Smarana: Remembrance as Spiritual Practice

Smarana means remembrance—Mirabai's poems are acts of smarana, deliberate recollection of Krishna that deepened devotion rather than indulging longing. Applied to lost identity, smarana reframes how you remember your former self. Rather than suppressing memory or indulging in regret, engage in intentional remembrance: recall specific moments, choices, relationships from that version of you. But remember devotionally—with the question: what was this self teaching me? What did she need that I now understand? What gifts did she develop? This transforms memory from torment into wisdom transmission. You become student of your own past. Smarana is not nostalgia but conscious learning from your history. By remembering your former self as a teacher rather than a loss, you integrate her wisdom into your present. Memory becomes a spiritual practice that honors what was while nourishing who you're becoming.