Krishna Art Collection

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This is my favorite sculpture from this Art Collection:

Krishna the Butter Thief Front and Back

"India, Karnataka, Mysore, South Asia Krishna, the Butter Thief, 16th century Sculpture; Ivory, Ivory with gold and pigment, 7 1/2 x 4 1/8 x 2 7/8 in. (19.05 x 10.48 x 7.3 cm). Purchased with funds provided by the Louis and Erma Zalk Foundation and Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Pollock (M.84.34)"

[Nitaidas]

Sweet! Makes one want to pinch his little cheeks, both front and back.

Where is this collection housed, Harisaranji? I might find some useful images for the covers of future books.

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Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art Description

More than 100,000 works fill LACMA (as it's affectionately known in Los Angeles), the "largest encyclopedic museum west of Chicago," according to the museum. Located in the bustling art- and culture-rich Wilshire district, LACMA showcases contemporary pieces from all over the world, including major Islamic and Korean collections, and a Japanese collection that requires its own separate building. Also nearby is the Petersen Automotive Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits.

The Gopis clinging to Krsna

*Although the list of artworks on view is updated regularly, works in LACMA's permanent collection may be temporarily removed from the galleries for a variety of reasons. If you are planning a trip to LACMA to view a specific artwork or collection of artworks, please contact us in advance to make certain the item is on view.

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I am still captivated by this Lacma collection online. This particular swing is currently on public view, but it is always good call before visiting the exhibition. Take a look at this swing, there can't be any other thought, but swing and swing Radha-Madhava...

"Swing used for a Krishna Festival, 18th-19th century
Gift of Subhash Kapoor in the memory of his mother Shashi Kanta Kapoor."

Exhibition Wall Label from ”Tales of Kirshna”

"Elaborate swings such as this, and often more ornate ones covered with gold or silver, are adorned with flower garlands and erected on altars in August during festivals celebrating Krishna’s life. The first festival, Janmashtami, commemorates Krishna’s birth. A small image of baby Krishna is placed in a cradle on the swing, which is rocked by devotees who often sing lullabies. The second is the Jhulan Yatra, or swing festival, when images of Krishna and his beloved Radha are placed on the swing. Temple priests gently swing the divine couple, while waving fly whisks and peacock fans to cool them."

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Yet, another beautiful piece of Art. My favorite painting in this collection. Besides the gracious movements and color;I found interesting the sandals on Krishna's lotus feet. Actually I think this is the very first painting that I see Krishna wearing a sandal or any external covering for His feet.

Krishna Embracing the Gopis (circa 1700-1725)




"Painting; Watercolor, Opaque watercolor on paper. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase"

[Nitaidas]

Beautiful. Gopis are like his robes.

Still need to think about what exactly in means to call someone or something his zakti. The fire's zakti is its ability to burn and make light. Are the gopis and the living beings like that with respect to Krsna?

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admin said:

Beautiful. Gopis are like his robes.

Still need to think about what exactly in means to call someone or something his zakti. The fire's zakti is its ability to burn and make light. Are the gopis and the living beings like that with respect to Krsna?

The Gopis probably yes, their feminine presence stimulates Lila; He "needs" them. But for the living beings that would require full achievement of purity and realization of the relationship with Krishna... What do you have in mind?

[Nitaidas]

Not sure what you mean here, baba. What does the purity of the living beings have to do with it? We are all by nature pure, n'est ce pas? I was wondering how to envision the gopis and living beings and material nature as energies of BhagavAn. Fire has light, heat, and perhaps smoke as its energies. They are in some sense potentialities of fire. They are natural to fire. Fire does not decide to make them. They are part of fire's very nature, inseparable. Yet, they are in some sense separate. We can measure heat and light separately from fire. Perhaps the gopis are like the heat, because the heat remains close to the fire and the jivas are like the light because the light moves farther away from the fire. The smoke covers the fire from time to time covering the light, but not the heat. Anyway, there are limitations to any analogy, but maybe it helps us to understand what it means to be zaktis. There is still the problem of personality, though.

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>>>Not sure what you mean here, baba. What does the purity of the living beings have to do with it? We are all by nature pure, n'est ce pas?<<<

You are right Maharaj that does no make sense. Lately I have been a bit distracted, I had something else in mind. I appreciate your explanation and analogies.

[Nitaidas]

Here is one of my favorite images of Krsna as Giridhari. It appears on the cover of our Sri Krsna: the Lord of Love by Premananda Bharati.


The details and colors of the image are amazing. I will often focus on this image when I go my japs.

Krishna stand out almost as if he were from another planet. Compare what he is wearing to what the others are wearing in the picture. Notice their hairstyles and headgear. Notice the tiger eyeing the deer on the mountain above it in the upper right. This was an amazing artist. I don't know the source of this picture. It is simply labeled "Krsnaart" on my computer.

[Nitaidas]

Another image I am fond of.

[Nitaidas]

And another.

[Nitaidas]

One more for today.

[Ed]

Radhe Radhe!

As promised, here are the couple of paintings that came up during today's CV book club meeting in connection with Śrī Rūpa's Uddhava Sandeśa verse 64, p. 74 in the edition we're using:


keyaṁ śyāmā sphurati sarale gopakanyā kimarthaṁ

prāptā sakhyaṁ tava mṛgayate nirmitāsau vayasyā |

āliṅgāmūṁ muhuriti tathā kurvatī māṁ viditvā

nārīveśam hriyamupayayau māninī yatra rādhā ||63||

(64)

"O Simple one!
Who is this dark-skinned girl
who has accompanied you?""
"A milkmaid, like us."
"Why has she come here?"
"Why, to seek your friendship."
"Consider it done. Of course
she may be my friend."
"Then go and embrace her."
As Rādha did her friend's bidding,
she recognized me in woman's disguise
and was immediately nonplussed,
for she had not yet forgiven me.

As we read in the notes, according to Viṣṇudāsa's Svātmaprabodhini on UN 15.244 this is a dialogue between Rādhā and Viśākhā, here being recounted by Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava, at Mathurā.

[Translation and info from Jan Brzezinski/Jagadānanda Dāsa's Mystic Poetry: Rūpa Goswāmīn's Uddhava Sandeśa & Haṁsadūta 1999]

These don't depict that exact same scene, just the theme of Kṛṣṇa dressed as a gopī to gain access to Rādhā:



From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Krishna and Radha Exchange Clothes Indian, Pahari about 1825 Attributed to The Family of Nainsukh




From the Fitz William Museum Collection: Krishna and Radha Walking By The Jumna in the Moonlight Having exchanged Clothes, from the Bhagavata Purana, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, c.1820