Love, Longing and Peace

Mithila Painting, Madhubani Bihar  

Ardhanarishvara / ShivaShakti

The district of Madhubani was carved out of the old Darbhanga district in the year 1972 as a result of reorganisation of the districts in the State of Bihar. Madhubani fairly represents the centre of the territory once known as Mithila and the district has maintained a distinct individuality of its own. It is said to be that Madhubani is the world's second city who adapted democracy.

The word "Madhuban" means "forest of honey" from which Madhubani is derived, but sometimes it is also known as madhu+vaani, meaning "sweet","voice/language". Madhubani is the cultural heart of Mithilanchal, being the birthplace of many literary people and home to Madhubani Paintings. Maithili has highly developed literature. Madhubani has produced several authors in different fields. Vidyapati wrote collection of poems known as "Padabali". Dr. Jaikant Mishra wrote History of Maithili literature. Mukund Jha Bakshi wrote Mithila Bhasamay Itihas, a first historical book in Maithili.

Madhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state,India and the adjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. Painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. There are paintings for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, holi, surya shasti, kali puja, Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), and durga puja.

Madhubani painting/Mithila painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani and Darbhanga to the west. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice. Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same. And that is the reason for Madhubani painting being accorded the coveted GI (Geographical Indication) status. Madhubani paintings also use two dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants. Ochre and lampblack are also used for reddish brown and black respectively.

Madhubani paintings mostly depicts human association with nature and the scenes of deity from the ancient epics. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. Objects depicted in the walls of kohabar ghar (where newly wed couple see each other in the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation. 

This painting is, in fact, simplistic manifestation of the philosophical heights achieved by Indian civilization for the universal power of love, longing and peace.

The synergy of love and the supernatural generates power of unimaginable intensity and scope: power to play, not control, to dissolve, not dominate, to enhance and enchant, not seduce, to teach and inspire, not deceive, to direct, not manipulate. 

HOLY COW

In some eastern cultures(India,Nepal,Burma) the cow is placed above all beings other than human. In these cultures, humans are in gratitude of their dependence upon cows for a variety of daily resources. The cow was above all revered for dairy products and as a beast of burden for tilling the fields, and for its dung as a source of fuel and fertilizers. The cow gives so much and takes so little. The cow and bull also represent the symbol of Dharma, the principles and disciplines of yoga to encourage equality and harmony among people, which in the end encourages selfless behavior.

Mahatma Gandhi declared "I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world." 

Kamadhenu, "from whom all that is desired is drawn", also known as Surabhi(another name for an ordinary cow)is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the mother of all cows, the source of all prosperity. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever they desire and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle as well as, the eleven Rudras, "lower animals", goats, swans and "high class drugs"(what? mushrooms?). 

In iconography, she is generally depicted as a white cow containing various deities within her body. Another representation of Kamadhenu shows her with the body of a white Zebu cow, crowned by a woman's head, colorful eagle wings and a peacock's tail.

All cows are venerated in Hinduism as the earthly embodiment of Kamadhenu. As such, Kamdhenu has never had a worship cult dedicated to her nor are there any temples in India where she is worshipped as the chief deity. Rather it is the living animal[the cow wandering freely about India] which is the perpetual object of worship.

Cows are often fed outside temples. They are worshipped regularly on all Fridays and on special occasions. Every cow to "a pious Hindu" is regarded as an Avatar (earthly embodiment) of the divine Mother. 

Kamadhenu is regarded as a form of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother, and is closely related to the fertile Mother Earth, Prithvi, who is often described as a cow in Sanskrit. Devi means to give, the strength to give, the ability to give more and take the minimum. This is known as devata. Similarly the cow takes less from us and gives us more. The sacred cow denotes "purity and non-erotic fertility, ... sacrificing and motherly by nature, and retains the sustenance of human life"

The Mahabharata records that Kamadhenu -Surabhi rose from the birth of this world during the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samudra manthan) by the gods and demons eager to be the first to acquire Amrita(ambrosia, elixir of life). She now dwells in Goloka - the realm of the cows located above the three worlds (heaven, earth and netherworld, Patala.

Cow's milk and its derivatives such as ghee (clarified butter) are integral parts of Vedic fire sacrifices, which are conducted by Brahmin priests; thus the mythical Kamadhenu is sometimes also referred to the Homadhenu—the cow from whom oblations are drawn. Moreover, the cow also offers the Brahmin—who is prohibited to fight—protection against abusive kings who try to harm them. As a goddess, she becomes a warrior, creating armies to protect her master and herself.

"The horns and hunch of cow are like two powerful pyramids. We receive the strengths of stars and sun through the medium of cow dung, milk, curd, ghee etc. The place where the cow is tied does not produce any vastu related ill effects. If there is any malefic effect of any planet, serving the cow with chapatti(bread) & jaggery(sugar) calms down the malefic effect."

"In India a black cow is tied in the Shiva temple, when we see the Shiva along with the black cow then we are able to overcome the malefic effects of planets in our natal horoscope. When we see the ankles of the cow we protect ourselves from sudden deaths. Taking rounds of the cow ie. Parikrama, is equivalent to visiting all the holy places in India." 

As the pipal tree and holy basil plant give oxygen similarly cow is the only animal, which emits major amount of oxygen. If one spoon of pure ghee is poured on the burning cow cakes dung (fuel) then they can produce one-ton oxygen, therefore ghee made with cow milk is used in sacrificial fires. There is no better natural method to remove pollution from the air.

The cow milk, butter, ghee and buttermilk are like nectar. 

• The cow dung is not simply feces but the purifier of feces. Its manure as a fertilizer produces the best quality of grains, fruits, and vegetables.  
• Cow urine is a divine medicine. It is anti-bacterial, anti fungal. It is the base for bio-pesticides, good for all agricultural crops being grown organically. Cow urine also contains copper which helps to remove toxins inside the body if consumed based on medicinal ayurvedic methods.  
• Pure ghee made with cow milk on the cow cakes, the smoke emitted thereby subsides the effect of poisonous gas.
• Drinking organic cow milk gives strength and is believed to increases pure qualities in the human mind.