Object number1972.18.2.c

Churning of the Ocean of Milk, Presided over by Krishna with Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu in his Kurma (Tortoise) Avatar and Asuras (Demons)

DateNd

Artist Indian (Indian)

CultureIndian

MediumOil, india ink and gold on paper

DimensionsMatted: 16 x 22 in. (40.64 x 55.88 cm)
Sheet: 4 15/16 x 6 7/8 in. (12.54 x 17.46 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Richard S. Leach (Aroline Beecher, class of 1921)

On View

Not on view

Period18th c

Classification(s)

Drawings and Watercolors

Vassar Exhibitions

India in Miniature: Works from the Permanent Collection

Exhibition History
Poughkeepsie, New York, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, "India in Miniature: Works from the Permanent Collection," January 24 - April 23, 2017

Label TextAccording to Hinduism, the world arose through the churning of an ocean of milk. Milk, which nourishes and nurtures, is an integral part of Hindu offering rituals, where it is often used to lustrate sculpted images of the deities. At the center of the composition is the blue deity Krishna seating on a lotus with his consort Radha. Beneath them is the pillar believed to be at the center of the world, balanced atop a manifestation of the god Vishnu as a tortoise. Wrapped around the pillar is the serpent Vasuki, his tail grasped by two gods - leopard-skin clad Shiva and four-faced Brahma - while animal-faced demons (asuras) pull at the snake's head. As the gods and demons pulled back and forth, the milk ocean was churned, bringing about ambrosia. The scene has another, microlevel layer of meaning, wherein the pillar represents the Hindu practitioner, pulled back and forth by the world, a tumult that, if successfully navigated and overcome, results in ambrosia: specifically, release from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu