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"Krishna Battles Indra in Transporting the Parijata Tree from Indra’s Heaven," Illustrated folio from the “Upright" Bhagavata Purana (The Ancient Story of God)
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Title:"Krishna Battles Indra in Transporting the Parijata Tree from Indra’s Heaven," Illustrated folio from the “Upright" Bhagavata Purana (The Ancient Story of God)
Date:ca. 1720
Medium:Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions:Page: H. 11 3/16 in. (28.4 cm) W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Promised Gift of the Kronos Collections, 2015
The parijata tree, a magical tree sprouting numerous clusters of fragrant fruit, was planted by Indra, lord of the heavens and the ThousandEyed One, in his garden in heaven. Narada, the troublemaking sage and patron of music, stole a flower from the parijata tree and gave it to Krishna, wanting to see which of his two wives this handsome incarnation of Vishnu preferred. As Krishna gave the flower to Rukmini, Narada, “wearing a sorrowful look”, went to Krishna’s other wife, Satyabhama, to rouse her jealousy. The sage advised Satyabhama to ask for the entire parijata tree. If the parijata tree were uprooted from Indra’s garden, it could be planted in such a way that its base and trunk would lay within Satyabhama’s garden, while its leaves would overhang Rukmini’s garden, thus satisfying both women. Of course this sensible compromise would not please the god Indra, who would lose a wonderful tree. But if Krishna finally decided to uproot the parijata tree, Indra would have to deal with him; and Krishna was the stronger of the two gods. In this striking painting, the fourarmed Vishnu (the ‘father’ and champion of Krishna) and his lovely consort Lakshmi, are riding on their mount, the parrotlike bird Garuda, warding off Indra’s pointless attack. Seated behind the divine couple is the troublemaker Narada, holding a stringed instrument (a vina) and sheltering the uprooted parijata tree. This clash of celestial deities unfolds against a brown background, above a lotusclogged body of water, and beneath a cloudy sky. Indra’s white elephant, Garuda’s foot, and Narada’s various implements extend into the yellow border, as if to demonstrate that this already dynamic composition, and its disparate elements, were bursting at their very seams.
Collection of Raja Dhruv Dev Chand of Lambagraon, Kanga Valley India by 1959; Swiss Collection 1983
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Divine Pleasures: Painting from India's Rajput Courts—The Kronos Collections," June 13–September 11, 2016.
The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
