tales of krishna’s childhood by dr. nandita krishna
DESCRIPTION
Presentation made by Dr. Nandita Krishna at the International Seminar on Mahabharata organized by Draupadi Trust in April 2012 at New Delhi.TRANSCRIPT
GOPAS AND THEIR COWS
TALES OF KRISHNA’S CHILDHOOD
BABY KRISHNA DRAGGING THE HEAVY MORTAR
KRISHNA DEFEATING TWO ASURAS
KRISHNA KILLING A DEMON
KRISHNA ON GARUDA
ANIRUDDHA BOUND BY BANA’S SNAKE ROPES. Central door of the southern gopura. 3RD ENCLOSURE
KRISHNA FIGHTING BANA TO RESCUE HIS
GRANDSON.Central door of the northern gopura.
3rd enclosure
DEVAS versus ASURASDEVAS versus ASURASS versus ASURA
KRISHNA ON GARUDA FIGHTS THE ASURA BANA
DEVAS VERSUS ASURAS
KRISHNA LIFTING MOUNT GOVARDHANA
KRISHNA LIFTING MOUNT GOVARDANA
KRISHNA AND BALARAMA
KRISHNA KILLING CANURA AND MUSHTIKA
KRISHNA KILLING KAMSA
BANTEAY SREI
ANGKOR WAT
NORTH LIBRARY EAST PEDIMENT, ANGKOR WAT. EPISODE FROM MAHABHARATA .
INDRA TRIES TO PUT OUT A FIRE IN THE KHANDAVA FOREST BY SENDING RAIN. KRISHNA’S ARROWS PREVENT THE WATER REACHING THE GROUND
VISHNU IN HIS HORSE INCARNATION AS HAYAGRIVAHOLDS THE HEADS OF THE DEMONS MADHU AND KAITABHA.
West lintel of the inner entrance pavilion
VISHWAROOPA, ANGKOR WAT
VISHWAROOPA,PRASAT KRAVAN
MULTI-FACED IMAGES, BAYON, ANGKOR THOM
WHO IS THE 4-FACED FIGURE OF ANGKOR THOM?
JAYAVARMAN? PROBABLY, IN ORDER TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH…
1. BRAHMA? – Unlikely. No stories or attributes of the Creator are associated with the 4 faces.
2. SHIVA? – Likely, because Bayon was a Shiva temple, but no other Shaivite attributes.
3. BUDDHA – LOKESHVARA? Likely, because Jayavarman became a Buddhist, but no Buddhist attributes.
4. VISHNU? – Most likely, because…
THE 4-FACES TOP MOUNT MERU, WHICH MAKES UP THE 5 GATES OF ANGKOR THOM. IN THE STORY OF THE SAMUDRA MANTHANA, MERU IS THE CHURNING STICK. IT IS THE STORY OF VISHNU’S KURMA AVATARA
THE 4-FACED MERU IS FLANKED BY THE DEVAS AND ASURAS PULLING THE 7-HEADED SNAKE ROPE VASUKI
IN ANGKOR WAT AND ALL RELIEFS OF THE SAMUDRA MANTHANA, VISHNU STANDS ABOVE THE TORTOISE KURMA,
WHO IS THE CHURNING STICK
4- FACED HEADS MOST LIKELY TO BELONG TO VISHNU
•
• ON THE WALLS OF THE BAYON IN ANGKOR THOM, THERE ARE SCENES OF A 4-FACED, MULTI-HEADED VISHNU STEALING THE AMRITA DURING THE SAMUDRA MANTHANA.
• THE CULT OF VISHNU HAD OBVIOUSLY ATTAINED GREAT INFLUENCE THAT KINGS IDENTIFIED WITH HIM.
IN THE WAR WITH BANA, KRISHNA HAS MANY FACES AND HEADS
• THE MAHABHARATA REACHED ENORMOUS POPULARITY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA. IT BECAME LARGER THAN LIFE
• EVEN TODAY, THE CITY CENTRES OF JAKARTA, CAPITAL OF INDONESIA, AND BALI HAVE A HUGE SCULPTURE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA.
• DANCE, DRAMAS AND PUPPET SHOWS ON THE MAHABHARATA KEEP THE STORY ALIVE AS AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD BEHAVIOUR
ARJUNA VIJAYA - BALI
ARJUNA VIJAYA - JAKARTA