CONCEPTO PRIMERA VEZ REINCIDENCIA UNIDAD

1) The episode of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most popular in Khmer iconography. It is therefore important to analyse some variations of the story as they appear in various original texts. In the Ramayana, Book I, chapter 44, it is clearly stated that devas and asuras “took Vasuki for their rope and Mt.

Mandara as their churn and began to chum. The first thing to appear was the physician Dhanvantari, followed by the resplendent Apsaras2 (600 million of them) which nobody accepted, thus belonging to everyone. On this account they were also called Sadharanas (prostitutes). After this came Varuna’s daughter Varuni (or Sura). The sons of Diti would not accept her, but the sons of Aditi did.

Because of this, the Daityas (Diti’s sons) became known as asuras, while the sons of Aditi, became Suras (devas). Then came Uccaishravas, foremost of the horses, followed by Kaustubba, most precious of gems, and lastly the elixir”.

In Shastri’s translation of the Ramayana (1994 edition, chapter 45), the Churning is narrated in a detailed way fitting the one illustrated in the relief. In fact the text

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says that when the rod began to sink, Vishnu assumed the form of a tortoise to sustain Mandara’s peak and allow the churning to continue. At the same time, in his divine form, he placed himself between the devas and asuras to incite them to continue the hard work. According to the text, the naga Vasuki, with five heads full of fangs, vomited floods of black venom due to his mishandling by the devas and asuras during the churning. This was enough to poison everybody had it not been for Shiva, who drank it all, his mouth remaining stained with a black line forever as a result. This episode is not part of Khmer iconography.

2) With regard to the compositional layout of the relief, the main elements of the story are arranged within a triangle, with the top-end in the image of Brahma, ideal for directing the viewer’s gaze towards the central action of the churning.

Amongst the main personages there is a semantic hierarchy: at the top, on the post, supported by a lotus-shaped base is Rama, below, at the centre is Vishnu and at both sides the Moon and the Sun. To notice that also in here, like in the larger relief of the Eastern Gallery, southern wing, the jar containing the amrita and his carrier, Dhanvantari, are missing; but this relief was left unfinished.

4) There is some controversy about the personage hanging on the pole. In my opinion he is more likely another of Vishnu’s manifestations (the main one being the Kurma incarnation), contributing to the churning activity. The alternative, that he may be Indra, is justified by the knowledge that he took for himself Airavata immediately as it was created by the churning. We know from the Vishnu Purana that he was not actively involved into the churning. Furthermore, he is represented below Brahma, which is unlikely, since he is the old Vedic God of Gods. In the larger relief of the Churning of the Eastern Gallery, southern wing, there is a small personage, possibly Indra, flying in the sky over Vishnu’s head.

3) The apsaras depicted at the very top of the relief - as in all the reliefs of the corner pavilions - may be considered to be there to praise and to marvel to the dazzling brilliance of the gods and their actions.

S.2 - KRISHNA LIFTING Mt. GOVARDHANA

Location: south-west corner pavilion, northern arm, eastern wall (PL 1).

1 . THE TEXT

The story is narrated in the B^gftavata Purana, Book 10, chapter 25, as well as in the Vishnu Purana, Book 5, chapters 10-11, and the Harivamsa, Book 2, chapter

15.

In the Bhagavata Purana we are told that Krishna does not approve that the gopas (cowherds) are presenting offerings and making sacrifices to Indra, doing the so called Indra-yaga, and advises them to make them - instead - to Mt.

Govardhana (the top part of Mt. Kailasa). The cowherds, headed by Nanda, oblige and make the offerings by circumambulating Mt. Govardhana, by keeping it to the right. At this moment, Krishna announces that Mt. Govardhana is himself, that the mountain can take any forms he likes. In seeing this, Indra gets enraged and directs down to earth a host of the terrible Samvartaka clouds that brings about the destruction of the Universe. He declares that he wants to annihilate Nanda’s friends and their cattle, and will follow them with his elephant Airavata together with his troop of martus3 of enormous prowess. The terrified cowherds beg Krishna for help. At once Krishna, like a child, easily uproots Mt.

Govardhana with one hand (left hand) and holds it up sportily for seven days without moving his position. Noticing this miraculous event, Indra - his pride broken and plans shattered (“shorn of pride and thwarted of his design”) - refrains his Samvartaka clouds. Noticing that the sky is cleared of clouds and the sun is out, Krishna pacifies and preaches his crowd, who thereafter happily return to their camps, full of praise for the Lord.

Later (chapter 27) Indra admits his perversity, ignorance and stupidity, and asks pardon from Krishna, who he crowns as the Supreme Ruler by proclaiming him as the “Govinda” in this world (divine ‘cow-keeper’).

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protagonists are shepherds themselves, as indicated by the herdsman’s crook (or staff) that Krishna holds with his left hand and Balarama, with his right arm over the shoulder. Krishna’s headgear is made of a mukuta surmounted by long hairs tied up in 3 knots from which pointed tufts emerges; the one of Balarama differs only in not having the tiara. These hairstyles typify Krishna and Balarama as youths before manhood, when they are closely associated with the cowherds.

Above them, the sculptors have represented the mountain by the conventional use of groups of small lozenges. Ascetics, sitting in the conventional crossed-leg position inhabit all the surrounding forest behind and above the two main personages. Wild animals are scattered around the forest.

The middle pseudo-register is composed of 3 smaller pseudo-registers, in places overlapping, all representing cowherds and their animals squatting and sitting on the rocky ground with scattered trees. Some shepherds are sitting close together, arms tight on their chests; others affectionately hold their animals. Amongst the bovines, some have a hump on the back, and others seem to be looking up in the direction of the mountain; others are sleeping.

The lower pseudo-register is sculpted with 2 well-delimited registers of squatting royal personages, all wearing the pointed crown. They are arranged in a symmetrical way, the one to the right of the reliefs are sculpted facing left, in contrast to the ones on the left side of the relief. The majority has one arm on their chest.

The usual row of flying apsaras symmetrically arranged is represented in the topmost part of the relief; an additional row appears at both sides of the forest.

3. GENERAL COMMENTS

1) In dissuading the cowherds to stop venerating Indra, Krishna wants to override the old Vedic gods and local divinities, and introduce the Vaishnava cult which would involve him personally. In another part of the original text, it is written that in this occasion Krishna makes a sermon which emphasises that it is the Supreme God who decides the karma of people, that secondary divinities like Indra cannot be mistaken for the Supreme, and that one should perform his duties prescribed by the caste (vartfa) and stage in life (<ashrama).

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48

2) The way the elements are depicted in the relief give the impression that really Krishna lifts mount Govardhana “like a little boy picks a mushroom” (chapter 25), and emphasises the calmness of the cowherds and their cattle. There is some doubt if the small personage depicted behind Krishna is his brother Balarama because he is not mentioned in the text. However, in Hindu iconography, the two are almost inseparable.

3) Concerning the layout, it has to be noticed that the vertical line defining the centre of symmetry passes through the left hand of Krishna and the centre of the rows of royal personages of the bottom registers.