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6. Illustration to the Gita Govinda: Radha’s Confidant Approaches Krishna Punjab Hills, Guler circa 1760–65 Opaque watercolor and gold on paper Image: 6 by 97⁄8 in. (15.2 by 25.1 cm.) |
From the ‘Second Gita Govinda series’—First generation after Nainsukh and Manaku, possibly Kushala and Gaudhu Inscribed verso with six lines of Sanskrit and eleven lines of Takri Fourth sarga—Snigdha Madhusūdana ‘The Suave Krishna’ But you, divine physician, by a touch of your blessed body can relieve her pain, do not abandon Radha, lest you’d hurt her grievously as Indra’s thunderbolt. (4-4) Against that wantoning and dragging fire she looks to lotus, sandalpaste and moon, and thinks of her lover in his lonely place and of his coolness as she lingers on. (4-5) Before she would not even close her eyes a moment lest you leave her sight; no more she breathes with you away, nor bears to think of how the mango trees were full of flowers/ (4-6) [1] The composition of this page is masterfully arranged, using the natural landscape to illustrate the continuous narrative. The central mango tree that divides the scene is heavy with leaves and blossoms, as if to reflect Radha’s intense emotional state.[2] Amplifying the separation of the lovers, the hills and deep gully in the background rise and fall dramatically. Along the bottom of the composition, the sharp angles of the riverbank serve to illustrate the erratic state of the couple’s relationship. According to the story, although not included in the text verso, Krishna is resting indolently after a thorough search for Radha. He is perplexed as his love for Radha is overwhelming.[3] However, as he listens to the entreaties of Radha’s sakhi, one cannot help the sense that his thoughts are concentrated on the gopi before him and not the love-sick Radha. The Gita Govinda (Song of the Dark Lord) by the twelfth-century poet Jayadeva is a sumptuous rendition of the love play between Krishna and Radha. Devotional in intention, it begins with an homage to Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, the supreme deity. It then conjures images of obsessive passion (the anguish of separation from the object of desire, and the bliss of climactic union) as a way to understand the soul’s craving to merge with God. Yet, the writing is also clearly intended to stimulate the senses, not only by its tactile eroticism, but also by its delicious poetry.[4] It is suggested that this extraordinary set, which is believed to have originally contained one hundred and forty pages, was the work of one of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra’s favorite artists, Khushala. Both the artist and his cousin, Gaudhu, who is thought to have assisted him, are descendants of the Seu-Nainsukh family.[5] Provenance: Doris Weiner, New York Published: M.S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings of the Gita Govinda, New Delhi, 1963, 60, fig. 20 (Detail of Radha only). [1] We are grateful to Alka Bagri for her translation of the inscriptions on the painting’s verso. [2]Another page from the series that also shows Radha in a similar sorrowful posture by the river is in Randhawa (1963), p. 93, plate X. [3] Gita Govindam sarga 4, verse 1. [4] Darielle Mason, Philadelphia Museum of Art—online reference [5] See Archer (1973), pp. 292 and 203. |