did ‘(The Part That Will Make You Cry)
After saying all that, do you know what Meera chose to do?
She just... LEFT.
No big speeches. No drama. one morning, she walked out of the palace and didn’t return.
She started to wander. She spent her days singing living with saints and seekers sleeping under the trees. She ate whatever came her way and wore whatever she had.
And if you believe the stories, she GLOWED. Not because she avoided the struggle, but because she embraced her truth.
Here’s the thing she figured out:
Freedom isn’t about owning everything. It’s about being real, without pretending anymore.
She moved from being a princess to becoming a wanderer. From riches to nothing. From safety to the unknown.
And enough, that’s when she felt the most like herself.
“या तन की मैं करूँ कींगरी, रसना नाम कहूँगी”
“I’ll make this body my instrument, my tongue will sing His name.”
Not to punish, but as PURPOSE.
She didn’t turn her back on the world. She walked away from what felt untrue in it.
And by doing that, she found the truest version of herself.
The Question This Leaves YOU With
“जिन भेषा मेरो साहब रीझे, सोहि भेष धरूंगी”
“Whatever form pleases my beloved, that’s what I’ll wear.”
Let me ask you something before we wrap this up:
What’s your version of the silk saree? What’s that polished expected role or image you’ve taken on that’s draining the life out of you?
Is it:
A job that looks good to everyone else but leaves you feeling empty?
A relationship that’s “okay” but lacks real passion?
A version of yourself that earns approval, but doesn’t feel like you?
A life that seems perfect on paper but leaves your heart aching for more?
And here’s the real question:
How much longer are you going to let this go on?
How much longer until you live your truth? How much longer will you get through the days instead of living them? How much longer will you keep pretending instead of being yourself?
Meera isn’t telling you to give up everything. She’s not suggesting you destroy your whole life.
She’s asking, “What’s the real you beneath all of this? Do you dare to show it?”
What Rasikpath Was Really About (The Real Goodbye)
It began with Mirabai uniting with Krishna.
But in truth, she was uniting with HERSELF—the part of her that was always there but she had let out.
We had danced at Raas with the gopis.
But, really, we were learning what it feels like when you stop performing and just. FEEL.
We watched baby Krishna wobble on tiny feet.
But really, we were reminding each other that you really don’t have to impress anybody to be loved.
We saw the courtesan’s soul leave her body.
But it was really a case of witnessing what occurs when you finally see something worth getting stuck on.
We finished the dinner with Surdas.
But in all actuality, we were learning that the bend doesn’t break you - it reveals whether you’re really gold.
And now, through Meera’s declaration, we find out the last lesson:
You are going to spend your entire life changing costumes or you can spend one day changing your life.
Saffron or silk. Comforting or truthful. Presupposed or actual.
Choose.
The Last Thing I Want to Say
If you have read all nine editions of Rasikpath, you have been with me through the following:
Heartbreak and joining (Mirabai)
Joy and experience, presence of Raas.
Innocence and worth (Baby Krishna)
Captivation and surrender (Courtesan)
Survival and revelation (Tedhe Din)
And now. choice and courage - Bairagan
Thanks for walking this with me.
Thank you for making me deduce what these ancient poets were actually trying to say.
Thanks for being brave enough to FEEL with me-the tears, the laughter, the uncomfortable truths.
Thank you for showing me that there are still people out there craving depth, craving realness, not afraid of poetry asking a little something from them.
You made Rasikpath what it was. And you’re the reason I have the guts to let it go.
Because Meera taught me: Don’t stretch this one day longer than it needs to be stretched.
Bala, Main Bairagan Hoon
Not because I’m rejecting anything.
But because I am finally done rejecting MYSELF.
I don’t know what’s next for me. Possibly another series. Possibly something entirely different. Possibly some silence for a while.
But I know it won’t be Rasikpath in this form. Because Rasikpath was my silk saree, beautiful, beloved, but no longer ME.
And next comes my saffron-whatever that may turn out to be.
And I hope this series gave you the courage to find yours too.
Therefore, let me ask you my final question, beautiful soul’s:
Which Halloween costume are you wearing that everybody loves, but YOU strangle under?
And when-not IF, but WHEN-will you have your “बाला मैं बैरागन हूंगी” moment?
When will you ever stop stretching that one day and just. choose yourself?
Presence was the choice of the gopis. Truth was the choice of Mirabai. Surrender is the option of the courtesan. Meera chooses herself.
Now it’s Your turn.
This is where Rasikpath ends: it does not end with answers but with courage.
Not with certainty, but with honesty.
Not with applause, but with freedom.
Thank you for everything. Really. Every screenshot, every share, every “this made me cry,” every “I needed this today.”
You taught me what it means to write from the soul.
Now go live from yours. 💙
All my love, all my gratitude, all my hope that you find your saffron,
Priyanshi
P.S. Meera didn’t request permission to be herself. Neither must you. The world will readjust. Or it won’t. Either way, you’ll at last be free to BREATHE.
That is worth more than any costume you’re wearing.
P.P.S. If you’re reading this years from now, when I have moved on to whatever comes next, know this: Rasikpath is for YOU. For the one who needs to hear that choosing you isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.
मैं बैरागन हूंगी बाला।
Now it’s your turn to say it.
The nine editions were the nine rasas, helping us to explore the divinity within us. Thankyou Mam. 🙌
May the force be with you🫡