Vamana in Literature and Art

Vamana in Literature and Art [ sahitye kalayam ca vamanah] / By Dr. B. N. Sharma ; National Museum, New Delhi / 54-64

VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART BY B. N. SHARMA [ asminnibandhe lekhaka mahodayena vaidikasahitye sahityagranthesu puranetihasayoscopalabdhasya vamanacaritasya samksiptam vivaranam prastuya vividha samgrahalayesu upalabdhanam vamanamurtinam paricaya vaisistyanca pradattam | ante ca citrakalasu upalabdhanam kesancidvamanacitranamapi paricayah pradattah | puranadisu vamanapujaya ullekhah kesancana vamanamandiranam ca nirdeso vartate yenanumiyate yadvamanapuja pracinakale pracalita srasit | samprati ya vamanamurttaya upalabhyante tasu kascana tu dasavataramurttisu prapyante, kascana visnumuttisu prapyante | kavana murtayo dvibahudharah kascana ca visnumanuharantyascaturbadharascatursu hastesu ca sankhacakadi- visnvayudhah santi | puranesu murtisastragranyesu ca yat vamanasvarupam varinatamasti, tadanusaram vamanah chatri, dandi, jati, mekhalajinadharah kharvasarirasca varnitah | vamanamurttayah esam laksananamanurupa eva santi, srasu vamanamuttisu kascana srstiyavarsasya pracinakale nirmitah, kascana madhyayuge vinirmitah kascana carvacinakale'pi nirmitah santi | esam sarvesam visayanamatra samksiptam vivaranam pradattam | lekho'yam copayuktairvamana- citraisca samyojitah | dhyato harati yah papam svapne drstasca papinam | tamupendramaham visnum namami pranatapriyam || Padma Purana, Patala Khanda, 89, 76. Mention of Vamana in Early Literature Vamana-Trivikrama, the fifth incarnation of Lord Visnul, has a clearly Vedic origin and is repeatedly mentioned in the Rg-Veda as taking the three steps to measure the three worlds: idam visnurvicakrame tredha nidadhe padam | samuhamasya pamsure || - RV 1, 22, 18. 1. See for details our paper "Vamana and Vishu", Purana, Varanasi, VIII, 2, pp. 246 f.

Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART and yasyorusu trisu vikramanesvadhiksiyanti bhuvanani visva || ya idam dirgham prayatam sadhasthameko vimame tribhiritpadebhih || yasya tri purna madhuna padanyaksiyamana svadhaya madanti | ya u tridhatu prthivimu॒ta dyameko dadhara bhuvanani visva || 55 -RV. 1, 154, 2-4. According to the Satapatha Brahmana² Vamana is Visnu; vamano ha visnurasa - SB, 1, 2, 5, 5. In the Samaveda Samhita it is stated that Visnu took form of Vamana and traversed the universe with his three steps. In the Ramayana of Valmiki, Visvamitra while telling Rama about Siddhasrama relates the story of Vamana: iha rama mahabaho visnurdevanamaskrtah | varsani subahuniha tatha yugasatani ca || tapascaranayogarthamuvasa sumahatapah 1 esa purvasramo rama vamanasya mahatmanah 11 siddhasrama iti khyatah siddho yatra mahatapah | etasminneva kale tu raja vairocanirbalih || nirjitya daivataganan sendran saha marudganan ! karayamasa tadrajyam trisu lokesu visrutah || yajnam cakara sumahanasurendro mahabalah | balestu yajamanasya devah sagnipurogamah | samagamya svayam caiva visnumucurihasrame || balirvairocanirvisno yajate yajnamuttamam | asamaptavrate tasmin svakaryamabhipadyatam || ye cainamabhivartante yacitara itastatah | yacca yatra yathavacca sarvam tebhyah prayacchati || 2. See also 5, 2, 5, 4 and 13, 2, 2, 9, etc. 3. 3, 1, 3, 9 and 12, 2, 8, 5, 1, 2 etc..

56 sa tvam puranam - PURANA surahitarthaya mayayogamupasritah | vamanatvam gato visno kuru kalyanamuttamam || [Vol. XII, No. 1 -- Ramayana, 1, 29, 2-9. He again repeats this story and says that Visnu taking his descent through Aditi assumed the form of the divine dwarf, went to Bali for three steps of land. After he was granted the boon by the king, Vamana covered the (three) worlds taming Bali by his might, and restored it to Indra. Thus, the Lord, placed all the three worlds once more under the sway of Indra. It was through the devotion to the aforesaid Lord Vamana alone that the hermitage was occupied by him too : atha visnurmahateja adityam samajayata | vamanam rupamasthaya vairocanimupagamat || trin padanatha miksitva pratigrhya ca medinim | akramya lokamllokarthi sarvalokahite ratah || mahendraya punah pradanniyamya balimonasa | trailokyam sa mahatejascakre sakravasam punah || tenaiva purvamakranta asramah sramanasanah | mayapi bhaktya tasyaiva vamanasyopabhujyate || - Ramayana, 1, 29.19cd-23ab. In the Mahabharata, Siva relates in detail to Jayadratha the glorification of Krsna in his various avataras. While describing his Vamana avatara, Siva says that Aditi (the mother of Indra) before giving birth to this noble child kept him in her womb for one thousand years. kasyapasyatmanah srimanaditya garbhadharitah | purne varsasahasre tu prasuta garbhamuttamam || - MB, Vana, 272, 62. The dwarf was dark like the clouds, held a staff and a water-pot in his hands and bore a sri vatsa mark on the chest : durdinambhodasadrso diptakso dandi kamandaludharah vamanakrtih | srivatsorasi bhusitah || - MB, Vana, 272, 63.

Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART 57 He had Jatas and wore a necklace. Vamana then went to the place, where king Bali was performing a great sacrifice. The king whole-heartedly welcomed him and offered his services to him. Vamana blessed Bali and asked for three steps of land only : nati yajnopaviti ca bhagavan balarupadhrk | yajnavatam gatah sriman danavendrasya vai tada || brhaspatisahayo'sau pravisto balino makhe | tam drstva vamanatanum prahrsto balirabravit || prito'smi darsane vipra bruhi tvam kim dadani te | evamuktastu balina vamanah pratyuvaca ha | svastityuktva balim devah smayamano 'bhyabhasata | medinim danavapate dehi me vikramatrayam || -MB, Vana., 272, 64-67. Bali willingly granted him the required land. In order to measure the land, the dwarf instantly transformed himself into a divine colossus : balirdadau prasannatma viprayamitatejase | tato divyadbhutatamam rupam vikramato hareh || vikramaistribhiraksobhyo jaharasu sa medinim | dadau sakaya ca mahim visnurdevah sanatanah || - MB, Vana, 272, 68-69. At another place in the same work, Bhisma tells to Yudhisthira in brief that Visnu had measured the three worlds in his dwarf form: vrtte devasure yuddhe daityadanavasamksaye || visnukrantesu lokesu devaraje satakratau | ijyamanesu devesu caturvanrye vyavasthite || samrddhamatre trailokye pritiyukte svayambhuvi | - MB, Santi, 227, 7-8. The above statements are also supported by the PadmaPurana :1 4. See also the Matsya Purana, Chs. 244-46. 8

58 puranam - PURANA asvakante rathakante visnukrante vasundhare | [Vol. XII, No. 1 -PP., Uttara Khanda, 40, 28 and 47, 43. and tvaya lokastrayah kantah pura svairvikramaistribhih || tvayendrasca krto raja valirbaddho mahasurah | - PP, Uttara Khanda 77, 18. Besides these, the celebrated poet Kalidasa also refers to Vamana in a beautiful verse as having taken the kingdom of Bali : tamudvahantam pathibhojakanyam rurodha rajanyaganah sa drptah | balipradistam sriyamadadanam traivikramam padamivendrasatruh || Worship of Vamana || - Raghuvamsa, 7, 35. Worship of Vamana appears to have been in vogue in ancient India. The Matsya Purana" refers to a temple at Kruksetra dedicated to Visnu as Vamana. A magnificent temple built in honour of Vamana also exists at Khajuraho. In the garbhagrha of this temple is enshrined a 4' 8" image of the god showing also the various incarnations of Visnu and the personified weapons on its either side. The arms of the deity are now lost. SCULPTURAL Vamana in Art. Vamana is generally shown either in dasavatara panels (Plate I) or on the stele of a Visnu image along with other incarnations. A colossal dasavatara slab found at Kumher shows Vamana and other incarnations standing in a row. An interesting feature in this panel is that over these figures are also depicted It relates to the 10th seated sapta-matrkas and Navagrahas. century A. D. and is displayed in the Bharatpur Museum (No. 54). A meticulously executed standing image of Visnu from Lotana shows on its back frame miniature figures of Matsya, Varaha, on his right and Kacchapa, Vamana, Rama and Buddha Narasimha, Parasurama, Balarama and Kalki on the left. It is 5. Ibid. 6. K. Deva, Ancient India, New Delhi, No. 15, 1959, p. 57.

Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART 59 datable to 11th century A. D. and is housed in the Rajputana Museum, Ajmer (No. 303). In such images, Vamana is mostly represented as a fat Brahmacarin carrying an umbrella and a staff in his hands. A beautiful description of such an image is given in the Agni Purana : chatri dandi vamanah syadathava syacca turbhujah | AP, 49, 5. Vamana sometimes is also represented below the upraised leg of Trivikrama asking King Bali for three steps of land. A remarkably executed sculpture of Trivikrama from Kasipur depicts in the lower panel king Bali pouring sacred water from a jar on the right hand of Vamana, who is standing on his left carrying a Chatra in his left hand and wearing a yajnopavita and a kaupina. His curly locks of hair are tied up in a knot and he looks like a dwarf Brahmacari The scene finds a literary description in the Vamana Purana: sa vamano nati dandi chatri dhrtakamandaluh | sarvadevamayo devo baleradhvaramabhyagat || || VP. 9, 39. The image in some respects tallies with the description given in the Vaikhanasagama : atha vamanam pancatalamitim dvibhunam chatradandadharam kaupinavasasam sikhapustakamekha lopavita krsnajina- samayutam pavitrapani balarupam brahmavarcasvinam karayet | The sculpture belongs to the Pratihara art of the 11th century A. D. and is displayed in the National Museum, New Delhi (No. L. 143). The earliest independent image of Vamana assignable to the Kusana period, c. 2nd century A. D., is preserved in the State Museum, Lucknow (No. J. 610). The hair of the god is arranged in spiral curls and his lower garment is worn in typical Kusana style⁹. 7. T. A. G. Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography, Delhi, 1968, I, II, Appendix C. p. 36. 8. 9. R. C. Agrawala East and West, Rome, N. S. 17, 3-4, p. 282, fig. 23. N. P. Joshi, Bulletin of Museums and Archeology in U. P. Lucknow, Dec. 1968, No. 2, p. 21, pl. V.

60 60 puranam - PURANA [Vol. XII, No. 1 Such sculptures of Vamana of the Gupta period are extremely rare, as the deity is generally shown in the lower panels of the images of Trivikrama described above. A sculpture of Trivikrama of this period housed in the Mathura Museum (No. I 19) depicts in the lower panel, 'king Bali pouring water from a jar symbolising his gift of earth measuring three steps to Vamana 10. Thereupon, we learn, Vamana in his virat form as Trivikrama bestrided the worlds with his left leg. This Puranic story is also recorded indirectly in a contemporary epigraph, which relates that Visnu, for the sake of happiness, of (Indra) the lord of the gods, seized back from (the demon) Bali the goddess of the wealth and splendour , who is admitted to be worthy of enjoyment, (and) who has been kept away from him for a very long time: Sriyam- abhimata- bhogyam naika- kal- apanitam tridasapati- sukh arttham yo Baler = ajahara! Kamala- nilayanayah sasvatam dhama Laksmy- ah sa jayati vijit- arttir- Visnur = atyanta- jisnuh||11 A post-Gupta sculpture in the Allahabad Museum (No. 292) depicts the two-armed Vamana as a Brahmacari wearing a Krsnajino pavita. An iconographic reference to it is found in the Visnudharmottara Purana: kartavyo vamano devah sankatairgatraparvabhih | pinagatrasca kartavyo dandi cadhyayanodyatah || durvasyamasca kartavyah krsnajinadharastatha | sajalambudasamkasastatha karyastrivikramah || 11 -Vdh. P., 85, 54-55. The independent images of Vamana of the mediaeval period 12 are invariably four-armed and carry the Vaisnavite attributes in their hands : vamanastu sankhacakragadapadmalasatkarah | Rupamandana, 10. V. S. Agrawala, Journal of the U. P. Historical Society, Lucknow, XXII, 1949, p. 109. 11. See the Junagadh Inscription of the time of Skandagupta, J. F. Fleet, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, III, Calcutta, 1888, pp. 58-9. 12. For a contemporary literary description of Vamana incarnation, see the Aparajitaprccha of Bhuvanadeva, Baroda, 1950, 60-61.

Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART 61 The National Museum at New Delhi, has some interesting images of Vamana in its collection. Among these, an excellent sculpture of the deity (fig II) carved in round is made of black stone (No. 62. 476). Unfortunately, the arms and feet of this figure of the pot-bellied deity are lost. Another image of fourarmed Vamana is quite interesting as it holds an umbrella besides a rosary, lotus and a circular object in his hands (No. 58.10/1; Pl. III). A similar image of the mediaeval period is also preserved in the Mathura Museum 14 (No. 1025). (No. 1025). The Matsya Purana 15 13 gives a reference to such an image: sa vamano nati dandi chatri ghrtakamandaluh | sarvadevamayo bhusa baleradhvaramabhyagat || yatra yatra padam bhuyo bhubhage vamano dadau | dadati bhumirvivaram tatra tatrapi pidita || MP. 245, 88-89. Another image of Vamana from Bihar belongs to the Pala period of the 10th-11th century A.D. (No. 65 140, Pl. IV). In this sculpture, he wears a crown as also shown in the image of the deity preserved in the Asutosh Museum, Calcutta. 16 He holds a disc in the upper right hand and a lotus in his upper left, an indistinct object in the lower right and a conch in the lower left. The eleventh century sculpture of Vamana" from Rajasthan (No. 63. 663; Pl. V) holds a gada and a cakra in his upper hands while his lower arms are broken and lost. He is flanked by the incarnations of Visnu and other figures. Another interesting image (No. 66.16 ; Pl VI) of the twelfth century from Central India, holds a gada in the rear right hand and a sankha in the front left. His front right hand is in varada-pose, while the rear left arm is lost. This finely executed sculpture also depicts all the incarnations of Visnu on its either side. 13. R. C. Agrawala, op. cit., p. 282, fig. 24. 14. Ibid., V. S. Agrawala, op. cit., p. 123. 15. Ibid. 16. J. N. Banerjea, The Development of Hindu Iconography, Calcutta, 1956, pl. XXIII, fig. I. 17. B. N. Sharma, Roopa-Lekha, New Delhi, XXXV, 1 & 2, p. 33, pl. VI. 1

62 puranam - PURANA [Vol. XII, No. 1 A twelfth century sculpture of Vamana carved in red-sand A stone (from Central India) has curls of hair on his head. 18 daggar is tucked to his waist on the right. The attributes held by the deity are in the same order as referred to in an earlier image (No. 66.16). Near his feet stand sankha-purusa and cakra-purusa and the devotee figures. A contemporary black stone image of Vamana from Sambhar is also very much similar to the sculpture just described above. But in this sculpture, Vamana carries a mace It in his upper left hand and bears a Srivatsa mark 19 on the chest. is now on display in the Central Museum, Jaipur (No. 11201;20 Pl. VII). The Khajuraho Museum 21 also preserves a fine sculpture of Vamana with curly hair on his head. Though charming in execution, it is yet less elaborate in details as compared to the image enshrined in the Vamana temple there. 22 The Central Archaeological Museum at Gwalior has two fine sculptures of Vamana. The one from Naderi shows the dwarf god standing and holding conch and disc in the left and club and lotus in the right hands. Two figures stand on either side of the deity. The other image, which was discovered at Narwar is about 4' high and is a magnificent example of the 12th century A. D. Vamana stands on a pedestal resting on three devotees, while two other worshippers sit on his either side. He carries a conch, disc, club in his three hands, while his one hand is in abhaya-pose The sculpture, as also recorded in the Brahmavaivarta Purana depicts the figures of other incarnations of Visnu.33 Mention can also be made of a fine sculpture of Vamana at The deity is shown as Arthuna in Rajasthan. 24 a dwarfish $9 18. J. Leroy Davidson, Art of the Indian Subcontinent from Los Angles Collections, Los Angles, 1968, fig. 52. 19. C. Sivaramamurti, Ancient India, New Delhi, No. 6, 1950, pp. 44- 4045, fig. 29. 20. R. C. Agrawala, Journal of Indian Museum, Bombay, XIV-XVI, p. 14, pl. 10a. 21. R. Avasthi, Khajuraho ki Deva Pratimayen, Agra, 1967, fig. 34. 22. Ibid., fig. 33. 23. See our paper, Bharatiya Murti Kala men Trivikrama, Muni Jina Vijaya Abhinandana Grantha, Jaipur, pl. I, (Under print); Tripathaga, Lucknow, Nov. 1966, pp. 73-74 and plate. 24. R. C. Agrawala, Journal of Indian Museum, Bombay, XIV-XVI, P. 15.

A Jan., 1970] VAMANA IN LITERATURE AND ART 63 Brahmacari putting on a langoti. His hair is beautifully plained and tied into a sikha on the head. He holds in the upper hands a lotus and a manuscript and the lower right hand is supporting a aksasutra. Another equally charming specimen is displayed in the Rajputana Museum, Ajmer 25 (No. 443). Unfortunately, the hands of the deity are damaged, but probably he carried a lotus in the upper right hand and a rosary in the lower right. One of the finest images of Vamana from Uttar Pradesh is the one discovered long ago at Sitapur and now preserved in the State Museum, Lucknow (H-127). The image is carved in usual manner and shows flying celestials on either side of his head. It belongs to the early mediaeval period. 26 We have not seen any image of Vamana where the deity is represented like an ill-shaped man with hunch back as referred to in the Silpa-ratna:27 krsnajinyupaviti syacchatri dhrtakamandaluh | kundali sikhaya yuktah kubjakaro mahodarah || -Silpa-ranta. The images of this incarnation of Visnu have also been recorded from South India. 28 Fashioning of the images of Vamana continued also in the post-mediaeval period. A four-armed standing image of Vamana attended by two pair of devotees on his either side, is a splendid example of the sculptural art of the early 12th century. The image is now on display in the Bharatpur Museum (No. 77). The Puranic story of Bali-Vamana is also found illustrated in the miniature paintings of this period. Several such paintings of the Bhagavata Purana series depicting this theme are preserved in the museums. Mention can also be made of a very fine painting (c. 18th century A.D.) now on display in the Bharatpur Museum. It illustrates king Bali seated on his throne along with his consort and pouring ceremonial water on the hands of the dwarfish god 25. Ibid. 26. J. N. Banerjea, Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art, XIV, pp. 6-7. 27. T. A. G. Rao, Op. Cit., p. 37. 28. J. Dubreuil, Iconography of South India, Paris, 1937, p. 78.

64 puranam - PURANA [Vol. XII, No. 1 Vamana standing before them. In this particular painting the deity is wearing a crown and the quaint jewellery of the period. The one eyed Sukracarya, the guru of Bali, is standing on the left of Vamana and trying to dissuade the king to do so. In another contemporary Pahari painting 30, Vamana is represented not as a young brahmacari but as an old rsi or a saint. His hair and the long beard are shown white. The body of the dwarfish pot-bellied god is nude excepting that he wears a white dhoti, and carries an umbrella in one of his hands. It appears that in spite of the iconographic variations, the fashioning of the images of Vamana was a favourite subject among the artists in India and his worship was quite popular in all the ages!. 29. S. S. Lal, Catalogue and Guide to the State Museum, Bharatpur, Jaipur, 1960-61, pl. XV. 30. Our colleague Sri V. P. Dwivedi has kindly drawn my attention to this painting and I am grateful to him for the same. 31. Photographs have been obtained through the courtesy of the Director, National Museum, New Delhi, and have been nicely prepared by Sri N. Shah, Photographer. The photograph of Plate VII has been kindly supplied by Dr. Satya Prakash Srivastava, Director, Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of Rajasthan, Jaipur. For photograph of plate VIII I am grateful to sri R. B. Narayana, curator, Sanskrit University Museum, Varanasi.

Plate 1 Courtesy: National Museum, New Delhi, 68.103

Plate II 3° 88 0° 0% 30 ° 08 00 0a 88 Courtesy National Museum, New Delhi, : 62.476

Plate III Courtesy: National Museum, New Delhi, 58. 10/1

fig Plate IV Courtesy National Museum, New Delhi 65.140

aa Plate V Courtesy National Museum, New Delhi 63.663

Plate VI Courtesy: National Museum, New Delhi 66.16

Plate VII Courtesy Central Museum, Jaipur, No. 11201

Plate VIII (Miniature Painting) 0 Vaman asking Bali for three paces of land, Sukracarya standing in the extreme right in sorrowful mood. (Courtesy: Sanskrit University Museum, Varanasi, No. 59.52/6)