Author: Daljeet
Publisher: Aravali Books International
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 12
ISBN/UPC (if available): N/A
Description
This portfolio of eight classic paintings of 17th, 18th and 19th centuries on large size art paper is accompanied by a Kangra Pahari painting on the cover with four text pages detailing the historic background and the finer points of their depictions.
Lord Krishna, if one may take the liberty to define him so, is a delusion of the believing mind which desires to conceive him as both, an entity beyond time and the own who born to this soil was very much its part and its reality. To this mind he was never born, nor he ever died. He was a subject neither of birth nor of death, but only the ultimate, an all time presence to have always prevailed, before the solar cycle began operating and after it will be bereft of its glow and energy, before there existed anything and after all things would stop existing. He is conceived as the Purnavatara, not an aspect of Him but His absolute manifestation.
Ancient literature and epigraphs of prehistoric time contain nothing more than casual references to Lord Krishna. They very from a teacher to a scholar of Vedic philosophy. Chhandogya Upanishada alone has a reference which sounds like that of him. Here he has been described as Devaki’s son and a great Vedic seer. It is only after Mahabharata that Krishna has been bestowed with a personality and personal life. He comes out in this great epic as a great warrior, teacher, intrepid Vrishni hero, foremost statesman and diplomat. But Mahabharata too is silent as regards his early life, birth, childhood and boyhood. These are the Puranas that weave around Krishna many tales, myths, legends and anecdotes that complete his life from birth to death with all its dimensions and personality avenues. The Puranas too begin more or less with the tale of his eventful life as a Yadava prince but ends like Mahabharata with his deification, the incarnation cult associated with him.
The story of Krishna is replete with tales of his superhuman magical power and charm. In chronological assessment his story is not less than 3000 year old. During this vast span of time various myths and legends grew around him. These were both born of religious and cultural needs of Indian society and imparted vice-versa deep impact upon the life and culture of Indian people. His tale, myth, legend or whatever, left most profound impact on the creative genius of the country. During these long centuries he has been perhaps the most inexhaustible them of thousands of painting, verses, stone and bronze images and many kind of artifacts. He influenced life-style of Indian people for centuries now. He is the most highly worshipped deity of Indian people.
Born of Vasudeva by Devaki in the prison of Kamsa Krishna not only escaped the cruel designs of Kamsa but also killed all his demons and ultimately Kamsa himself. After Kamsa has been killed Krishna had a second phase of his life, which Indian scriptural tradition conceives as his second birth. In this second life tenure Krishna seeks formal education at Gurukula, fights several battles, eliminates thousand of demons and wrong-doers, relieves from the clutches of demons thousand of innocent men, women and saints, guides the Great War of Mahabharata and leads Pandavas to victory and ultimately takes leave of this temporal world and returns to his cosmic form.
Contents
PLATES
Krishna subduing the serpent Kaliya
Krishna Playing with his Gopalas
Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana
Krishna swinging
Krishna dallying with Gopies
Krishna combing Radha’s hair
Rasa-Mandala
Krishna as Sri Nathji
COVER
Krishna welcoming rain by blowing counch