Wishing you all a
Joyous & Enlightening Gokulashtami!
M&A
Notes are excerpted from my upcoming book, Prarthana: A Book of Hindu Psalms;
© Arun Shanbhag 2007
Krishna Vandana – Tribute to Krishna,
Krishna is the most beloved of Hindu Gods and a popular avataar of Vishnu, the eternal soul of the Universe. While other incarnations of Vishnu crystallize divine traits in ordinary beings, Krishna’s life and experiences on earth symbolize the humanness of the divine.
Krishna takes a human birth in a prison cell in the city of Mathura, as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Spirited away, Krishna was raised in Vrindavan by foster parents Yashoda and Nanda. His childhood antics endear him to his friends and later devotees, even earning him the epithet of makhan chor – stealer of butter! A baby Krishna digging into a pot of freshly churned butter is commonly depicted in devotional art. At a young age, Krishna subdues the vile snake Kaliya; humbles the Vedic God Indra; defeats his evil uncle Kamsa and liberates his parents.
As a skilled strategist, Krishna plays a central role in the epic Mahabharata; helping the Pandava brothers win the war of dharma. His advise to Arjuna at the beginning of the battle is encapsulated in the Bhagvad Gita (Song of the Blessed One) – one of the most important and popular Indian philosophical treatises. It is in the Bhagvad Gita that Krishna succinctly explains the diverse paths to eternal salvation and harmonizes their ultimate goal of spiritual union with God.
When a young Krishna in Vrindavan plays his flute, the gopikas (milkmaids) are maddeningly drawn by the magical notes and forget their daily chores. Radha in particular, even goes against social norms and secretly pines for union with Krishna. Their ability to intensely love Krishna and be forever devoted to him, even sacrificing other relations, is the exemplary centerpiece of bhakti. In the Bhagvad Gita, Krishna reveals that bhakti – reverent devotion to God, is the easiest path to enlightenment. He implores Arjuna, “Fix your mind on me; be forever devoted to me and you shall come to me. I promise you this, for you are dear to me.”
© Arun Shanbhag 2007
(This masterpiece of Radhakrishna recently arrived in our home to grace us all!)
Notes:
This is entered in The ‘yum’ blog’s Festival Series: Janamashtami. Yaay!
And see Latha’s impressive roundup of all the entries here on her blog! Caution! A lot of desserts! 
)
Filed under: Festivals, Prarthana, Sanatana Dharma
Fantastic sculpture!
Happy Krishna Janmashtami to you as well!
Thank you Saroj,
… you have a nice “makhan chor” icon on LJ. Nice!
Hi Arun,
Thought I’d comment here instead of lj.
This is a really beautiful piece of art. The intricate carvings reminded me of the many artistically rendered sculptures I’d seen in Thailand. I do have a couple of questions though: what is the statue made of? It looks like a delicate colour of sandalwood.
Also, I was wondering if you could post/email me a closeup of the second picture, especially highlighting the detail design inside the star shape. Frankly, I’m a little surprised to see that shape on a statue which is very definitely a Hindu figure. The only connotations I know are the “star of David” and the “yellow badge” (associated with antisemitism). I’m very curious to know if the star in this form also appears in old, Hindu designs. Or the artist might have put it here without really knowing about it.
Hi Mona,
Thanks for commenting here.
The star shape is the “Sudarshan Chakra” or the spinning discus. It is actually a star which is spinning very fast giving the impression of a wheel. This type of imagery is very common to depict the “Sudarshan Chakra.” On a medallion I received from the Venkateshwara Temple (Pittsburgh, PA) this six pointed star is present. In many ancient images of Vishnu (you can peruse artbooks), it is either repesented as a 12 pointed star or a circle with 8 spokes. During yajnas (or Havans) a six-pointed star is commonly drawn on the floor and the “kalash” is placed on it. In my grandmothers home in rural karnataka, the six-pointed star, the Shree symbol and the swastika were drawn on all thresholds at home, daily! This was common in most Hindu homes in rural india.
Since I am always looking for traditional indian art, such a depiction of the Sudarshan Chakra is very common on print, or sculptures.
I have even used it as the central graphic on the cover of my book. see here.
http://arunshanbhag.com/prarthana/
One of my Jewish friends inquired about it and acknowledged that ancient religions do share many similarities. Certainly the star was used on armbands identifying Jews during the holocast. Nonetheless the Jews still consider it very sacred and sport it around their chains. Here in Boston, it is as prevalent as the cross.
Will certainly send you a closeup over the next few days.
O, the wood is certainly not sandal wood. It is carved from a single block of wood though; except for the flute which slides in an opening created by the fingers.
I had to order this piece and the artisan took six months to carve. Unfortunately, he died last year and his son is taking care of the business, but is not as experienced. Thus I am doubly blessed to be given the opportunity to take care of it.
Enjoy!
What a beautiful sculpture!
Joylita
Thank you. It is a mesmerizingly beautiful piece of art.
Hi Arun, thanks so much for stopping by,… thats a very mesmerising idol of krishna… yeah it looks like sandalwood… so beautiful… you reminded me of wodd idol of krishna that sits in my in-laws place… will put it on my next post… loved the tribute to krishna too…..lovely blog u have here… will keep visitng
Hi Rachna, thank you for taking the time from your vacation to comment here. Very nice of you. the image is truly enchanting and i find it difficult to pull my eyes way. you won’t believe for how long I have just stared at Krishna!
Looking forward to your Krishna post too.
Enjoy your holiday!
And a belated Happy Birthday!
Hi Arun,
Thank you for stopping by my blog, twice!
I am doubly glad you did especially since it brought me here. Your blog is amazing and in case you monitor visitors here, the one going through all your posts right from the newest to the oldest would be me.
Your photographs are beautiful, but the one I can’t shake off is the one of Dhanya in Honavar. Lovely, Lovely girl with all those shining ‘steela Dabbe’ in the background to me right back to our visits to m’lore.
Love the Krishna Statue. Happy Gokulashtami!
Hi Vee:
aha! I thought it was one of my cousins to whom I had just sent my blog address. You have an incredible patience to go through them. BTW, there are no comments on my older articles coz I just migrated from Livejournal. (arunshanbhag.livejournal.com)
That Dhanya pic is like a window into a beautiful world, “a world which has gone by.” Even now when I re-read it, it brings tears to my eyes!
Thank you for going over the posts – you honor and pay tribute to the people, places and times, I fondly remember!
PS. When I said “a world which has gone by,” I was refering to this.
Dear arun,
you have a nice site! It would be a pleasure to include your entry! The sandalwood sculpture Of Lord Krishna is divine!
All the very best for your book!
latha.
Thank you Latha
I mailed you the details. This is exciting!
Thanks so much for dropping by with your lovely comments. You blog is very beautiful. esp the Krishna statue. Did you get it from India? I have to post my janmashtami celebrations by tomorrow. Thanks for the wishes and wish you the same.
Sharmi – thank you for your kind words about my blog.
Yes, we got the Krishna statue from india. We had ordered it from a particular artisan and he took six months to make it! And it shows, no?
I consider myself blessed to be given the responsibility to take care of this mesmerizing murthy.
Hope you have a wonderful Janmashtami celebration.
(You need a break after the marathon JFI:Rice post)
lovely murthy of lord krishna. love its intricate carvings. wishing u r ur family (belated) very happy gokulashtami.
by the way we are reading all 22 posts on ur kailasha parikarma. just finished 6 posts and many more to go. ur posts r wonderful and thank u for taking us on virtual parikarma
my greetings to that artist who carved this statue. its magical…
Oh Sia, that is so very nice of you to actually read the Kailash Manasarovar Travelogue.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Seriously, you can send me an e-mail and be very frank. I tried to create appropriate links from one post to the next. Hope that helps!
and that artisan who made the statue? Sadly, he has passed away and thus more reason for me to treasure this piece. Apparently his son is doing the carvings now, but still needs experience.
Have a wonderful day!
and a very happy belated krishna janamashtmi to you too.
the sculpture of krishna is truly mesmerising. sid evinces an avid interest in hindu mythology. his enthusiasm is so infectious that we had a full fledged puja in the evening. i cooked gujiya!
Shalu – thank you for sharing your thoughts!
but please don’t post any pics of the Gujjiya! (just kidding!)
The foodies on my food blogroll have been posting yummy janmashtami desserts, which is causing intense pangs of homesickness and excessive salivation! Ofcourse I satiate myself with scones and muffins; and my diet now is completely off kilter.
WoW on the puja! Hope it was very fulfilling. Wishing you the best.
btw, you should post your gujjiya recipe and pics and submit it to festival series: janmashtami
heh. i don’t know if it is just me but i’m absolutely a no cakes person. no scones. no muffins. give me luscious indian desserts any day. sorry to rub it in. hee. ladoo. gulab jamuns. rasgullas. ooooh. gujiya. i’ve suddenly developed a fierce sweet tooth and it is telling. btw, you’re safe- i didn’t get to take any pics of my gujiya this time. guests in the house and all that. but a lovely evening nevertheless
Shalu – if given a choice, I’d forgo all cakes and else for a nice Gujiya, peda, mysore paak, malpuri or jalebi.
But here I am in the Siberia of Indian mithai and the only way to satiate my maha sweet tooth is to indulge in the scones. I am not into cakes either – but love the occasional ‘carrot cake.’ I need the gritty texture of a chiroti, a til-laddoo, or a coconut KhaDi.
Phew! no pics of gujjiya!
Hi Arun….You have a lovely site…I liked it a lot…
And the Krishna sculpture is awesome…..Will take time to go thru all your posts…….Once again…Excellent writeup and pics
Thank you Sirisha,
you are very kind with your words. Yes, I am in total awe of this masterpiece and feel blessed to be its caretaker.
Please do browse, enjoy and let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Hi Arun,
I have posted a tofu recipe .
Hope you try spicy tofu.
Wonderful sculpture of Krishna. I would love to visit Udupi sometime.
Thanks again for visiting my blog!
Here is the link to my blog…
http://vegan-fare.blogspot.com/
Hi Kumudha,
Thank you for the delicious recipe with spicy tofu. Will pickup some tofu this weekend.
and thanks for providing the link. Earlier, I had not bookmarked it. Now it is saved and I’ll add you to my blogroll too!
Hi Arun, thanks for visiting me! That statue is so beautfiful!! I am not very religious but love the architecture of Temples and artifacts. Ganesha next here?:))
Ha ha! Asha!
I too was wondering what to do for Ganesha? Hmmmm, will need to get creative! The pressure is on!
and Thank you Asha for visiting! (while recovering from your eye surgery and all!)
[...] Shanbag’s brilliant Photo Essay on Krishna that includes an extract from his upcoming book – Prarthana: A Book of Hindu Psalms. [...]