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Yogini with Disciple
Opaque watercolour on paper. 18th century,
Murshidabad, Bengal/India. Victoria and Albert Museum.
'In a peaceful remote hermitage, a disciple plays a double-gourded vina for her female guru, who listens attentively to the music with a yoga support band around her knees. A peacock-feather flywhisk, an attribute of yoginīs, lies at her side. Both yoginīs wear the salmon-colour robes, rudraksha beaded necklaces, and large earrings (darshani) that are characteristic of the Nātha ascetic order. The sparse composition and subdued colours communicate the peaceful atmosphere of the guru's ashram. A sandy riverbank, the sky, a simple white kuti (hut), and the restrained postures of the two women further enhance the mood of tranquillity.' Devi: The Great Goddess, Smithsonian Institution, 1999. |
