Maharasa, or the Cosmic Dance of Krishna

Specifications

Item Code: DC74

Madhubani Painting on Hand Made Paper treated with Cow Dung
Artist Dhirendra Jha

2.4 ft x 1.8 ft

Price: $115.00 Shipping Free - 4 to 6 days

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times since 2nd Oct, 2008

Description

This truest expression of Madhubani tradition, its colours, forms and patterns, decorative element and adherence to graphics, depicts Maharasa or the cosmic dance of Lord Krishna. Leaving aside the pottery and other artefacts of handicrafts the tradition of Madhubani art manifests in three basic forms. On various festivals and auspicious occasions the Mithila women folk drew on floor in front of their house-doors various graphic designs consisting mainly of squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, semi-circles and patterns and forms evolving from them. This is known in Mithila as 'Aripana', a form of Hindi equivalent 'Alepana'. "Alipana' is also known as 'bhoomi-shobha', the floor-decoration. Alike were traditionally adorned the walls of Mithila houses. But different from mere graphic designs these were various myths and legends which were rendered on them using various material from cow-dung to powdered stones of different colours. These forms are known as 'bhitti-chitra'. When such themes were rendered on canvas, usually the paper or cloth, such paintings were known as 'pata-chitra'.

In this painting of Rasa the artist Vidyadevi has effected a unique blend of these all three elements and all manifest quite powerfully. The painting, with its votive significance and drawn with all essentials of a painting, is a 'pata-chitra'. It depicts the cosmic mythology of the legend of Lord Krishna, a cosmic realisation in ephemeral forms, one of the most popularly depicted themes of visual arts, and is thus nearer to Madhubani's 'bhitti-chitra'. The style of rendering the entire theme is essentially that of 'alipana'. Decorative element, which constitutes the major thrust of 'alipana', is superbly rendered in this painting.

The Rasa theme, depicted in the painting, has as great significance in Vaishnava tradition. The rectangular canvas is first reduced to a smaller rectangle and then to a circle which has within it an inner circle containing within it Krishna playing on his flute and Radha holding a lotus, one manifesting the cosmos in sound and the other in auspicious beauty. This inner ring, a broad rimmed one, consists of 'shikhara' motifs conceived with inverted couplings. In between the inner and outer ring there are 'gopis' engaged in dance around Radha and Krishna, representing female and male energies. It is the depiction of Lord Krishna's Maharasa, the cosmic dance, the manifest form of his 'Brahmandiya lila', the cosmic divine act involving entire cosmos in it and love and dance are its prime attributes as also the prime means of His realisation. Love and devotion get best expressed in ecstasy and ecstatic involvement in dance and music. Thus, ecstatic dance and music are the subtlest instruments of Lord's realisation.

It is said one bright moon-lit night Krishna, in absolute ecstasy, played upon his flute his divine music. From Yamuna's silvery shores the music reached the lanes of Vrindavana and to the ears of 'gopis'. Bewitched 'gopis' headed towards Yamuna, though their husbands obstructed them. They disobeyed their husbands, abandoned the house-hold and reached Yamuna. They danced around Krishna. Each one wished that Krishna danced only with her and loved her only. Krishna assumed as many forms as were 'gopis' and danced with each single and in group. He entered Yamuna again in as many forms as were 'gopis' and loved each of them. This act of the Lord is said to be the ever first manifestation of his Maharasa.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

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