“Plush mango sprouts are his arrows sharp,
a row of bees his elegant bowstring— my dear,
the warrior that is spring has now arrived to pierce the hearts…”
Writes Kalidasa, the illustrious Sanskrit playwright in his “Ritusamharam”, describing the beauty of Vasant or spring. Filled with fragrant air, decorated with beautiful flowers, and accompanied by Sringaar (beauty and romance), Vasant in Indian culture announces the advent of a season of goodness, festivity, abundance, and pleasure. The artistic, literary, and oral traditions of the country are thus filled with celebrations of Vasant, the Sahachara, or friend of the Lord of Love, Kamadeva.
In the Satikhanda of Rudrasamhita of Shiva Purana, the conversation between Kamadeva and Lord Brahma is described. The lord of love asks the creator, for a powerful companion and weapons, for his task of bringing Shiva out of his meditative state.
As Brahma draws a deep breath, a young man, ornamented with garlands of flowers is born, brimming with beauty, and complete with all auspicious features. He was Vasant. The dark-skinned Vasant brought with him a bloom of nature- causing flowers to blossom and birds to sing, which transformed the ambiance into a heavenly one.
Seeing this, Brahma was pleased and introduced the divine man to Kamadeva as his friend. Vasant from the moment of his birth was to accompany Kamadeva, empowering and amplifying his effects on all beings. By quickly transforming the state of space, Vasant has the power to cause romance, love, affection, and bliss, making it a welcome presence in the culture of India.
“In the woodland, everywhere,
the flame of the forest trees have shed all their leaves,
their branches bent with flowers bright as blazing fire,
and the earth gleams in the spring,
like a new bride in red attire” (Ritusamharam)
The beauty of nature in the spring season or Vasant Ritu has been a popular element in the poetry and prose of Indian history. From Kalidas to Keshavdas whose works inspired the Baramasa (paintings of twelve seasons), writers have been moved by the enchanting ambiance of spring.
Described as a young, dark-skinned, and beautiful man, Vasant becomes fused with the image of Sri Krishna, the young god and the supreme symbol of beauty and romance in Indian thought.
In the rich tradition of Ragamala paintings, where the mood and characteristics of a Raga (musical notes) are represented through the subject and their surroundings, the figure of Krishna as Raga Vasant is a favorite of artists, who found the perfect symbol of Sringaar (beauty) and Prema (romance) in the cowherd god.
Raga Vasanta
In this classic representation of Krishna as Vasant in the idiom of Kangra Ragamala painting, one can see a variety of flora blossoming on the trees in the background and vivid flowers in the foreground of the painting. Krishna appears on the banks of Yamuna with two gopis, one probably Radha, who accompany him in his blissful dance as musicians.
Flowers are the central motif of the idiom (as symbols of Vasant), with the Mridanga (drum) also decorated with stylized floral vines. The sway of Krishna’s scarf suggests movement- of the body as well as the fragrant air of the spring season, filling the floral frame of the painting with a timeless beauty.
Participating in the charm of nature and Vasant (spring), people during the season put swings on trees, swinging with the sweet breeze of spring, enjoying with loved ones the arrival of the new season. Jhoola or Hindola (swing) is an integral part of the festivities of spring, becoming a rich motif in Indian artworks. Following the tradition of seeing Krishna as the perfect hero, Ragamala paintings depict Raga Hindola, a melody celebrating the season of spring and its joys, through the image of Krishna.
Hindola Raga
In this specimen of Kangra school, Krishna is at the heart of the painting, accompanied by Radha who is wrapped in a golden veil, gazing into the eyes of her beloved. Gopis surrounds the couple, each dressed in traditional attire, dancing, playing, and appreciating the aura of Radha-Krishna’s Hindola Lila, a beautiful occasion for devotees of the Lord, celebrated during the spring season.
Gardens charming and adorned with jasmine blossoms
white and gleaming,
like the smile of a beautiful bride,
steal the hearts even of sages
free of passion— (Ritusamharam)
Freshly bloomed, delicate, and fragrant flowers continue to be the focus of poets writing on Vasant. Flowers are the Sringaar or ornament of Vasant. In the Ragamala paintings, flowers feature beautifully with Ragini Vasanti, the wife of Raga Hindola. She is seen as a young maiden, standing in a groove, plucking flowers eagerly, as if preparing for the arrival of her beloved in the season of romance.
Ragini Vasanti (The Joy of Spring)
Dressed exquisitely, the Ragini is also a heroine or Nayika in love, comparable to the Vasaksajja Nayika (a bedecked heroine who waits in her bed-chamber, for the arrival of her lover). Ragini Vasanti appears to be the mood of the heroine who is preparing herself and her chambers for the most awaited union, collecting aromatic gifts of nature for her Nayaka (hero).
The presence of spring in the culture of India is timeless and varied, with each state and region having its own ways of extending a hearty welcome to “Rituraja”- the king of seasons. The essence of Vasant lies in a celebration of life itself. It is a collective acknowledgment of the changes in life and a festival of hope, that after every long winter, comes spring.
1. Ritusamharam by Kalidasa
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