Description of beauty and physique has been part of literature from time immemorial. Unlike popular notions, Sanskrit is no exception to it. In fact, if one goes by chronology of literature, perhaps Sanskirt might be one of the first languages delving deep into sublime, subtle representation of human beauty and physique - notwithstanding current fashion phenomenon of tall, dark, and handsome. Sanskrit has a repository of pretty well describing shlokas about beauty and physique.
To start with, who else is better to start than the Lord Rama himself? The surprising element of Sanskrit is the detail with which it goes to talk about each part of the body. I’ve selected a few verses from a Sargah of Valmiki Ramayana.
The context is: While searching for Sita, Hanuman has arrived in Lanka, and has managed to meet her. However Sitaa is perplexed to find a monkey with Lord Rama’s message. She is also afraid that it might be Raavana, who in the guise of a well behaving monkey, wants to know about her feelings. So Sitaa is asking very probing questions about Raama (as Raavana has not seen Raama).
In the response, Hanuman describes the physique of Lord Rama.
Sundarakaanda, 35th Sargah, 23rd Sloka.
Sa suvarnacchavih srimaan Ramah shyaamo Mahaayashaa |
Taavubho narashaardulauh twaddarshankritautsawau||
Vichinwantau mahim kritsnaamsmaabhih saha sangatau|||
To maintain the context with discussion, I’m translating first line Sa: He (Lakshman is being referred here ), suvarna-chavan: Of golden tint/complexion Ramah: Lord Rama, shayaamo : Dark color , Mahaayashaa : Who is very famous
Here the complexion of Lord Rama is being referred to as dark. Isn’t it surprising that be it Rama or Sri Krishna; both have been described of dark complexion in respective literatures. In yet another shloka the same has been reemphasized.
Sundarakaanda, 35th Sargah, 16th Sloka.
Dundubhiswananirghoshah snigdhavarnah prataapvaan|
Samascha suvibhaktaangauah varnam shyaamam Samaasritah||
Translating second line Samachar: All, Suvibhaktaangauh: proportionately well developed, varnam : complexion shyamam : Dark, Samaasritah: endowed with
In this shloka also Valmiki - through Hanuman's narrative- is describing the complexion of Lord Rama. In this shloka too Rama has been described as a person of dark complexion (definitely not fair)
The above shlokas are proof enough of the fact that Lord Rama definitely had a dark complexion. In fact, Lord Krishna was also dark skinned.
In the old temples in the Gangetic plains, such as the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, Krishna images are carved of black stone, and they stand in stunning splendour, bedecked with flowers and fabric. Often, in stark contrast, the image of Radha is made of marble, or bronze. He the dark-one; she the fair one. However, in many new temples, people are increasingly choosing images of Krishna in marble over black stone.
There are cave paintings suggesting two men on a chariot. Is that Krishna and Arjuna? We can only speculate. The earliest Krishna literature, the Mahabharata, tells tales of Krishna’s adulthood. There, Draupadi is referred to as Krishna, the dark complexioned lady. That would make Krishna, the dark complexioned man. This is about 2,000 years old. In Bhakti literature, that is less than a thousand years old, Krishna’s beauty becomes the object of veneration. He is increasingly linked to dark monsoon clouds and to blue lotuses. His dark complexion in the full moon night is the subject of poetry.
The earliest images of Krishna are probably Indo-Greek coins, nearly 2,000 years old, showing a man holding a wheel. Then come the Gupta stone statues, about 1,500 years old, showing a hero fighting a horse, most probably Krishna fighting Keshin. The earliest paintings of Krishna probably come from miniature art that flourished around temples, like the patta-chitra around Jagannath Puri temple of Odisha. The image enshrined in the temple is made of wood and covered with paint, refreshed almost daily. Here, Jagannath, who is simultaneously Vishnu, Ram and Krishna, is painted with black soot. In the paintings made in nearby villages by artisans, Krishna is depicted in black colour.
About 500 years ago, Persian miniature painting was introduced by the Mughals and became widely popular in North India, influencing the Pahari school of painting and the Pichvai school of Nathdwara temples. Here, Krishna can be seen distinctly as blue: light blue of the day sky, not the dark blue of the sapphire. The images of Krishna, Ram and Vishnu, on the grand gopurams of South India, show them as blue, even though in early Tamil songs of the Sangam period there is reference to the dark beloved pastoral god, Mayon, believed to be an early form of Krishna.Folk songs repeatedly refer to the contrast between the dark Krishna and the fair Radha.
India is an agricultural country. The core population of this country is involved in agriculture and spends most of their day out in the sun working in the fields. People are bound to be tanned. Also our overall genetics gives us a slightly wheatish skin as compared to the West. Then why are people discriminated against in a country which since time immemorial has appreciated the dark skin in its literature? I have the answer.
India was ruled by the British for 200 years. After being ruled for so long, it was natural for Indians to partly adopt their lifestyle and habits. The British always considered the dark skinned people to be from the lower strata of society. According to them people with dark skin mainly comprised farmers and labourers who spent most of their day toiling hard in the Sun (the Chinese have a similar belief). This belief got drilled into the minds of the Indians. In 1947 the British left but it can be said that they left a kind of shadow behind.
Soon Indians too followed their policy of discrimination and it becamse very difficult for the dark skinned to be accepted in society. Especially in the field of cinema and theatre, the virtually had lost their opportunities. More than skills and talent, looks and skin colour was looked at. Even Indian temples saw a drastic change. Idols of Gods like Krishna and Rama were now made on the fairer side. India forgot that Draupadi, the most beautiful lady in the world, was dark skinned.
Businessmen hit the nail at the right time. Fairness creams sales boomed up. Marriage talks often included the skin colour of the bride and groom. We were moving forward in time but our mind was narrowing down.
Today the George Floyd controversy has started an immense movement. Reforms have been made but are they enough? Even today the world of cinema runs behind the fair skin and the beautiful looks. Our mentality has become such that we do not accept anything other than that. Even today before every party most of the people apply makeup to look fairer. This country seems to have forgotten its own culture and roots after British Rule. We need to change. We need to accept people the way they are. After all, any skin he or she is a human.
Let us follow the principle of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakum" and accept everybody in this world as our family.
Comentarios