Smarana (Remembrance as Present Practice)

In bhakti tradition, smarana means to remember, to hold in mind and heart, the beloved. For Mirabai, smarana of Krishna was not nostalgia but an active, present practice that made the absent beloved tangibly real. In anticipatory grief, smarana offers a radical reorientation: begin now to practice the inner relationship you will carry after physical separation. This is not morbid rehearsal but tender rehearsal—remembering their laugh, their phrases, their way of being—while they are still present to correct, to add, to deepen these memories together. Smarana creates a portable relationship that transcends physical presence. You are learning to love them inwardly, which paradoxically frees you to be more present and less grasping in shared time. This practice acknowledges the truth: those we love are never truly lost because they live in our inner world, and that inner world can be cultivated with intention and devotion now.