The Undying Refrain: Repetition as Stability

Mirabai's poetry repeats certain phrases, names, and devotional refrains—not from poverty of language, but from necessity. Repetition is how the heart stabilizes itself when everything else shakes. For anticipatory grief, this suggests that as civilizational structures become more chaotic and uncertain, we need stronger internal anchors: daily practices, repeated prayers or affirmations, rhythmic work, communal songs. The undying refrain is not denial of change, but the creation of personal and collective rhythm that survives transformation. Like Mirabai's repetition of Krishna's name through exile and loss, we can construct refrains—commitments, values, practices—that remain constant even as institutions, technologies, and landscapes transform. This is how we maintain coherence without rigidity, and hope without delusion.