Return to Paintings of India CatalogueKrishna--The Living God of Braj/D. Anand. 1992, 220 p., 191 Col. illus., 4 maps, size: 8.5" x 10.5", bibliography, $86.
Contents: Foreword/Kapila Vatsyayan. Introduction. 1. Braj. 2. Krishna. 3. Places and temples. 4. Braj parikrama. 5. Fairs and festivals. 6. Devotees. 7. Creative and performing arts. References. Glossary. Index.
From the foreword by Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan : "Krishna, the living God of Braj, inspires and evokes love and joy as much as He demands faith, devotion and, above all, surrender. Krishna is that mythic image of the Indian consciousness which is ever-present, moving in and out, playing hide-and-seek with time past and time future. To try and seek either historicity or to weave a pattern of rationality is to confine the power of the moving clouds in the sky to measurable volumes of geometry. Studies on Krishna are, therefore, as innumerable as the visions which this mythic image invokes in the minds of those who are drawn to it.
"Whether historically true or not, Krishna was born in the Braj Kshetra and He moved to Dwarka later. What is important is that the whole Kshetra of Braj is sacred because of the mythic Krishna permeates the Kshetra. Here and now, the lanes and bylanes of Vrindavan reverberate in the inner ears of the devotees with the flute of Krishna. Groves and shrubs are made sacred each day anew through faith and devotion of the Bhakatas. The loves of Krishna and the gopis and Krishna and Radha are recreated each day, each moment.
"In whatever hoary antiquity the myth was created or the historical figure born, Krishna of Harivansh purana and the Vishnu purana is rejuvenated in the Shrimad Bhagvat. This already takes nearly a thousand years. Another 500 years passed before the Kshetra of Braj comes alive with new vigour and renewal of the imagery of Krishna. Now it is the centre of the Krishna lore and Indians from all parts of India converged, as they converge today, to be in communion with this living presence.
"Dr. Anand has been magnetically pulled and attracted by this living God, as many others. The book is a sheer labour of love in which he explores the physical, historical, ritual and artistic dimensions of the Braj Kshetra. The joy of playfulness of Krishna, the fairs and the festivities, the medieval temples and the paintings, the contemporary music and dance, the floor drawings of the Sanjhis, are captured through a lense with a loving eye. I have no doubt that anyone who reads this book and sees the photographs will respond to the enchanted world of Krishna, the Living God."