Akrura Invites Krishna and Balarama to Mathura

Historical period(s)
Pre-Mughal period, ca. 1525-40
School
Pre-Mughal School
Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 19.5 x 28.4 cm (7 11/16 x 11 3/16 in)
Geography
North India, Delhi-Agra
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1966.32
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
Balarama, Bhagavata Purana, cow, family, India, Krishna, Sanskrit
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

The Bhagavata Purana (Song of the Lord), possibly first compiled in Sanskrit about 1200 and later translated into regional vernaculars, was the product of a long oral tradition.  It is an immense work, comprising 18,000 verses in 11 books. Book ten remains the most popular of these, for it deals with the life of Krishna, the young cowherd and prince who was the god Vishnu incarnate. This manuscript is the earliest illustrated Bhagavata presently known.

In the story illustrated here, the elderly and pious Akrura has come to invite Krishna and his brother, Balarama, to Mathura to compete in an athletic contest. According to the Sanskrit text: "After inquiring about his journey, and offering him a high seat, Balarama washed his (Akrura's) feet with due formality and offered him articles of Madhuparka (such as honey, ghee, curds, water). Having presented a cow to the guest and after massaging him as he was fatigued, the powerful lord (Krishna) served to him with reverence a preparation of pure food with a variety of excellences."

Published References
  • Masters of Indian Painting. Exh. cat. Zurich. vol. 1: pp. 77-88, fig. 8.
  • D.J. Ehnbom. Indian Miniatures: The Ehrenfeld Collection. New York. pls. 1, 2.
  • D.J. Ehnbom. The Dispersed Bhagavta Purana. Berkeley. .
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court. Exh. cat. Washington, 1981. cat. 3a, p. 48.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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