The Cosmic Form of Krishna c. 1750 - 1775

natural stone pattern

water colours

pottery

handmade artwork painting

tile art

wall painting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

cartoon theme

watercolor

This 18th-century Mughal miniature painting, *The Cosmic Form of Krishna*, depicts Krishna in his all-powerful, universal form, *Vishvarupa*. Krishna is shown with numerous arms and heads, symbolizing his infinite nature and divine power. The painting, attributed to an anonymous artist, is a vibrant example of the Mughal artistic tradition and showcases the intricate detail and lively color typical of the genre. *The Cosmic Form of Krishna* is held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The striking imagery of this painting was inspired by the Bhagavata Gita (200 BCE-300 CE), a foundational text in Hinduism that lays out key moral doctrines and emphasizes personal devotion (bhakti) to God. Here, the artist illustrates a pivotal conversation between the epic hero, Arjuna (identified by inscription in the bottom left) and Krishna, in which Krishna gives Arjuna special sight in order to reveal the majesty of his cosmic form, Vishvarupa, or Vishnu “Having all Shapes.” Depicted with fifty-six multi-colored heads and fifty-six brandishing arms, the Cosmic Form of Krishna towers upright, his all-encompassing aura swelling to the borders of the page. Brhama, Shiva, the sun and the moon are among the gods who peak through the long locks of his beard. His dress (dhoti) is imagined as a mountain— representing the earth—with gushing streams, and beneath is a radiating splay of assured feet. The image articulates the boundless benevolence of Krishna (or Vishnu), with the representation of the cosmic body underscoring pan-Indic notions of yogic insight and transformation. That is, the equivalence of Self with the Absolute (brharman) that constitutes ultimate reality.