Princess Rukmini Gives a Brahmin a Message for Krishna, Folio from a Rukmini-Harana (Abduction of Rukmini)

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Princess Rukmini Gives a Brahmin a Message for Krishna, Folio from a Rukmini-Harana (Abduction of Rukmini)

India, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra, circa 1830
Drawings; watercolors
Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
Image: 8 3/4 x 12 5/8 in. (22.22 x 32.06 cm); Sheet: 9 7/8 x 13 5/8 in. (25.08 x 34.6 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Douglas (M.85.283.8)
South and Southeast Asian Art
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

The Rukmini-Harana (Abduction of Rukmini), known also as the Krishna Rukmini or Rukmini Mangala, is a major episode narrated in Book 10, Chapters 52-53 of the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the ...
The Rukmini-Harana (Abduction of Rukmini), known also as the Krishna Rukmini or Rukmini Mangala, is a major episode narrated in Book 10, Chapters 52-53 of the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord). Traditionally ascribed to the legendary poet-sage Vyasa in the 8th-10th century CE, it stresses the path of devotion (bhakti) to Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu God of Preservation. Rukmini was the daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha, Maharashtra. She was betrothed to Shishupala, the King of the Chedi Kingdom, but was secretly enamored of Krishna. When her arranged marriage in Kundinapura was announced, out of desperation Rukmini sent a trusted Brahmin to Krishna with an urgent message requesting that he rescue her. Krishna and his brother Balarama went to Kundinapura ostensibly to attend the wedding, but when Rukmini went to offer prayers at an Ambika shrine, Krishna abducted her according to their clandestine plan and they eloped to Krishna’s city of Dwarka in Gujarat. Here, Rukmini is giving a message for Krishna to a trusted Brahmin. In continuous narration, the Brahmin is shown again on the right departing the Vidarbha palace. Another folio from this dispersed series was sold by Artiana, Dubai in their October 2017 auction of South Asian Art.
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