christine.sterne
The Equivalence of Self and Universe. Folio 6 from the Siddha Siddahanta Paddhati. âThe Muslim Artistâ (Bulaki), 1824 (Samvat 1881) Opaque watercolour and gold on paper; 122 x 46 cm. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2378. Numbered 6 on recto. Sri siddha siddh
The Equivalence of Self and Universe. Folio 6 from the Siddha Siddahanta Paddhati. âThe Muslim Artistâ (Bulaki), 1824 (Samvat 1881) Opaque watercolour and gold on paper; 122 x 46 cm. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2378. Numbered 6 on recto. Sri siddha siddhanta paddhati of 1824 Entered in the dholiya storeroom. âWithin this body exist Mount Meru, the seven continents, alkes, oceans, mountains, plains, and the protectors of these plans. All beings embodied in the three worldsâ¦exist in the body together with all their activities. He who knows all this is a yogin. There is no doubt about this.â In the penultimate year of the twelve-year course of hatha yoga, a yogin becomes a siddha, a perfected being who achieves an equivalence of self and universe. With his eyes crossed in yogic meditation, this siddha experiences the bliss of enlightenment. His bodyâs expansive and fleshy contours incorporate a vast cosmos, numerous deities, and all manner of creation. Following the text of the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, the artist maps the universeâs fourteen principal worlds along the yogiâs limbs in a vertical hierarchy. Four heavens (including the siddha heaven) are located along his chest and head; three middle worlds are situated at his lower torso; and seven underworlds nestle within his feet and amid the folds of his orange dhoti. Seven additional worlds are placed along his shoulders. Semi-divine snake gods and parti-colour demons nestle in the crooks of his elbows. His thighs support all the worldâs forest, and his ribs, shoulders, and head bear the worldâs great mountains. The Nath siddha appears huge in contrast to the minutely rendered interior worlds-gleaming fortress-cities presided over by deities. Even his face becomes enormous: in a dramatic (and witty) inversion of scale, the sun and moon (the ha and tha of hatha yoga) become the Nathâs cheeks, the clouds his beard, and the mountains his ear hair. Representing the yogic insight is a paradoxical task. Nath doctrine maintains that the equivalence of self with universe is beyond the comprehension of ordinary individuals. Ultimate reality can be perceived only through the insight gained by the physical and mental transformations wrought by yogic practice. Indeed, the paintingâs multiple representational systems deny the beholder complete and simultaneous vision. White palace cities, with perspectival walls that create the paintingâs only areas of tangible depth, offer a transcendent vision of the worlds. But these birdâs-eye views, once grasped, are negated by the paintingâs emphatic planarity. The surfaceâs gleam, which was created by rubbing the verso of the painting with a stone to fuse the pigments, emphasizes the flatness of the paper support. Flatly painted deities, humans, and demons, rendered in crystalline detail, seamlessly cohere with the burnished surface. In turn, the yogiâs pearls rendered in high relief call into question the materiality of the deities tucked between its double strand. The image oscillates between surface and depth, between materiality and illusion. By allowing only fleeting apprehension, the painting situates the viewer as a an imperfect witness to the omniscience of yogic insight, but invokes the perfected yoginâs profound comprehension of the simultaneous coexistence of the Absolute and its myriad of emanations.
The Equivalence of Self and Universe. Folio 6 from the Siddha Siddahanta Paddhati. âThe Muslim Artistâ (Bulaki), 1824 (Samvat 1881) Opaque watercolour and gold on paper; 122 x 46 cm. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2378. Numbered 6 on recto. Sri siddha siddh
The Equivalence of Self and Universe. Folio 6 from the Siddha Siddahanta Paddhati. âThe Muslim Artistâ (Bulaki), 1824 (Samvat 1881) Opaque watercolour and gold on paper; 122 x 46 cm. Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2378. Numbered 6 on recto. Sri siddha siddhanta paddhati of 1824 Entered in the dholiya storeroom. âWithin this body exist Mount Meru, the seven continents, alkes, oceans, mountains, plains, and the protectors of these plans. All beings embodied in the three worldsâ¦exist in the body together with all their activities. He who knows all this is a yogin. There is no doubt about this.â In the penultimate year of the twelve-year course of hatha yoga, a yogin becomes a siddha, a perfected being who achieves an equivalence of self and universe. With his eyes crossed in yogic meditation, this siddha experiences the bliss of enlightenment. His bodyâs expansive and fleshy contours incorporate a vast cosmos, numerous deities, and all manner of creation. Following the text of the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, the artist maps the universeâs fourteen principal worlds along the yogiâs limbs in a vertical hierarchy. Four heavens (including the siddha heaven) are located along his chest and head; three middle worlds are situated at his lower torso; and seven underworlds nestle within his feet and amid the folds of his orange dhoti. Seven additional worlds are placed along his shoulders. Semi-divine snake gods and parti-colour demons nestle in the crooks of his elbows. His thighs support all the worldâs forest, and his ribs, shoulders, and head bear the worldâs great mountains. The Nath siddha appears huge in contrast to the minutely rendered interior worlds-gleaming fortress-cities presided over by deities. Even his face becomes enormous: in a dramatic (and witty) inversion of scale, the sun and moon (the ha and tha of hatha yoga) become the Nathâs cheeks, the clouds his beard, and the mountains his ear hair. Representing the yogic insight is a paradoxical task. Nath doctrine maintains that the equivalence of self with universe is beyond the comprehension of ordinary individuals. Ultimate reality can be perceived only through the insight gained by the physical and mental transformations wrought by yogic practice. Indeed, the paintingâs multiple representational systems deny the beholder complete and simultaneous vision. White palace cities, with perspectival walls that create the paintingâs only areas of tangible depth, offer a transcendent vision of the worlds. But these birdâs-eye views, once grasped, are negated by the paintingâs emphatic planarity. The surfaceâs gleam, which was created by rubbing the verso of the painting with a stone to fuse the pigments, emphasizes the flatness of the paper support. Flatly painted deities, humans, and demons, rendered in crystalline detail, seamlessly cohere with the burnished surface. In turn, the yogiâs pearls rendered in high relief call into question the materiality of the deities tucked between its double strand. The image oscillates between surface and depth, between materiality and illusion. By allowing only fleeting apprehension, the painting situates the viewer as a an imperfect witness to the omniscience of yogic insight, but invokes the perfected yoginâs profound comprehension of the simultaneous coexistence of the Absolute and its myriad of emanations.