Yamunaji, a virgin goddess, does not participate in the Raas Leela. That is why Yamunaji always carries a garland of lotus buds in her hands. As a river, she has dark waters and flows through her course slowly.
Yamunaji’s Swaroop
In this sculpture, Yamunaji has a serene expression on her face. Her eyes are closed. She holds a pot of water in her right hand as she moves ahead. Her legs rest on the back of her mount, the tortoise. Yamunaji wears a necklace, armlets and bracelets made out of small tortoises and long cup-shaped dangling earrings. But we can glean the best message of all from the garments that these three figures are wearing.
* The left side of our body symbolises materialism and the right side represents spiritualism.
Yamunaji’s Swaroop Significance
Krishna loves Yamunaji the most because she alone includes all their bhaktas in her love and leads them all towards Him. Yamunaji’s earrings and the pot of water signify that she listens to the pleas of all her devotees and helps them cross the ocean of samsara. Like her ancient mount, the tortoise, which thrives only on land, she retreats into her shell and meditates on Krishna. Always. Slowly. But surely. Like the tortoise. And like the tortoise she keeps her bhaktas grounded. Always. What’s more, she is content with the role she is playing in her life. Always.
The woman to Yamunaji’s left
The old and weary woman to Yamunaji’s left holds onto the oar of a boat, covers the lower half of her body completely, bares her torso and sways towards her right.
She seems to say, “I have experienced all the ups and downs of life. I have learnt to smile through it all too. Material pleasures are so hollow. So transient. I have no desire to pursue them anymore. Now I wish to pursue spiritualism alone, O Yamunaji. And I rely completely on you. Bless me with your bhakti and help me cross the ocean of samsara.”
The man to Yamunaji’s right
The man to Yamunaji’s right sports a knowing half-smile and raises his eyebrows with amusement. He covers his body fully, has a badge on his clothes, wears a crown and huge solid earrings, holds a musical instrument in his hands, sways to his left and stands in a Tribhangi stance. The sole of his right leg faces the woman on the other side.
The man says, “O naïve woman. You cannot simply shrug off your responsibilities by detaching yourself from your material life Whether you like it or not – you must confront the reality that you have to live through your karma and life fully. Look at me. Once upon a time, I too was like you. I too wanted to opt-out from the challenges of my material life.
But I could not sustain my spiritual pursuits on an empty stomach. Look at my solid earrings. Listen to me. I represent the voices of all the people who pursued spirituality to the exclusion of all else in their lives. Each one of us had to accept that it was imperative that we learn to strike a balance between our material and spiritual pursuits. Look at my Tribhangi stance.
Do pursue spiritualism. Consciously. To the best of your ability. It will give you the courage, clarity and strength to cope with and overcome the challenges of your material life. But remain grounded and accept the realities of your materialistic life too.”
Yamunaji’s Swaroop
Yamunaji too covers the lower half of her body completely. But unlike the woman to her left, she bares only a part of her torso. Her blouse is tied into a knot below her bust. Yamunaji says, “O manavas, Krishna exists in both the material and spiritual realms. You can find Krishna even as you live through your lives on earth. And the union of both these realms happen in your souls. Look at the knot in my blouse below my bust. Bask and rejoice in the pleasures that you derive from both these realms. And learn to strike a balance between the two. Consciously. And then leave the rest to me. I will ferry you all through your lives and help you connect to Krishna.”
Yamunaji and Shiva
In this sculpture too Yamunaji wears a waistband with tortoises and stands with three other women. All the women have bare torsos clearly indicating that they are trying to strike a balance between their materialistic and spiritual pursuits.
The woman on Yamunaji’s extreme left sways to her left and holds the oar of a boat in her hands. Her left leg rests on the earth while her right leg crosses over to her left from the back. The woman next to her has a sling bag around her, sways to her right and her legs are bent at the knees. But the legs of the small woman between them are straight and she sways gently to her left. She holds an inverted pot on her head. Shiva and Shakti hold a garland of lotus buds in their hands.
The woman to Yamunaji’s extreme left says, “O Yamunaji, I may be rooted in my material world. But I seek refuge in you as often as I can and derive the strength to cope with my materialistic challenges ( the oar).”
The woman next to her says, “I know I have evolved to a higher level of consciousness. I can strike a balance between my material and spiritual pursuits easily whenever I delve within the depths of Yamunaji’s bhakti (the sling bag). But spiritualism gives me what materialism never can – bliss.”
And the small woman between them says, “I understand nothing of what you both say. I am ignorant and illiterate – trapped in samsara. But I soak myself in Yamunaji’s bhakti (inverted pot) and do all that I do with bhakti. And she gives me the strength to cope with the travails of my life.”
Shiva and Shakti revere Yamunaji’s selfless service to mankind. They offer her a garland of lotus buds to express their gratitude to her. Shiva looks at Shakti with love and says, “Yamunaji has done a lot for me too Shakti. When you immolated yourself in Daksha’s ceremonial fire pit, I was so grief-struck that I carried your half-burnt corpse all through the universe. Vishnu cut your body into pieces, flung it in different directions and asked me to take a dip in the Yamuna to cope with your loss. And Yamunaji, as is her nature, absorbed all my sorrow and turned dark in the process.”
Shakti says, “She has done a lot for me too Shiva. You couldn’t even bear to see me as Kali after I killed Raktabija. So I had to take a dip in Yamunaji’s waters. She transformed me into Gauri and Kamakshi, radiant domesticated goddesses who believe in love.”
Shiva nods His head smilingly and says, “Yamunaji has no barriers in her heart and soul. She looks upon all beings with love. When I yearned to participate in Krishna’s Maha Raas, I knew Yamunaji alone could fulfil my wish. And the minute I took a dip in her waters, she transformed me into a lovely damsel. I could experience the divine bliss of Krishna’s Maha Raas only because of Yamunaji’s selfless love.”
Ah. Yes. We can infer several life lessons from the beautiful nuances of divinity that we find in our paintings and sculptures. It’s true, isn’t it? Times may change. But values are beyond time and space too…
Photo given by Shri. Krishna Akhileshji.
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