Topic: Holy Men & Women, and the Beings Who Visit Them

[Nichi]

Radha Crosses a River to Interview a Hindu Sage. Artist: Chokha (Indian, active 1799–ca. 1826). Date: ca. 1820. Culture: India (Rajasthan, Mewar).

Best view in the attachment.

Per the Met: On the left bank, Krishna stands with his steed, watching Radha, his beloved, and another woman being helped across the swirling waters. Several other figures, including a gopi with a cow and a man with a large pile of linens on his head, are making their way across. There are two small islands in the river with birds on them. On the top of the right bank is a palace, and below is the large figure of a hermit seated on a tiger-skin rug in a cave and attended by a peaceful lion.


http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP156172.jpg

[Michael]

Very beautiful painting, and particularly poignant, as Jahangir stood at a point of hope for India. Son of Akbar, the great tolerant Mughal Emperor who initiated the path of mutual appreciation of all religions in India. Jahangir added to this direction, as the picture demonstrates, and had this impulse succeeded, who knows what wondrous destiny India could have achieved - indeed, the whole world, as the failure of this impulse is said to have laid the foundations of the whole fundamentalist path Islam took subsequently (although one should never forget the role of oil and Wahhabism).

Julie and I stayed in a fabulous palace in Orchha, which was built by a Rajput king, as a dedication to Jahangir. When it was completed, Jahangir visited and stayed one night. But the palace was designed with a fascinating, intertwining juxtaposition of Hindu and Islamic symbolic shapes and colours. This was time of immense hope for spiritual and cultural respect.

Alas, despite Jahangir's son Shah Jahan continuing the mutual-respect tradition initiated by Akbar (literally meaning 'Great' although also connected by root to Kabir - say no more), it was Shah Jahan son, Aurangzeb, whose name still strikes fear in the hearts of Hindus today, that turned the tide towards intolerant, fundamental and aggressive Islam. Only a few days ago, Aurangzeb was spoken of in The Hindu newspaper, as being misunderstood. His actions and legacy are certainly not misunderstood.

In that picture, you see the hope of spiritual ascendancy for the whole of humanity. And yet, one can not overlook a critical fact. Dara, Jahangir's famous first wife, Mumtaz Mahal, eldest son, became too immersed in religious mutuality, while his brother, the third son, was a born warrior and brought up by a fundamentalist Islamic influence. The Mughal Empire reached it's greatest extent under Aurangzeb, which also became it's cause of decline: over-reach.

I see in all this the Will of Life. Those who tread too far to the left side of the tube running into the heart of our energetic being, who seek too much love and tolerance, fall prey to those who tread too far to the right of the tube - of violence and intolerance. Why has Life set it up that continuously throughout human history, the approach to enlightened material governance is always hijacked by ruthless and violent forces who have the advantage of 'physical grasp'. Why can't those who intuitively see all sides, also be capable of decisive and clever action. Obviously, this was achieved with some notable exceptions, like Akbar himself, and earlier Ashoka, but in general it appears the path to love makes us weak.

I see this as a warning to those who pursue the path of understanding and wisdom, that the ability to retain a cunning intellect and the capacity of the 'decisive strike', are essential elements of understanding, wisdom and love. We must walk both sides of the tube as we penetrate into the heart of our being.

BTW, Mumtaz Mahal did not die in Agra, and was not originally buried in the Taj Mahal. She died and was initially buried in another place, where a beautiful burial monument was likewise built - now lying derelict with goats and cows grazing within. I discovered this only recently, but when I found the location on the map, it was in such a difficult place on the Deccan to reach, I gave up on the idea of including it in a trip. The same with those fabulous caves of Ajanta - it is so hard to simply cross the street in India, that to reach these fascinating places requires a physical feat too much for the travel-worn soul.

Bifolio from the Gulshan Album (Left Side) India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1600-1625; Dazzling in its jewel-like colors, palpably present yogis and atmospheric landscapes, this opening from the great Gulshan album of the Mughal emperor Jahangir represents Nath, Ramanandi, and Sannyasi yogis as members of an amiable collective.

[Nichi]

Mughals Visit an Encampment of "Sadhus," from the St. Petersburg Album.
India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1635. St. Petersburg Institute of Oriental Manuscripts.

http://www.asia.si.edu/research/articles/images/yogic/fig1.jpg  (larger image)

http://www.asia.si.edu/research/articles/yogic-identities.asp (The article from which it hails.)

[Nichi]

Company School. Date 1820 (circa). Tamil Nadu.

Per British Museum:
Ten vignettes of Shaiva ascetics performing penance in two rows of five.
Row 1
a) A standing ascetic naked but for a minute loin-cloth, performing panchagni tapas, i.e. 'five fires penance' standing in the sun, surrounded by four fires.
b) An ascetic, as above, stands on his hands, his eyes closed in deep meditation. His knees are slightly flexed and his feet crossed.
c) An ascetic, as above, hangs upside down from a branch of a tree.
d) An ascetic, as above, floats mid-air, his legs in padmasana. His eyes are shut; with one hand on the nose he controls his breath intake. On the ground is the tiger skin on which he was seated before levitating into mid-air.
e) An ascetic, as above, stands on his left leg, while his right leg is flexed above his left knee.

Row 2
f) An ascetic, as above, immersed up to his neck in the water of a lake in which grow clusters of lotuses.
g) An ascetic, as above, seated in utkutikasana on a tiger skin placed in the shade of a banyan tree. A yogapatta is wound around his knees and keeps them in position.
h) An ascetic, as above, stands on his head. His left hand is placed on the ground to keep his balance.
i) An ascetic, as above, stands, the palms of his hands turned upwards. A yajnopavita (sacred thread) is shown across his chest.
j) An ascetic, as above, seated in padmasana on a tiger skin. His hands are in anjali mudra, his eyes are closed.
The background of these ten scenes is a rural landscape enlineved by trees and rocks and the occasional cloud in the sky.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3058327&partId=1&searchText=indian+paintings+sacred+tree&page=1

[Nichi]

Kotah/Bundi, 18th century.

Per British Museum:
The setting of this unusual ceremony is in a courtyard in a zenana or the women's quarters of a palace or large mansion. The ceremony appears to be taking place at night under the light of a new moon. Oil lamps are lit in the niches providing some light. A young lady of noble birth is undergoing initiation rites into a religious cult. Her elderly lady attendant sits nearby watching the proceedings. The elderly darkskinned kanphat yogi seated in front of the lady being initiated may be her guru who appears to be conducting the ceremony. He seems to be communicating with his young protege, perhaps explaining initiaton rites and her role henceforth as a kanphat yogini. She appears to be listening intently and with total focus and devotion to her guru, as he explains. Kanphat yogis and yoginis are part of the Saivite tradition, hence the ash or vibhuti marks on the forehead of the elderly ascetic. The dark skinned ascetic holds a morchal or peacock feathered whisk in his left hand. His right hand holds a back scratcher, perhaps an ascetic's crutch, which he hands to the heroine. Three other priests appear to be assisting in the ceremony. One holds the hair of the lady initiate, which he may be tying into a jata or topknot that yoginis wore. The other priest is walking purposefully toward the lady initiate holding aloft a sacred rope which the yogini will wear after discarding her jewellery and rich clothing for simpler garb. The lady initiate has removed her shoes which the third priest holds in his hands. The ceremony takes place around a sacred fire from which smoke emanates. Hot coals are being brought in to add to the fire by a young maid in the right background. Ladies of the zenana watch interestedly from balconies and windows overlooking the open courtyard. They talk to each other and getsure at the unusual proceedings taking place below. White walled architecture provides a stark but perfect backdrop for the figures intent on the proceedings.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1607680&partId=1&searchText=yogi+&page=1

[Michael]

Interesting, but I'm pleased at least some women had opportunities - typical that it would be Shavaite, as the Vaishnav tradition has always had problems with the role of women in spiritual development. Seemed to depend if she was in the Rama or Krishna line. Shavaites tend towards the everything-goes approach, which is not necessarily useful either.

But the life of women in zananas must have been unbelievably frustrating and boring. I've just been reading about how this extended family setting also created confusions in the children, and wider social problems of adaptability to changing times.

[Nichi]

wider social problems of adaptability to changing times.

I can imagine!

[Nichi]

A wandering Shaivite ascetic with his dog; Artist Unknown, India, Delhi-Agra, Mughal, 16th-17th century.

Per University of Michigan Museum:     This work is a double-sided page from a bound album. The painting, depicting a Hindu ascetic walking with his dog in a pastoral landscape, has been placed in a border, decorated with a floral scroll painted in gold on a blue or pale orange ground; a similar border surrounds a calligraphy panel on the reverse side. The border and the calligraphy panel are both somewhat later in date than the painting itself.

    The painting of the ascetic and his dog is pasted onto an album page. It is surrounded by a series of gold floral borders alternating blue and saffron-colored backgrounds. Wearing a brown poncho-like garment and carrying a fan in his right hand and a bag of his belongings, the lead attached to his white dog, and some tools in his left, he strides through the landscape. He wears sandals and has long brown matted locks of hair and a graying beard. The landscape consists of intersecting rounded forms in shades of green and yellow, surmounted by trees along the top and with a larger blue-foliaged tree to the right near the horizon. At the bottom a diagonal of yellowish rise of land with clumps of grass suggests some depth and a foreground, but the figure is quite flat in the middle ground.

    On the back of the page is a Panel of calligraphy consisting of a quatrain in Shah Jahan's handwriting signed "Sultân Khurram [his given name before he took the name Shah Jahan upon becoming emperor]" and dated 1020/1611-12. This is also surrounded by elaborate borders.

Subject Matter

    A Hindu ascetic, walking with his dog in an idealized landscape, with city buildings visible on the horizon.
    This work dates to a pivotal moment in the history of Mughal painting: the year when Jahangir replaced his father, Akbar, as emperor and chief patron of the imperial painting atelier. Both father and son were fascinated by Hindu ascetics, and frequently commissioned their artists to paint their portraits. In this unsigned work, an unnamed ascetic garbed in a flowing brown robe is seen striding purposefully through a landscape of gently rolling green hills, accompanied by his dog. Portraiture featuring a single figure shown in profile is a type that emerged under Akbar (r. 1565–1605), but it was under Jahangir (r. 1605–27) that it acquired greater psychological depth.

    Every element of this naturalistic portrait demonstrates the skill and sensitivity of the Mughal artist, from the careful study of foreground plants to the dignity of the saint-like figure and the silhouettes of trees in the distance. The blue and green hues of the landscape are ultimately derived from Persian painting, but the treatment of light and shadow and the close observation of nature have been learned from European art, brought to the Mughal court by Jesuits, diplomats and traders.

A wandering Shaivite ascetic with his dog

[Nichi]

"A Party of Kanphat Yogis Resting around a Fire"
Mughal, c. 1630
The British Library Board

Per the Sampradya Sun:     "There are fewer Mughal pictures of Saṃnyāsīs than of Nāths. The north Indian ascetic Nāth traditions encountered by the Mughals were closely linked to the Sant tradition of holy men and, like them, believed in a formless, unconditioned god. This theological openness—which manifested in, among other things, a disdain for the purity laws adhered to by more orthodox Hindu ascetics—allowed them to mix freely with those such as the Muslim Mughals, who more caste-bound Hindu traditions would consider mlecchas (barbarians). Furthermore the Nāths were not militarized, unlike the Saṃnyāsīs, whose belligerence would have proved an impediment to interaction with the Mughals. The Nāths' greater influence on the Mughal court is further borne out by the preponderance of their doctrines in Persian yoga texts produced during the Mughal period."

    Mallinson points out that in battle scenes like the paintings under discussion of the Thaneswar war of ascetics and sannyasins, various icons help to distinguish the ancient Nath ascetics and sannyasins from one another. For example, in the Mughal miniatures shown in our previous segment we see the earrings worn by ascetics on both sides of the saffron war. The earrings are often painted black and are therefore quite visible identifiers in the paintings, as we saw in Figure 7 of the Yogis at Gurkhattri.

    While paraphernalia and ornaments like horns, fillets and necklaces often serve as quick identifiers of medieval ascetics, in the case of earrings they do not always distinguish between the two. In fact, many of the sannyasis in the paintings under discussion are also wearing earrings, although this sort of ornamentation is more common amongst the Naths than the more conservatively austere sannyasins. Mallinson writes:

    "Once members of the Nāth saṃpradāya have been identified, it is possible to note other attributes that Nāths do not share with the Saṃnyāsīs depicted in contemporaneous illustrations. These include the wearing of cloaks and hats, the accompaniment of dogs, and the use of small shovels for moving ash. The Saṃnyāsīs, meanwhile, in keeping with the renunciation implied by their name, do relatively little to embellish their archetypal ascetic attributes and are thus best distinguished by the absence of the specifically Nāth features noted above. Indeed, in some cases, their renunciation is such that they are naked, which the Nāths never are."

    Mallinson offers further historical commentary on the ornamentation of ascetics:

    "The criteria used above to identify the Nāths and Saṃnyāsīs in early Mughal paintings have been taken exclusively from sources contemporaneous with or older than the paintings themselves. This is because using modern ethnographic data to interpret these images has its pitfalls. By now the reader acquainted with the Nāths may have wondered why little mention has been made of earrings. Today, Nāths are renowned for wearing hooped earrings through the cartilages of their ears, which are cut open with a dagger at the time of initiation.

    For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as kānphaṭā (split-eared), a pejorative term that they themselves eschew. Very few other ascetics today wear earrings of any sort and, to my knowledge, none wears them kānphaṭā-style. The current exclusive association of Nāths wearing hooped earrings has led many scholars to take textual mentions or artistic depictions of such insignia as indications that the wearers are Nāths, but this is not always the case. In India, earrings have long been emblematic of both divinity and rank. Thus many representations of the Buddha show him with earlobes that are distended and pierced but empty, signifying his renunciation: he had abandoned the heavy jeweled earrings he wore as a royal prince. In contrast, Mahāyāna bodhisattvas and Tantric adepts (siddhas) were conceived of as sovereigns of their realms and are often described and depicted as wearing earrings (and other regal accoutrements). These Hindu and Buddhist siddhas may have been the first ascetics to wear earrings; a related type of ascetic, the Kāpālika (Skull bearer), is often said to wear them.

    In medieval vernacular texts contemporaneous with early Mughal paintings, earrings are almost always included (usually as mudrā) in lists of yogi insignia. Often they are associated with yogis who follow Gorakṣa. If we look at the ears in figures 1–3 and 7–9, however, we see two surprising features. First, almost all, whether they belong to Nāths or Saṃnyāsīs, sport earrings. Second, no earring goes through cartilage. Depictions of Saṃnyāsīs up to the eighteenth century often show them wearing earrings, and it is not until the late eighteenth or even early nineteenth century that we come across the first depictions of Nāths wearing earrings kānphaṭā-style. A fine example is a painting of two ascetics that illustrates a manuscript of the Tashrīḥ al-aḳvām, an account of various Indian sects, castes, and tribes commissioned by Colonel James Skinner and completed in 1825 (fig. 11). The ascetic on the left is identified in an expanded version of the picture from the same period as an Aughaṛ, i.e., a Nāth who is yet to take full initiation; the one on the right, who wears a siṅgī around his neck and kānphaṭā earrings, is a full initiate by the name of Śambhu Nāth.

    Travelers from the sixteenth century onward commented on the wearing of earrings by yogis, but there are no outsider reports of them being worn kānphaṭā-style until circa 1800. The seventeenth-century poet Sundardās, whose earliest manuscript is dated 1684, contrasts earring-wearing jogīs with jaṭā-growing Saṃnyāsīs (pad 135) and elsewhere derides splitting the ears (kān pharāi) as a means of attaining yoga (sākhī 16.23). Since no paintings of yogis from the Mughal heyday (up to 1640) show split-eared yogis, it thus seems likely that the practice developed in the second half of the seventeenth century. The use of the pejorative name kānphaṭā, however, is not found until the second half of the eighteenth century, suggesting that the practice did not become widespread until then. The Nāths' adoption of this extreme kānphaṭā style led to earrings in general being closely associated with the Nāth order, with the result that other ascetic orders eschewed the practice."


http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/09-14/features3316.htm

(Alas, the Figures referenced in this article are not apparent on the site.)

[runningstream]

are these guys headed any where in particular or are they just embodying different facets ?

or with an ultimate goal in mind

[Nichi]

are these guys headed any where in particular or are they just embodying different facets ?

or with an ultimate goal in mind

Headed anywhere? I suppose they are headed to enlightenment, nirvana, infinity, and the like. Did you mean in a certain painting, or in the general lives of those who choose the path of yoga and asceticism?

[Nichi]

This painting is fascinating, intriguing, and beautiful. You really must get the details in the enlargement-link - the image here, which links from Pinterest, is not enough.



Miniature pasted on an album leaf. “A Woman Visiting a Yogini by a River” India, Mughal; c. 1650. If it were not for the two main characters – a pretty Hindu girl asking a bluish yogini for advice – the miniature would look like a European landscape painting from the end of the 16th century. It has been attributed to Payag, who was known for his penchant for night scenes and a dark palette. An amazing meeting of cultures, and reflects an eclecticism that specifically characterized Mughal art.

Here's the enlarged version by the Davidmus people:   http://www.davidmus.dk/files/5/7/3196/Copyright_David-Collection_Copenhagen_55-2000_web.jpg

The intriguing part to me is the figure hiding in the tree, or behind the tree. I thought at first it could be a tree spirit. But I came around to thinking it is an ascetic-attendant of the yogini's. I had never seen the attendant hiding before, as this one seems to be.

[runningstream]

sorry

you could read my question as what are 'all' these people in the paintings doing

to inquire


yes its inquisitive to wan't to what is it they are all doing and represent

[Nichi]

yes its inquisitive to wan't to what is it they are all doing and represent

I think it's a safe generalization that they are all pursuing their own enlightenment. Some are sharing wisdom. I've tried to describe any peculiarities, per the action of each painting.

[runningstream]

ok

i thought maybe they have common purposes it seems enlightenment is a varied and wide term