Sage Sukdeva and King Parikshit

Illustration to the Bhagavatapurana: Sage Sukdeva and King Parikshit, c. 1775-1800

Small inscriptions above the men identify them as Sukdeva on the left and Parikshit on the right. Sukdeva was a learned sage or philosopher and the narrator of the Bhagavatapurana, the epic tale of the life and adventures of the great Hindu god Krishna. Sukdeva spent a week reciting the text to King Parikshit, who gained salvation by listening to the story. The scene takes place within a small pavilion hovering above the banks of the holy river Ganga (known today as the Ganges), where the recitation took place.

India: Himachal Pradesh, Guler Workshop, 1750-1825
Opaque watercolor on paper
image: 7-1/4 x 10-1/16 in. (18.4 x 25.6 cm); sheet: 8-1/2 x 11-1/4 in. (21.6 x 28.6 cm)
Norton Simon Museum,