The birth of Rama and his brothers, from Chapter 17 of the Bala Kanda (Book of Childhood) of the Adhyatma Ramayana (Rama's Journey of the Supreme Spirit) from the Brahmanda Purana (Ancient Scripture of the Cosmic Egg)
c. 1820–30
Maker Unknown
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
The birth of Rama and his brothers, from Chapter 17 of the Bala Kanda (Book of Childhood) of the Adhyatma Ramayana (Rama's Journey of the Supreme Spirit) from the Brahmanda Purana (Ancient Scripture of the Cosmic Egg), c. 1820–30. Northern India, Pahari Region, Himachal Pradesh, Rajput Kingdom of Kangra, Court of Aniruddh Chand (reigned 1823–33). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; image: 25.1 x 34 cm (9 7/8 x 13 3/8 in.); page: 29.9 x 38.5 cm (11 3/4 x 15 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1953.13 King Dasharatha thought his wife Kaikeyi, shown sleeping, was the most beautiful of his three wives.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Painting
- Formatted Medium
- Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 25.1 x 34 cm (9 7/8 x 13 3/8 in.); Page: 29.9 x 38.5 cm (11 3/4 x 15 3/16 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: [[verso, in Sanskrit]] aśame māsi kausalyā suṣuve putramadbhutam madhumāse site pakśe navamyāṁ karkaṭe śubhe punarvakhṛkśasahite uccasye grahapañcake meṣaṁ pūṣaṇī saṁprāpte puṣpavṛṣtisamākule āvirāsījjagannathaḥ paramātmā sanātanaḥ nīlotpaladalaśyāmaḥ pītavāsaścaturbhujaḥ jalajāruṇanetrantaḥ sphuratkuṇḍalamaṇḍitaḥ sahastrārkapratīkāśaḥ kirīṭī kuñcitālakaḥ śaṅkhacakragadāpadyavanamālāvirājitaḥ anugrahākhyahṛtsthendusūcakasmitacandrikaḥ karuṇārasasampūrṇavishālotpalalocanaḥ śrīvatsahārakeyūranū purādivibhūṣaṇa. dṛṣṭvā taṁ paramātmānaṁ kausalyā vikhayākulā harṣaśrupūrṇanayanā natvā prāñjalirabravīt kausalyovāca devadeva namastestu śṁkhacakragadādhara parmātmācyutonantaḥ pūrṇastvaṁ puruṣottamaḥ vadantyagocaraṁ vācāṁ buddhathādīnāmatīndriyam tvāṁ vedavādinaḥ sattamātraṁ jnanaikavigraham svameva māyayā viśvaṁ sṛjasvavasi haṁsi ca sattvadiguṇasaṁyuktasturya evāmalaḥ sadā karoviva na kartā svaṁ gacchasīva na gacchasi śṛṇoṣi na śṛṇovīva paśyasīva na paśyasi agrāṇo śmanāḥ suddha ityādi śrutirabravīt samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhaapi na lakśyase ajnānadhvāntacitānāṁ vyakta eva sumedhasām jaṭhare tava dṛśṁyante brahmāṇḍāḥ paramāṇavaḥ tvaṁ mamodarasambhūta iti lokānviḍambase bhakteṣu pāravaśyaṁ te dṛṣṭaṁ megha raghūttama saṁsārasāgare magnā patiputradhanādiṣu bhramāmi māyayā tegha pādamūlamupāgatā deva tvadrūpametanme sadā tiṣṭhatu mānase āvṛṇotu na māṅ māyā tava viśvavimohinī upasaṁhara viśvāsma ado rūpamalaukikam darśayasva mahānandabālabhāvaṁ sukomalam lalitāliṁganālāpaistariṣyāmyutkataṁ tamaḥ śrībhagavānuvāca yadyadiṣṭhaṁ tavāstyamba tattadravatu nānyatha ahaṁ tu brahmaṇā pūrvaṃ bhūmerbhārāpanuttye prārthito rāvaṇaṃ mānuṣatvamupāgataḥ svayā daśarathenāhaṁ tapasārādhitaḥ purā matputratvābhikāḍikśaṇyā tathā kṛtamanindite rūpametatvayā dṛṣṭaṃ prāttanaṃ tapasaḥ phalam maddarshanaṃ vimokśāya kalpate hmanyadurlabhaṁ saṁvādamāvayoryastu paṭheddhā ṣṛṇuyādapi sa yāti mama sārūpyaṁ maraṇe matsmṛtiṃ labhet ityuktvā mātaraṁ rāmo bālo bhūtvā ruroda ha bālatvepīndranīlābho viśālakśotisundaraḥ bālāruṇapratīkāśo lālitākhilalokapaḥ atha rājā daśarathaḥ śrutvā putrodbhavotsavam ānandārṇavamagnpsāvāyayau guruṇa saha rāmaṁ rājīvapatrākśaṁ dṛṣtvā harṣaśrusaṁplutaḥ guruṇa jātakarmāṇi kartavyāni cakāra saḥ kaikeyī cātha bharatamasūta kamalekśaṇa sumitrāyāṁ yayau jātau purṇendusadṛśānanau Translation: In the tenth month, Kaushalya gave birth to an exceptional child. The supreme spirit, the eternal being, and the lord of all, incarnated in the month of Chaitra amidst a shower of flowers on the ninth day of the bright fortnight under the constellation of Punarvasu in the auspicious zodiacal sign of cancer when the five planets[the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus] were ascending and the sun was in the sign of the ram (Mesha). Blue in complexion like the petals of a lily, clad in a yellow robe, with four arms, eyes tinged with lotus-red, sporting a pair of shining ear-pendants, luminous as a hundred suns, crowned with a diadem over his head of curly locks, adorned with conch, discus, mace, and lotus in his four arms and a wreath of wild flowers adorning his chest--her face lit by the sight of the lord's glorious figure, Kaushalya greeted him with hands raised and eyes brimming with tears of pleasure. "Salutations to Thee, Lord of all divinities and Weaver of celestial emblems such as the conch, discus, and mace! You, Lord, are the supreme spirit, the highest of all beings; you are eternal, all-pervasive, and unlimited. The adepts of the Vedas assert that you are indescribable through words and incomprehensible through the conceptual process of the intellect. You are the essence of all beings as pure existence, transcending the scope of the senses, and your shape is pure consciousness. You, in collaboration with the gunas of rajas, sattva, and tamas, create, maintain, and destroy the cosmos with your power known as maya. But you are always the pure being, the fourth that transcends waking, dreaming, and sleeping. You appear to be a doer, but you are not; you appear to be moving, but you are not; you appear to be hearing, but you are not; and you appear to be seeing, but you are not. Without life, without consciousness, and untouched - this is how the Vedas describe you. Though you reside as an unaltered being in all beings, you are beyond the reach of those whose minds are clouded by ignorance; only those with a clear mind can recognize you. All of the world systems in the cosmos are no larger than the atoms in your abdomen. Following the world's ways, you are born from my womb. You are the most aristocratic of Raghu's descendants! Today, via your condescension, I have come to realize how you submit yourself to your followers. Today, I have gained your holy feet, I, who is sunk in the ocean of Samsara, the transmigratory cycle, and am forced by your illusionary power into an infatuation with husband, children, riches, and other mundane worries. O Lord! May this image of yours be forever etched in my consciousness, and may your maya, the power that hypnotizes the entire world, have no influence or power over me. Spirit of the cosmos! Deign to withdraw this superhuman form [and appear] as a baby who brings joy to everyone who beholds it. I will overcome the terrible darkness of ignorance by cuddling and conversing with you as a baby.” The Lord spoke, "O mother! Let everything transpire as you desire. It will never be different. Brahma has pleaded with me in the past to relieve the world of its burdens by eliminating Ravana. I've now taken on a human shape for this purpose. In addition, O noble lady, you and Dasharatha had undergone austerities in the past, praying that you might receive me as your son. This form of Mine that you have witnessed is a vision granted to you as a reward for the austerities you have performed in the past. This form cannot be experienced in any other manner. For, my vision bestows freedom on those who comprehend it. Those who study this discussion between us or even hear it read will remember me at the time of death and acquire sarupya, which consists of the attainment of My form.” In response, Rama assumed the form of an infant and wailed like a newborn baby. Even in his newborn form, he was incredibly gorgeous, with a skin as blue as a sapphire and exceptionally large eyes. He gleamed like the morning sun, and all the guardian deities of the four cardinal directions rejoiced at his birth. Upon hearing the joyful news of the birth of a son, King Dasharatha hurried to visit the infant, accompanied by his family priest Vasishtha. Dasharatha, whose eyes resembled lotus petals and were filled with tears of delight at the sight of the infant Rama, conducted all the birth ceremonies for him as commanded by his teacher. After that, the beautiful Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata, and Sumitra gave birth to a set of moon-faced twins. Remark: This inscription is oriented to assume a horizontal page turning.
- Departments
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Accession Number
- 1953.13
- Credit Line
- Edward L. Whittemore Fund
- Exhibitions
- Sacred India
- Rights Statement
- CC0
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