Uma - Maheshwar ( Lord Shiva with Goddess Uma)

Uma - Maheshwar ( Lord Shiva with Goddess Uma)

Prathihara Dynasty,10th Century CE, Bhopal Museum

             After the sudden death of Sati, Lord Shiva retreated into the Mt. Kailash and sat in deep meditation. His withdrawal froze the landscape and everything became desolate.  The gods were worried. Absolute control over the desires leads to a lifeless existence.  Shiva had to be aroused from the deep meditation.  Lord Kama was sent, but he was burnt. Only Gauri or Uma could win his heart, but through austerity. She won. She domesticated his wild nature. 

            Here They sit in each others company. She looks at Him with deep reverence. He at Her, with deep love. The cosmos revolves around them. Lord Brahma stands on top left, Lord Vishnu on top right, Ganesh sits on bottom left, and Kartikeya on right bottom of the viewer.  

           When we lose someone, we too become shell shocked. We need to be brought out of our mourning.  The desire to live, to prosper, to excel needs to be rekindled. Nature, in all Her splendour  ( Goddess Uma) smoothens the harsh edges of the intellect. She draws us back into the beauty of life. We begin to create (Brahma), we begin to preserve  (Vishnu ); we work with wisdom (Ganesh ), and with force (Kartikeya ). All is well.

Maithun Figures

Maithun Figures

Chandela Dynasty, 10th Century CE, Bhopal Museum

             Kama or desire was one of the four goals of ancient Indians. But today it is misunderstood by the Indians themselves. To the ancients Dharma (righteous conduct ), Artha  (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha  (liberation from the cycle of life and death ) were the four goals of life. But under the influence of other civilisation, and value systems, Kama is becoming a taboo subject. 

            Buddhism too saw desire as  the root cause of misery in the world; Christianity and Islam equated desire with temptation.  But for Hinduism desire is essential.  For without desire Nature ceases to exist. It is desire which propagates a species. Thus, desire and sex are fundamental to our existence. 

           Of course, when we speak of desire, it must be in moderation.  Love should not turn into lust, nor desire into greed. But to deny desire is to cap human emotions, human capabilities,  human achievements. Desire is what fuels a civilisation to grow, to prosper. 

           Eroticism in Indian art has always raised eyebrows of the conservatives and the vandals. But it is a celebration of life. For without desire and emotions life is a Martian wasteland.

Ganga

Ganga

Pratihara Dynasty, 8th Century CE.,Bhopal Museum

         The holiest of the rivers in India, River Ganga (Ganges) adorns the door bracket of the inner sanctum of a temple.  Seen as a  beautiful damsel on a multi - bodied animal ( a Makar), She carries a pot of the holy water of the river. 

        Hindus believe that a dip in the holy river cleans them of their sins; immersion of the ashes of the dead,  leads to liberation from the cycle of life and death or to Moksha. 

        According to Hindu mythology Ganga descended from the heavens at the request of Sage Bhagirath.  In order to break it's velocity of descent lest it should shatter earth, Lord Shiva received her in his hair. Since the river begins it's journey in the Himalaya, she is said to be lost in the locks of Lord Shiva. 

       Ganga  has always symbolised purity, knowledge, truthfulness, and spirituality. In 19th century India, a Hindu witness in a court would swear the oath over a Gangajali  ( a pot containing   the water of the Holy River). 

        But the modern Hindu is least bothered about the purity of the river. Presently it is one of the most polluted rivers of India.

Warrior

Warrior

13th century CE, Bhopal Museum

           Warriors are an important class in every community and country. It is they who keep us safe from external invasions and internal disturbances. They have been praised in literature; they have inspired generations; they have adorned the pages of world history-- from Ramses II of Egypt to Alexander the Great, from Julius Ceaser to Samudragupta of India, from Neapoleon to General McCarther of USA. 

           Dronacharya, in Mahabharata, was not only a great teacher, but was also a great warrior and strategist. Yet he was killed. Lord Krishna was asked as to why Dronacharya had to be killed when he did no wrong. Lord Krishna says Dronacharya did many things wrong : although a Brahmin, he learned the use of arms; instead of teaching his students about diplomacy, about love and compassion, he taught them about war and only war; when the war began, although he was under no compulsion, he choose to side with the Kauravs. He had to be killed. 

           It is good to be a warrior, but a true warrior should also know the art of diplomacy.  Today war is raging all around us. Yet no one speaks of diplomacy.  People invade, kill, rape and butcher, blow up cities and spread terror. But the UNO,  the best agency for maintaining world peace has become a mute  spectator. Within our country polarisation is taking place, but no one speaks of fusion, of synthesis,  of peaceful cooperation and co - existence.  The ways of the warrior may be good, but too many wars annihilate civilisations.

Lord Harihar

Lord Harihar

12th Century CE. Bhopal Museum

            Splits within a religion is nothing new. Pharaoh Akhnatan broke away from the traditional Egyptian religion in ancient Egypt and established his own cult of Ra, the Sun God. In 1st Century CE Buddhism split into two schools : the Hinyana and the Mahayana.  Hinduism is no exception.  In ancient India we had two sects: the Shaivites and the Vaishnavites. Those who believed in Lord Shiva and and those who believed in Lord Vishnu.  Like the Shias and the Sunnis,  these two groups in Hinduism also fought with each other, trying to prove the superiority of one God over the other. 

            But in order to survive as a human race, we have learned to synthesis opposing views. Lord Harihar is a byproduct of the synthesis of Lord Shiva on the left and Lord Vishnu on the right side of the viewer. Hence the trident and the Nandi, the bull on the left and the disc and the conch shell on the right. 

            The debate within Hinduism is also between the aesetic and the householder, between the pure intellect  ( Shiva) and the emotions ( Vishnu), between the one who abandons the society ( Shiva) and one who incarnates to save the society  (Vishnu). But we did not waste too much time trying to annihilate each others' sect. We assimilated. And we have thrived as a 5000 year old civilisation. 

             Perhaps Harihar holds the solution to the problem of "clashes of the civilisations ". On the one hand we are in the globalisation age, yer there is fight and war all around us. We over - react to every statement;  we fight over the silliest issues only trying to prove that our Gods are superior to theirs. Today the issue posed by Galib, the great Urdu poet is  relevant: 

" Gar tujh bin nahi koi maauzood/ phir ye hangamma e-Khuda kya hai?" ( If there is no one but One God, then what is this fight about?). 

             Time has come to revive the concept of synthesis, of peace, of prosperity.  For the path of confrontation leads to total annihilation.

Dancing Ganesh

Dancing Ganesh 

Pratihara Dynasty, 10th Century CE, Bhopal Museum

             Although Lord Ganesh is the God of wisdom, He is seen in various forms: as a sleeping child, as a child worshipping a Shiva Ling, as a dancing figure ( as in this figure), as an adult reading or writing, and even playing cricket or sitting on a rocking chair. His forms are as varied as human imagination permits. Wisdom is not a monopoly of any age, or form. It is universal. 

             Here the Lord holds an axe in one hand and his broken tusk in the other hand. The other two  hands are striking a dancing pose. The axe is symbol of wisdom 's ability to cut through any obstacle. Hence He is  the God who removes the obstacles.  The broken tusk is symbolic of His being a scriber. He records our deeds and awards or punishes us accordingly. 

             He dances for the universe is in constant motion. While one foot is firmly planted, symbolising stability,  the other foot is lifted and in motion, symbolising time and motion. 

            He is also surrounded by his parents : Goddess Parvati on his right, and Lord Shiva on his left. This not only completes the Shiva family,  but also depicts Nature (Goddess Parvati ), and the intellect  (Lord Shiva). Wisdom is not isolated; it does not exist in a vacuum. It thrives in the Nature and the intellect. It throbs and pulsates throughout the universe. It is not the monopoly of a caste or a creed or of a race. It is as universal as the universe. 

Lord Surya ( The Sun God )

Lord Surya ( The Sun God )

Prathihara Dynasty, 10th Century CE, Bhopal Museum

           One of the finest sculptures of the Bhopal Museum is this small statue of Lord Surya. The museum has a good collection of sculptures from Hinglajgarh   in M. P. The history of the city of Hinglajgarh is unknown.  But it's sculptures can compete with the finest sculptures of Khajaraho.  Although both belong to the Khajaraho School,  the sculptures from Hinglajgarh are more finely chiselled, are more delicate,  and are more well proportioned than the figures from Khajaraho.  Whether these figures belong to the same temple or come from different temples is also u known.  But the high quality of work testifies to the prosperity of the city, and to the high aesthetics of the people.  

           Today is Lord Surya ' s day as today is Raviwaar.  The Lord holds two lotus in his hands. Like many flowers the lotus also opens and closes according to the sun. Since it floats on murky water, it is the symbol for the human mind and soul. It is said that when the highest "Chakra" ( wheel) of the mind opens, it is like the blossoming of a lotus with thousand petals. Thus, the mind has to be as wife encompassing as the rays of the Sun. 

           According to Valmiki, the author of Ramayan, the Sun causes the division of time. Without the Sun there would be no day and night. It causes the change in the seasons; it causes the rains. It also dispels the darkness of the mind and the soul. It is omnipotent and omnipresent.  It is said to be the God of Gods. Even Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are said to worship Lord Surya. For it is Surya who is the source of all energy; He is the source of life. Life exists as long as our minds are open  like the thousand petal lotus. 

Lord Ram and Goddess Sita

Lord Ram and Goddess Sita

13th century , CE,Bhopal Museum

        The eternal pair of Ram and Sita is the ideal couple in Hindu mythology. Ram is the most pious king as He upholds the Dharma ( righteous conduct) at every step of his life. He is the ideal son, and the ideal brother. However, His credentials as an ideal husband have been questioned. People claim that he was unkind to Sita on two occasions : when He asked her to prove her chastity, and when He exiled her to the forest. 

        What has been seen as a short coming in Ram's character, has strengthened Sita as a character.  In fact, Sita is considered one of the five Satis  (powerful women ) in Sanskrit literature.  Born of mother Earth, She has a will of her own. When Ram tries to persuade her not to come to the forest with him, she tells him about the Dharma of a wife ; when Lakshman hesitates to leave her alone when Ram has gone away to chase the golden deer, she chides Lakshman;  when Ram asks her to prove her chastity, she chides Ram. Eventually as a sign of protest she leaves Ram only to enter mother Earth.  She is not a weakling, she is a woman with an independent mind. Yet, she knows the limits placed by the society. She balances her role as a wife, daughter-in-law, as a sister-in-law, and as a mother. She is not a simple character, but is a strong persona in Valmiki' s Ramayan. She can be a role model for the modern woman: upright, independent, forthright, articulate, intelligent,  and one who stands up to question the orthodoxy of the society. She is not the one to be confined by the artificial limits of the society. She may be tolerant like mother Earth,  but she is not docile and weak. 

Goddess Gauri

Goddess Gauri

Paramar Dynasty, 11th Century CE, Bhopal Museum.

           Goddess Gauri is none other than Goddess Parvati.  She seems to be a popular diety in the 10th to 12th century as numerous sculptures of hers can be found from this period. Here she is surrounded by the Seven Mothers (Saptamatrikas) on the top, by Kartikeya on her right, by Lord Ganesh on her left. She would have carried a Shiva Linga in one of her hands.  She is also surrounded by other maidens who are at her service. Surprisingly her 'vehicle' (vahan) is a mongoose.  

            This sculpture is highly symbolic.  Goddess Gauri is the symbol of benevolence of Nature. Thus Her full bodied figure.  Her inner energy is depicted by the string of pearls which has moved to her left side of the naval. Despite the fact that She stands erect,  the pearl string moves. This portrays the inner strength or the "inner Prana" of the divinity. 

            Like the Seven Mothers, Nature sustains us. In her lap we are protected and we grow as individuals and as a nation. But to grow we need both wisdom and dynamism. Hence, Lord Ganesh (wisdom) and Kartikeya  (dynamism). But like the mongoose, we need a probing mind to understand the beauty and mystery of Nature. Mongoose also symbolises the riches which are buried in Nature. Thus an inquisitive mind discovers the riches of Nature.  Nature stands in all her glory in this stunning sculpture. 

Varaha Avtar (Lord Vishnu in His Third Incarnation as a Boar)

Varaha Avtar (Lord Vishnu in His Third Incarnation as a Boar)

Paramar Dynasty,11th Century CE

            There was a time when Mother Earth was coveted by a demon. He dragged her into the cosmic ocean. She pleaded to Lord Vishnu to save her. Lord Vishnu emerged as a wild Boar. He fought with the Demon,  killed him, and brought Mother Earth out of the ocean on his tusk. Here we see Him with the Mother Earth as He emerges from the ocean. 

            This pose of Lord Vishnu was created by the Gupta artists in the 5th Century CE at Udaigiri Caves in Madhya Pradesh.  Ever since then, this pose has been used repeatedly by the Indian artists. 

            The wild Boar is a unique animal. While it lives on the land, it can dive deep into the water. It is thus adjustable to both land and water. Only those who are flexible in their thoughts can emerge from the ocean. 

            Mother Earth is again under threat. On the one hand She is constantly attacked, on the other hand She is ever exploited. Again she awaits to be rescued from the senseless greed and hatred of mankind. She again awaits for flexible thinking persons to rescue her from her pitiable plight. But we are becoming blind to our myopic vision. The totality of Oneness is lost upon us. And Mother Earth seems to further  sink into a quagmire.