Krishna Cleaves the Demon Narakasura with his Discus

Suite Name: Harivamsha
Media & Support: “Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, mounted as an album page”
Creation Date: ca. 1585-1590
Creation Place/Subject: India State-Province: New Delhi Court: Mughal
School: Mughal
Display Dimensions: 11 27/32 in. x 7 1/8 in. (30.1 cm x 18.1 cm)
Label Copy: An appendix to the Mahabharata ( Razmnama ), the Harivamsa tells the story of the adventures of Krishna, one of the incarnations of Vishnu. The text was rendered into Persian and at least two copies were illustrated in the imperial atelier in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. This painting is from the second copy, which is known today only as paintings, the text pages being lost.

Although Akbar was brought up as a Muslim, he sought to discern truth in all religions, and to this end had sacred texts from many religions translated into Persian, the language of culture at the court, and illustrated. Hindu religious texts may have been illustrated at the order of Akbar’s Hindu wives, who were not required to become Muslims when they married him. The incident illustrated is as follows:

The demon Naraka kept snatching away by force the daughters of the kings of the whole world and bringing them to his citadel Pragjyotisha. Around Pragjyotisha, he had constructed a rampart of mountains and forts of water, fire, and air. Naraka had been unremittingly attentive to food, drink, and clothing for the princesses and had brought them up with great care. Despite this, they were completely in his power as helpless prisoners.

Naraka had also taken away the umbrella of the sky-god Varuna, the jewel crest of the axial peak Mandara, and the celestial nectar-dropping earrings of the earth-sustaining goddess Aditi. Therefore Indra, whose storm-elephant Airavata was also threatened, came to Krishna for help.

Then Krishna mounted upon the sun-bird Garuda, the vehicle of Visnu, and, taking his wife Satyabhama with him, flew directly to Pragjyotisha. A fierce conflict took place with the troops of Naraka in which Krishna destroyed thousands of demons. When Naraka came into the field, showering upon the deity all sorts of weapons, the wielder of the discus cut him in two with his celestial missile.