
Painting
Hiranyaksha uses Maya against Varaha
late-18th-century
Description
Part of the Bhagavata Purana series, this masterwork was historically preserved within the royal collections of the Punjab Hills before entering public museum holdings.
Historical context
In this sublime depiction from the Bhagavata Purana, we witness the divine Lord Vishnu in his Varaha avatar, the boar incarnation, manifesting his eternal grace amidst the chaotic illusions of the demon Hiranyaksha. The artist Manaku masterfully portrays the cosmic struggle between good and evil, where the divine remains serene while surrounded by a tempest of magical weapons and spectral beings. The Lord stands calm, holding his mace and lotus, his presence a beacon of stability against the churning dark forces of the universe. It is a profound meditation on the nature of reality and the ultimate triumph of the divine light over the transient shadows of the material world.
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