The painting brilliantly manifests this metaphysical principle. In typical folk idiom of Madhubani art it renders using bright blue, the body-colour of Shiva, the right half of the figure as male, obviously, Shiva’s own form, and the left, that of gold-complexioned Shakti, his inherent feminine aspect. Whatever the mythical position, such choice of body-colours involves strange symbolism that folk traditions often reflect. Shakti’s body-colour manifests energy, while Shiva’s, the lifeless mass, which Shiva is without his inherent Shakti. Besides the two different sets of anatomy, other features, too, have such symbolic breadth.
On the Shiva’s side is his trident, the tool of destruction; Shakti, with the gesture of her arm and the leg raised in semi-dance posture, reveals rhythm, the tool of delight. Obviously, it is in his union with Shakti that his Tandava – the dance of dissolution, becomes Ananda-Tandava – dissolution for delightful re-creation. His right half wears a skull-garland – the death and decay; parallel to it are flowers flowing down from Shakti’s shoulder along her sari like a waving stream, besides her jewels, symbolic of life and beauty. Otherwise presiding over destruction, death and decay Shiva, when in union with Shakti, represents also the life and the beauty. Shiva’s Nandi, the bull, seated on right, lacks agility and readiness, Shakti’s mount, the robust lion, stands ready to charge. Even the tiger head appended to the skin Shiva-Shakti is seated on reveals tension on its right half, and jubilation, on the left.
In the course of creation and its slow progress, Brahma realised that with ‘maithuni srashti’ – procreation by self-generating sexual union, alone it could gain momentum. Brahma himself, Vishnu and other gods, all mere males, could not instrument ‘maithuni-srashti’. Shiva alone was Brahma, manifest and unmanifest, representing not merely the male and the female but also all animate and inanimate aspects. It was Shiva alone who could create ‘the female’ by separating his feminine aspect and thus the separated male and female could unite sexually and the process of ‘maithuni-srashti’ could begin. Hence, for Shiva’s favour Brahma entered into a long penance. Appreciating Brahma’s objective Shiva appeared before him. He had a half male-half female form – Ardhanarishvara. On Brahma’s prayer Shiva separated Shakti, his feminine aspect, from his being. Brahma then prayed Shakti, herself or her part, to be born as the daughter of his son Daksha. The prayer was granted and a part of her was born as Daksha’s daughter Sati. She wedded Shiva. Shakti, after Sati’s death, was re-born as Parvati, Himvan’s daughter, and was again married to Shiva. The painting represents Shiva in his Ardhanarishvara form but it portrays no part of the Brahma related event.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.
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