Samsara: The Wheel of Mistaken Selves

In bhakti philosophy, samsara refers to the cycle of rebirth and suffering caused by ignorance. Applied to identity grief, samsara is the repeated pattern of constructing a self, investing in it completely, then grieving when it dissolves or fails. You've likely done this many times: student, partner, professional, parent—each time believing this identity was the true you. When each falls away, you grieve as though losing your essence. Mirabai's insight was recognizing this wheel itself—the futility of building identity upon social roles. The grief you carry for lost identity is partly grief for all the previous identities you've already mourned. By seeing the pattern, you can step off the wheel. This doesn't mean rejecting roles, but holding them lightly, knowing they're costumes the eternal self wears temporarily.