The Iconography of the Bhagavad Gita
Keywords:
Visual theology of a Hindu scripture, Text and image in the Bhagavad Gita, Images of Krishna and Arjuna based on the Bhagavad Gita, Religious and secular meanings of the GWicarya motifAbstract
It is well-known that the Bhagavad Gita has assumed a place of central importance in modern Hinduism, closely related to the ongoing debate of what constitutes the main message of this sacred text. Since the late nineteenth century a Bhagavad Gila commentary has become a de rigueur exercise for Hindu reformers and missionary writers, including the modern Indian gurus preaching in the West. The chan- ging role and reinterpretation of this scripture have been commented upon by many Indian and Western scholars and the cross-cultural influences at work in this reinterpretation have been extensively ana- lysed. But as far as I am aware,nobody has yet studied the iconography of the Bhagavad Gita, especially the existing illustrations of its two main characters, Krishna and Arjuna.
References
Albert C. Moore, Iconography of Religions (London: 1977), p. 21 f. 2. See especially E. Panofsky's pioneering work Studies in Iconology (New York: 1939).
Introduction to vol. VII of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, (Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 1947.
R. M. Minor, "The Bhaguvad Gita and modern Scholarship: An Appraisal of Introductory Conclusions", The Journal of Studies In the Bhagavad Gila 1(1981), pp. 29-60.
'The Art of the Book in India', pp. 1,2 & 4.
C. Sivaramamurti, Rishi s in Indian Art and Literature (New Delhi: 1981).
Emotional Krishna Bhakti (Oxford University: 1976).
Hinduism: Essence and Consequence. A Study of the Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahma-Sutras (Delhi: 1979);see especially pp. 190-210.
U. King, "Who is the ideal karmayogin? The meaning of a Hindu religious symbol", Religion 10(1980), pp. 41·59.
T. S. Maxwell, "Transformational Aspects of Hindu Myth and Iconology, Vishvarupa", AARP 4 (December 1973) and "The Deogarh Vishvarupa: A structural analysis", AARP 8 (Dec. 1975) .
P. Banerjee. The Life of Krishna in Indian Art (New Delhi: 1978), p. 48.
A. K. Priolkar, The Printing Press in India (Bombay: 1958).
V. G. Vitsaxis, Hindu Epics, Myths and Legends in Popular Illustrations (New Delhi: 1977), p. 57.
