Foreword Amit Ambalal

Foreword

Pushtimarg (Path of Grace), a Vaishnava religious sect, was founded by Vallabhacharya ( A.D. 1497–1531). The sect lays great stress on seva (loving service) to the deity. The image of the deity (svarup) that is mainly Shrinathji, an eight-year-old Krishna, is considered to be a divine living being. Hence it is natural that the seva is articulated and structured and has evolved so as to give the svarup all the comforts that would keep Him in good spirits.

Seva in Pushtimarg consists of kirtan, bhog and shringara. The devotional poem-songs sung in the shrine to please Shrinathji are called kirtan. The poetry composed by the ashtachhap poets is sung during the daily eight darshans of the day and also on special festivals. The pada, verses by these poets, are considered to be dear to Krishna and thus sacred. Subjects of many paintings and pichvais are inspired by these padas.

Tilkayat Damodarlalji and Maharana Bheemsingh of Mewar, A.D. 1820, 35 x 31.5 cm (13.81 x 12.43 inch)

Janmashtmi, c. A. D. 1750, 13.97 x 7.62 cm (5.5 x 3 inch)

Dol Utsav, c. A. D. 1750, 13.97 x 7.62 cm (5.5 x 3 inch)

Vaman Dwadashi, c. A. D. 1750, 13.97 x 7.62 cm (5.5 x 3 inch)

Rathyatra, c. A. D. 1750, 13.97 x 7.62 cm (5.5 x 3 inch)

Offerings to the deity in the form of sumptuous food, delicacies and beverages are called bhog. Preparation of the bhog is done aesthetically, keeping in mind the colour as well as the texture of dishes. For instance, on Sharad Purnima (full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashvin), all the food and beverages offered to Shrinathji are white in colour, signifying the moonlight.

Shringara is the offering to the lord in the form of adornment through dresses and ornaments. It also includes decoration in the form of flower arrangements, garlands, designing special pavilions for the deity, among other things. Highly ornate and often painted pichvais, divalgiris (wall hangings) and chandovas (canopies) are also a part of the shringara.

In Pushtimarg, Krishna is considered to be a loving, intimate, personal deity. Thus, the tilkayat (chief goswami) of Nathdwara as well as of the entire sect adorns Shrinathji in a way that would express his personal sentiment for Shrinathji. If a goswami’s feelings towards Shrinathji were that of vatsalya bhava (parental sentiments for Krishna), he would bedeck Shrinathji to look like a child. If the tilkayat saw himself as a beloved gopi of Krishna in madhurya bhava (amorous sentiments for Krishna), Shrinathji would be adorned like a youth. This would also be reflected in the works of artists of the time through subtle depictions.

Amongst various genres of paintings that thus developed centred on the depiction of seva and giving an insight into the Pushtimargi culture, there were certain sets that were more sought after by the devotees. A set of about 24 paintings depicting Shrinathji on major festivals was very popular. These paintings required and maintained great accuracy in depicting Shrinathji in the right set of clothes, ornaments and decorations that were specific to each festival.

Goswami Vallabhji(b. A.D. 1787, Kankroli), left, and Goswami Kalyanrayji(b. A.D. 1751, Mathura), right, c. A.D. 1840, 10.16 x 24.45 cm (4. 56 x 9.625 inch)

Besides this, a set of 85 or more portraits of goswamis was also popular, in which, apart from the recognizable features of each goswami, the artist also expressed their emotional attachment with Krishna. The artists ingeniously conveyed this by depicting the goswamis with lotus shaped eyes, graceful postures and sometimes their attire.

A set of 13 paintings that would have been most challenging for the artist to depict are the illustrations in the Sahastri Bhavana—a book of the one thousand emotions. This book was authored by Goswami Harirayji (b. A.D. 1591), who has described the various emotions a devotee could experience while performing seva or while having darshan at a Vaishnav haveli. The challenge for the artist was to depict these bhavanas in a single narrative.

Another set of 24 paintings of the Braj yatra, a pilgrimage to the land of Braj, an area around Mathura in north India was also very popular. Braj is considered to be the place where Krishna spent his early life and performed his lilas (divine pastimes). Devotees visit these places of pilgrimage consisting of villages, rivers, lakes, tanks, mountains, forests and groves of kadamba and palm trees. The artists infused this physicality with a spiritual dimension by depicting Krishna performing his lilas in these existing landscapes.

Amongst all of the sect’s literature, the most popular form that reaches all the devotees is the Varta Sahitya, narratives in the form of parables that recount the anecdotes from the life of Vallabhacharya and his son and successor Vitthalnathji. They also narrate the history of the svarups, which are now enshrined in the palatial havelis of the sect. These stories have their roots in history and convey various aspects of the sect’s philosophy. Among these, the most popular are Chaurasi Vaishnavan Ki Varta (Chronicle of 84 Vaishnavas), Do Sau Bavan Vaishnava Ki Varta (Chronicle of 252 Vaishnavas), Nij Varta (Intimate Chronicles) and Gharu Varta (Domestic Chronicles).

The illustrated Chaurasi Vaishnav Ki Varta under consideration here is most unique, as no other illustrated varta literature of the early period has been found so far. The manuscript has 616 folios, measuring 33 cm x 19.5 cm. Of these, the first 499 folios constitute the Chaurasi Vaishnava Ki Varta and the later part comprises the Nij Varta. The Chaurasi Vaishnav Ki Varta has a colophon at the end that reads: “Shri Vallabhadas’s learned son Motilal has commissioned this to reveal the deeper meaning for the benefit of the Vaishnavas. Shri Samvat 1758 (A.D. 1702) Vaishakh Krushna 17, Sunday.”

The manuscript has 85 paintings, which on closer inspection seem to have a different handwriting and condition of paper. This could mean that the illustrated pages could have been included separately, or even at a later period. Even the colophon seems to be rewritten along with the page numbers. To ascertain the period of the paintings, we may have to refer to the stylistic development of the Nathdwara painting.

Mangaladarshan (Sahastri Bhavana),A.D. 1840, 25.4 x 33.8 cm (10 x 13.31 inch)

Gval darshan (Sahastri Bhavana), Nathdwara, Rajasthan A.D. 1830, 35.23 x 26.18 cm (13.87 x 10.31 inch)

Raj bhogdarshan (Sahastri Bhavana), A.D. 1830, 34.7 x 25 cm (13.68 x 9.87 inch)

Punchari in Braj, Nathdwara, 19th century

Barsana, A.D. 1870, 40 x 29.9 cm (15.75 x 11.81 inch)

The formative stage of painting at Nathdwara is likely to have started during the period of the art loving poet Tilkayat Govardhaneshji ( A.D. 1706–1762). The period of Tilkayat Govindji (A.D. 1709–1773) and Tilkayat Girdharji ( A.D. 1768–1806) were stylistically very similar, especially in the depiction of Shrinathji. As these three tilkayats worshipped Shrinathji with vatsalya bhava, artists also followed this and depicted Shrinathji like a plumpish child with a round face, in black-indigo colour. During the time of tilkayats who followed—Damodarji, popularly known as Dauji II ( A.D. 1796–1825), Govindji ( A.D. 1820–1843) and Girdharji (A.D. 1842–1902)—the depiction of the image of Shrinathji changed. As these tilkayats worshiped Shrinathji with madhurya bhava, Shrinathji was portrayed as a youth.

Considering the illustrations on stylistic basis, we could assume that the paintings in this Chaurasi Vaishnavan ki Varta manuscript are from the first quarter of the 19th century.

The audience of this manuscript would largely have been simple Vaishnava devotees, whose concern would be with the sacred svarups,

Detail from the Varta of Padmanabhadas

Vallabhacharya and the eighty-four privileged devotees. The artist of the manuscript would have had many constraints and challenges in illustrating these simple narratives, which provide little scope for any complex compositions. In spite of such limitations the artist has shown great creativity as well as skill in creating these paintings.

In the varta of Padmanabhadas, the narrator has related the story of the discovery of the Mathuranathji svarup. According to the story, the Mathuranathji svarup was revealed when the banks of the river Yamuna collapsed. The svarup that appeared was so large that it became very difficult to perform its seva. Hence on Vallabhacharya’s request, the svarup assumed a tiny form suitable for seva. Here in this painting (size 4 inch x 4.5 inch), the entire narrative is shown very imaginatively. The svarup is shown seated on the lap of Vallabhacharya, who seems to comfort it like a child while Padmanabhadas is shown awaiting patiently to receive it.

In the varta of Puranmal Jenval, the artist has shown a large white Shrinathji temple in the background that highlights the activity in the

Detail from the Varta of Puranmal Jenval

Detail from the Varta of Padmaraval Sanchora

sanctum. This is the largest (6 inch x 3 inch) and the most striking painting in the manuscript. . In the varta of Padmaraval Sanchora, the artist has again shown his genius through the depiction of the stone svarup of Ashtabhujaji, an eight-armed Krishna/Vishnu dancing joyously.

There are many vartas in which the focal points are only the sacred objects of worship. To counter this problem of static composition, the artist has made the paintings in irregular shapes and sizes and has woven them with the text in such a way that the entire folio comes alive.

This manuscript seems to be a collaborative work between the painter, the scribe and possibly the patron who would be well conversant with the Pushtimargi culture and its intricacies. The manuscript provides an ecstatic and joyous experience to its readers, with simple paintings and a glimpse of history woven aesthetically within the narrative.

I hope In the Service of Krishna will appeal to scholars, students and enthusiasts of Indian art and literature, to followers of the Pushtimarg tradition and more broadly to anyone with an appreciation for the distinct ways in which pictures can tell stories, particularly stories that united the everyday with intimate experience of the Divine.

Amit Ambalal June 2019