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The gift to create form, from the mist of imagination, is pure magic!


Friday, November 17, 2023

Tara

 







20.5x28.5 inches; Pen drawing on handmade paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)

Tara

In the beginning there was void. All pervading darkness and endless nothingness. Yet she was there. She was the void and once awakened she created the entire universe out of her non being. Created life and death, and everything in between. The ‘Samsara’ she manifested out of ‘Maya’ is like a vast sea of the unknown and she was the only guide who could help us to traverse that sea without getting lost and drowning. She is the peril and she is the saviour. She is the void and she is the ‘Tara’ (Star) of light in that void; the duality which is intrinsic to nature.

In Sanskrit, ‘Star’ and ‘crossing’ are the most obvious meanings of the name ‘Tara’. By extension, the name Tara signifies she who guides or carries others across, who navigates others across, and she who protects, rescues, and liberates. Hence Tara’s role as a Devi imbues her with powers of compassion, protection from danger and providing enlightenment. In Tibet, Tara is referred to as ‘Dolma’ meaning saviour.

Tara’s connection to the sea is more strengthened through her inclusion in Hindu theology as a patron of the seas. The Puranas describe her as related to water bodies. This ‘Sea’ may be a very literal interpretation of the much deeper spiritual symbolism of Tara. If this ‘Samsara’ is the endless unknown sea and if each one of us are vessels embarking on a voyage to traverse that sea from our birth to death, we need a compass or a pole star to guide us on that journey. Tara is that pole star who keeps us on track if we trust her wisdom and learn the lessons we need to learn. She slashes through our thick cloud of ignorance and ego with her light of wisdom and saves us from ourselves. The lotus she holds (mostly a blue lotus as seen in her popular iconography) is a symbol of purity, remaining unsoiled in even the most polluting of environments and acts as a constant reminder to us that enlightenment can exist in the world even if the environment is corrupt and polluted.  

Tara is glorified as the 2nd fierce manifestation of Sati, just after Kali, as a Dasa Mahavidya (Ten cosmic wisdoms) in Hindu mythology but Tara’s origins can be traced to ancient Goddesses like Ishtar, Astarte, Isis and Aphrodite, due to the derived similarities in attributed powers, symbolism and ritual practices. All these goddesses were linked with water bodies in some ways and the symbolism of stars or planets. The same connections are easily traceable to the Christian attributes of Mother Mary also known as ‘Stella Maris’ (Star of the Sea). Though such connections may be vehemently opposed and denied by religious zealots who enforce complete separation between Pagan religions and Christianity.

In Hindu Shaiva and Shakta (mostly Tantric) mythology, Tara is seen as a Mother Goddess. Known as another manifestation of Kali, the master of Time, Tara symbolizes the eternal and unfulfilled hunger that fuels life; the hunger to placate all desires and attain spiritual oneness with the Supreme Being. Like a star that perpetually consumes its own energy, Tara represents the never-ending desires that fuel all life. Hindu oral mythology states that other than appearing with the Dasa Mahavidyas, Tara appeared singularly during the pivotal churning of the ocean ‘Kshira Samudra’ (Ocean of Milk), details of which are related in Vishnu Purana. In this legend, Shiva drank the powerful destructive poison ‘Halaahala’ that surfaced from the churning of the ocean by Devas and Asuras without allowing it to go below his neck, thus saving the world from destruction and earning the appellation of 'Neelakanttha'. As a result, Shiva was incapacitated from the effect of the poison and lost consciousness. The Mahadevi took the form of Tara and came to Mahadeva’s aid. She took the supine body of Shiva on her lap and just like a mother breast fed him, her milk acted as an antidote to the poison, and he recovered. This myth also alludes to the myth in which Shiva stops the rampaging Kali by becoming an infant and crying loudly in the blood soaked battlefield. Seeing the baby, Kali's maternal instincts were roused and her rage and blood thirst subsided and she nursed the infant Shiva. In both cases, Shiva assumes the position of an infant in relation to the goddess.

In the 6 sixth century C.E., during the era of the Pala Empire, Tara was adopted into the Buddhist pantheon as an important Bodhisattva figure. Not coincidentally, this was just a few centuries after the Prajnaparamita Sutra had been introduced into what was becoming the Mahayana Buddhism of India.

Tara in the form of the Great Mother Goddess shares strong links with many Hindu goddesses, such as Druga and Kali. The similarities in iconography between Kali and Tara can’t be missed and they are often worshipped as one and the same. They both stand upon a recumbent Shiva, or a corpse. While Kali’s body is depicted in black, Tara is mostly depicted in blue. Both are either naked or wear animal skin (mostly tiger) or a skirt of severed human limbs. Both wear a garland of severed human heads or skulls. Both have a lolling tongue oozing blood from their mouths. Furthermore, like the Goddess Kali, Tara in her Hindu context enjoys drinking blood, whether Deva, Asura, human or animal is of little consequence. The only distinctive feature of Tara is her pot belly and sometimes she is depicted holding a pair of scissors instead of a ‘Kharga’! No doubt her appearance is fearsome and through this fierceness she subdues the ego and commands complete surrender. Her three most famous forms are Ekajata, Ugratara, and Neelasarsvati.

In Buddhist narrative Tara is introduced through the legend of Princess Jnanacandra (moon of wisdom), daughter of Tathagata Dundubhisvara (sound of drum). She performed ritualistic practices for attaining enlightenment for such a long time that the celestial monks advised her to obtain a male body in order to become a bodhisattva. The princess rejected the monk’s advice and vowed to pursue the bodhisattva path in female form stating that "There is neither man nor woman nor self nor personhood nor notion of such. Attachment to [the designations] ‘male and female’ is meaningless, and deludes worldly people with poor understanding… men have always desired enlightenment but not a single woman strives for the benefit of sentient beings. Therefore, I shall follow this path as a woman as long as samsara exists.” In due process she was elevated to the form of Tara.

Both the Hindu and Buddhist legends have one thing in common: Shakti, the strength of the feminine energy and how it defies patriarchal misogyny. Tara as the mother suckles an incapacitated Shiva and nourishes him back to full power. Shiva in the male god tradition is the all-powerful and often destructive force which causes ‘pralay’ if enraged. Such a masculine force needing to be revived by the feminine force from the brink of destruction is quite a difficult concept to digest and acknowledge for many who uphold patriarchy. Patriarchy does not acknowledge that masculinity can be weak and vulnerable to begin with, so drawing strength from femininity at such a vulnerable moment seems to be even more dishonourable. Princess Jnanacandra rejecting the need for a male body to become a bodhisattva also challenges the almighty masculinity driven religious practices and successfully creates a place of reverence for female bodied bodhisattvas. The sad truth though: the fight for femininity to prove its power, again and again, in comparison and in competition with masculinity is still as much a reality as it was in those ancient times! The need for these narratives to resurface has never lost its importance.

References:

Books:

Beyer, Stephen (1978). Cult of Tārā. University of California Press.

Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. India: Motilal Banarsidass.

Online sources: 

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tara

https://kashgar.com.au/blogs/gods-goddesses/tara-a-beautiful-goddess-for-a-not-so-beautiful-world

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Otherwise Straight Acting...

 




20.5x28.5 inches; Pen and Ink with Acrylic on drawing paper (Click on image to enlarge)

Desires cannot be regulated by external forces through enforced conditioning of gender performance and expectation. If the gay dating apps were to hold up a mirror to the society, this failure would be more than apparent. Many gay men describe themselves or is described by others as ‘Straight Acting’ which simply means that this person is ‘Manly’ enough or doesn’t have the tell-tale behavioural markers of being gay. He is not a limp wristed, lisping, willowy, and flamboyantly effeminate homosexual! But it is acting, nevertheless! It is a performance put up to pass as a ‘heterosexual’ man in the cock-eyed surveillance of our society’s stereotypes and standards of judgement! A performance to remain undetectable as gay in the public eye. How they perform in the privacy of a more enabling space can be otherwise. A space where inhibitions and judgements are rare, many of these men can drop the act and be more attuned to their desires and behave accordingly. This constant performance of suppressing desire in the public eye has to be acknowledged and applauded with the cautionary tale of how this affects the psyche of the gay men constantly living in fear of being ‘found out’. 

Friday, September 22, 2023

Tthikri

 




28.5x20.5 inches; Pen and Ink with Acrylic on drawing paper (Click on image to enlarge)

Clap! It is no ordinary clap but an entire performance all in itself. The action of bringing the palms of the two hands together to spark off that distinctly identifiable sound reverberating through the surroundings is not easy and clearly needs practice. The clap of a Hijra is called a ‘Tthikri’ by the Hijra community, in their own lingo. This clap announces their existence, their entry into a space. They perform their ritualistic routines accompanied by the beat of these claps. The clap resounds with the history of their lineage, heavy with cultural baggage. It is the music they sing and dance to. It can symbolize a spectrum of emotions from anger to mirth. It can be used as a punctuation or lend extra weight to a curse. It can be decisive or flirtatious. It can be friendly or a nonviolent attack on prejudice. What it is not, is frivolous! It won’t be ignored. The symbolic strength of the ‘Tthikri’ has been adopted by many within the LGBTQ+ community to break down the oppressive societal bindings of class/caste hierarchies and unsanctioned desires. The ‘Tthikri’ denies to be shamed into silence. 

Monday, May 8, 2023

The Couch

 



16x12 inches; Pen drawing on acid free textured paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)

The couch, like my mind, is a seat for many encounters; conversations, debates, drama, lazy afternoon siestas, teasing, loving, hating, staining, excitement, boredom, rejection and seduction.  The couch touches strangers and loved ones with the same intimate caress. It is a symbol of privilege and comfort. It is the halt between the entrance door and the bed. It is private and not so private at the same time. It allows us to just exist without being productive, becoming a couch potato. It also is the seat of power and power games as in the casting couch. But beyond all this, the couch is a receptacle for idle thoughts, day dreams, pleasure, pampering, relaxation, entertainment, eroticism, pain and sorrow. Couches are soft with memories without the lumps of judgement. They are cushioned for the depressed, plush with first kisses and frayed with troubled tears.  The couch takes the place of lost comforting embraces and companionship in solitary existence.

Thursday, April 27, 2023

The Closet

 



16x12 inches; Pen drawing on acid free textured paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)

Do you have a skeleton in the closet? Or are there more than one? Are you in the closet yourself? Did you hide in the closet when you were young and scared? Did you have a Narnia of escape at the other end of the closet? Do you have a closet for your personal belongings and that of others you claim to be your own? Does your closet have a mirror? Is there a closet in your head like mine? A closet full of knickknacks, memorabilia, songs that are playback score of your life, places, whiffs of scents, sights and visions, feelings, traces of a touch, erotica, embarrassments, pain and anger, guilt and guilty pleasures; A closet that opens up like a puzzle and holds a mirror to myself.  I feel at home searching that closet, sniffing the lingering scent of moth balls, looking in the secret compartments, some so deep that they were almost forgotten! It feels like a labyrinth. It is a closet I do not have to come out of, because no one cares for what it hides, though everything it holds makes me who I am today and who I will be tomorrow.

Monday, January 16, 2023

Criminal Culture (5) - Stone that 'Sinner'

 



13.5x20.5 inches; Pen drawing on handmade paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)

I have lied,

I have lived a lie,

I have envied

Those who could love

Without shame or fear,

Anger nagging me

Up the wall of creepy loathing!

I have eaten my own words

And broken shards of promises,

Cut through the tongue of desire...

To find peace in your embrace is taboo!

To find bliss in your kiss, immoral?

For the love of god and honour, you slay

My love of a human as sin?

Monday, January 9, 2023

Criminal Culture (4) - 'Sala Chhakka'

 




13.5x20.5 inches; Pen drawing on handmade paper with watercolour wash (Click on image to enlarge)

I walk down the road

Stepping to the beat

Of your insults and gibes.

The side long glances,

Disgust rising with bile,

A lingering threat of

Courting harm for my

Denial of nonexistence!

“Sala Chhakka...”spat out

Your failure to define me!

It falls flat, I turn the corner

Resuming my well-rehearsed moves!

I have lost enough life practicing

Not to justify your limitations!