Shri Yamune

It is a beautiful Nathdwara art Pichwai painting that depicts Shri Yamunaji, divine consort and Chaturth Patarani (fourth wife) of Thakurji (Shrinathji) standing at the sides of the Yamuna river. This is not only an ornamental work this is a very spiritual and symbolic portrait and its foundation is a Pushtimarg tradition, Vaishnava founded by Shri Vallabhacharya.
The rich blues, pinks, greens and golds indicate opulence, divinity and the many gifts of nature. Important features are rich textiles designs, jewelry and hard textiles crowns.
The inorganic but devout atmosphere attained by the presence of lotuses, peacock, parrots and crane are also typical of such work of art.
Shri Yamunaji is also not only the river goddess but also in the Pushtimarg theology she is served as the goddess wife of Krishna (Shrinathji) and epitome of grace (pushti).
Decoration: She wears multiple ornate jewelry and crowns made of concentric layer of lotus flowers and petals, and royal clothes to present her as a heavenly queen. The lotus mala (garland) that she carries symbolizes purity, bhakti and divine beauty.
Crown and halo: Her divine status is represented by the luxuriously ornamented crown and golden halo. The halo underlines her as brilliant and godly power.
Here a river Yamuna in the background with the moving water and blooming lotuses is not only a geographical stream, but represents the river of Krishna’s grace.
Harmony in nature: The scenery is full of life, all birds (soul free birds), lotus (cleanliness in the wild world), peace through peacocks, and longevity and elegance of cranes. These all are the embodiments of the divine lila (play) of the world of Krishna.
The school of thought focuses on seva (loving service) to Krishna and his consorts with Yamunaji at the center of such rituals as Yamuna Ashtakam and morning bath (snan vidhi) rituals, among others.
Being the daughter of god Surya (sun god), the river in which Krishna entertained himself, she is a link between heavenly and earthly worlds. She is an embodiment of the stream of grace toward the divine union of the soul (jiva).
Fourth queen iconography: According to the theology of the Ashtasakhis (eight consorts), each of the wives to Shrinathji represents one of a set of spiritual moods (bhava). Being the Chaturth Patarani, Yamunaji is symbolic of nurturing, peaceful love and purification.
These paintings are not only paintings but also items of worship, and they will frequently be found in homes, shrines and festivals altars of the Vaishnavites.
The painting is a patriotic-cultural blend of devotional, religious and aesthetic art. Using complex brush-works and the sense of spirituality, the figure of Shri Yamunaji turns into a divine paramour being a nurturing and guiding figure upon a soul to walk into heaven through grace. It takes the viewer into the bhakti-rasa (flavor of devotion) that is the main theme of Pushtimarg and the eternal beauty of Krishna consciousness.

Dimensions: 30 x 42 inch

Type: Watercolor Real gold paint on board