The Act of Seeing and Being Seen
Hindu Divine: Expanding Darshan and Manjari Sharma At The San Antonio Museum of Art
What is darshan? From my knowledge as an Art History student and from lectures by my Islamic Art professor, darshan was a ritual where Mughal emperors appeared in front of the public every morning after sunrise. This ritual was adapted from Hindu Kingship by the Mughal emperor Akbar during his reign, where the emperors were associated with the sun, and the ritual acted as a tool of control. When I think about what darshan means in it’s true Hindu context, and what this exhibition has tried to teach me, is that darshan is the moment or feeling you have when experiencing a divine encounter. Confusing? Maybe, maybe not, but the exhibition itself teaches this idea through text, sculpture, and portraits, to help us as viewers to truly understand why these connections are important.
These portraits were idealized by contemporary artist Manjari Sharma, made with a team of artists and makers who sought to create these Hindu Gods as a gateway to the idea of darshan, the act of seeing and being seen by the divine, where a spiritual exchange can be secreted through the meeting of these Gods through imagery. Now the exhibition does provide a website to help the viewers identify the Hindu Gods, you just scan a QR code and click on a Gods profile. Then you can read a description of the items that are associated with them, along with their affiliation of being the God of war or knowledge. It also provides voice memos from the curator and the artist, while providing videos of how the Gods were made, and the process that went into taking the photographs.
When going to exhibitions, I normally don’t like going alone, so I brought my father along. As a note, he knows nothing about art, but he is very much like a kid in a candy store. While I read every text along the walls and around the art itself, my father only read information about the works of art that interested him. My father did enjoy this exhibition, especially with one of its concentrations being how each Hindu God was created and set up through a visual documentation shown on a TV. He enjoyed seeing sculpture and architectural pieces from Pakistan and Indonesia, due to his own military job of shipping out materials, objects, and goods to foreign countries and other areas of the US.
Having another physical person with me brought this idea of the darshan into a new light, where even though we are having this interaction with the Gods, do we really want to stand in front of these portraits to have that one-on-one interaction? My father wouldn’t be happy that I’m writing down his thoughts, but that shouldn’t surprise him, I talk about him a lot. He mostly felt intimidated by the Goddess Kali, who I will go into detail later, but her presence was powerful. It reminded him of the movie, “Queen of the Damned,” and felt like a person who was in charge, the boss. As a result, I slowly made it my goal to have this interaction with each God, sometimes sharing that moment with my father, taking in their grandeur and story through the symbols portrayed in their portraits.
When I was at the exhibition, I felt an instantaneous and complete feeling of vast energy, purity, and serenity. Walls of white, some a beautiful dandelion yellow, and others in varying shades of blue. Each Hindu God and Goddess were framed in gold with intricate intertwined vines and florals, each leading to depict a face near the top, and a statuesque figure of the Gods along the sides of the frame. Along with these portraits, you walk around historical sculptures, theater pieces, and architectural statues that portray this idea of darshan, and the relations between the Gods and mortal humans.
Entering the exhibition, we are greeted with the portrait of Ganesha, the God of education, wisdom, and known as the remover of all obstacles. Signifying the entrance of the exhibit as a place of learning and open-mindedness, and as we gaze upon this being, we see a man with four arms who has a head of an elephant. In his hands are a bowl of sweets, a broken tusk, a radish, a noose, and an axe (symbolizing the removal of obstacles). Turning right you see the image of Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth, purity, and beauty, a consort of Vishnu. Taking a glance to the left is another gold frame leading you to gaze upon Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, learning, and music. She is one of the only figures whose portrait lays upon a white backdrop, introducing a concept of order in a world of chaos.
Alongside Saraswati’s’ frame there is a TV highlighting the process of how each photograph was crafted without any digital manipulation, which breaks the illusion of being seen by the Gods, but an interesting look inside the process of producing such photographical imagery. Personally, I feel it would have benefitted putting said documentation at the end of the exhibition to truly appreciate the works of art and the idea of darshan, to keep having these encounters with divine beings without the interruption of moving images. It breaks the illusions of being in a sacred space, of experiencing a divine encounter, and while they are showing how that space was made, I really didn’t need it in the space in that moment.
As I turn my attention the right of the TV, I was casted into the gaze of Brahma, the creator of the universe and writer of the Vedas, a Holy Hindu scripture. An older man of four heads and arms, sitting on a lotus with a similar position, holding a water-pot, spoon, the Vedas, a rosary, and a lotus. If you felt the urge to face the left of Saraswati, you will see the God Vishnu, the Protector who maintains law and order of the universe. A man with blue skin, as infinite as the sky, a king with four arms, holding a lotus, a conch, a Chakra, and a Kaumodaki (a golden weapon that flattens our egos). When I turn around, a monkey with human-like features gazes into my eyes, called Hanuman, considered the God of wisdom, strength, courage, devotion, and discipline. Often depicted in epic stories like the Ramayana, he holds a gada, which resembles a large scepter, and is often seen lifting large rocks or mountains. To the left of his frame is another TV that depicts sacred dances and rituals, telling stories of the gods through movement.
As we continue our meeting with the Gods, I turned to face a woman on a tiger named Durga, a warrior Goddess who is loving, protective, and fierce in nature. In her eight hands she holds a trident, a chakra, a sword, a conch shell, a bow and arrow, a gada, and finally a lotus. With another 180-degree turn, I gaze upon the God Shiva, a yogi (someone who practices yoga and meditation) who is known as the Destroyer and the Liberator. His grayish blue skin decorated with snakes or nagas, skulls, a crescent moon, and a third eye. In two of his four hands he holds a Damaru (drum), and a Trishul (Trident). Finally, on the last wall is the Goddess of Time Kali. She is the mother figure, a protector and liberator, embodying femininity, creativity, and fertility. In her many hands, we see a multitude of weapons such as a trident, a bow and arrow, a sword, a chakra, a shield, and a severed head. While a frightening sight, it is all to protect, yet in her is a chaos of all things that cannot be contained or controlled. She is with us in death, seen as life-giving and as the nights’ shadows. She can be imagined as the epitome of human nature, to consume and expand, while showcasing the wrath of nature and the dangers it produces.
Finally, on the last wall is the Goddess of Time Kali. She is the mother figure, a protector and liberator, embodying femininity, creativity, and fertility. In her many hands, we see a multitude of weapons such as a trident, a bow and arrow, a sword, a chakra, a shield, and a severed head. While a frightening sight, it is all to protect, yet in her is a chaos of all things that cannot be contained or controlled. She is with us in death, seen as life-giving and as the nights’ shadows. She can be imagined as the epitome of human nature, to consume and expand, while showcasing the wrath of nature and the dangers it produces.
After meeting all of the Nine Hindu Gods, we are left to wonder what it all means. Why face these Gods, learn their stories, and relationships with one another? Why are they important? What are they looking at? Why are you gazing at these holy beings? I grew up in an enviorment that focused on Catholic and Chrisitian beliefs, but my mother was also a believer in many other religions, such as Buddhism and spirituality. Due to this, I have come to appreciate the idea of reincarnation, of allowing the universe to be my escape and that spirits could exist and remain in a different plane of reality.
While these ideas are part of my being, they are simply my ideals of the afterlife. I do not practice any sort of religion, and as such, have no real say if any are true. But everyone deserves to have their own beliefs. The idea of learning about different beliefs is why I cherish religion and the cultures they represent, because they represent people as a whole. These works of art bring Hindusim into a new light that the viewer can experience first hand, while also generating this idea of being “seen”. When looking at these beings, I feel small yet big, I have this opportunity of a sacred meeting with a figure of immortal status, where I as a person outside this belief, can try to understand and learn about Hinduism and the figures within it.
This exhibition is a journey that incorporates history to tell a story of each deity that is being seen through imagery. It centers around this idea of the darshan, where the act of seeing and being seen are two sides of the same coin. This can represent the divine and the unique expereinces it generates, with it’s ability to be heard, healed, or even to offer a moment of peace. This idea can also generate with personal relationships with other people, to feel accepted, loved, or valued. This is ultimately what I believe darshan truly is, the response you have when encountering a being that is divine, or being seen by someone in a higher postion than you, someone you value.
This also calls into question how an individual wants to be seen, and what that actually means in today’s society. Do I as an individual wish to be seen as a female scholar, do I wish to be seen as a helpful individual who cares for others, or do I simply wish to be seen as a female scholar who wants to create a place of community and safety for those who need it during their academic career? These questions are normal, but they are often kept to oneself, never announced. This idea of being “seen” is a unique one, an idea that might need a closer look.
While this can cause a person to question themselves, this can also create a larger dialogue between friends or family, which is something I ran into when discussing this exhibition with my family over dinner. How do you wish to be seen? My grandmother expressed to be seen as a healthy individual who helps those around her become healthy in both mind and body. For some background, my grandmother is an active Crossfitter, who competed her way into the top 100 women in the aged category 50 and up. She focuses heavily on an active and healthy lifestyle, helping her family grow and build up their own healthy lifestyle that fits their wants and needs. While she was the only one who took the answer seriously, it played into her own morals, which is something that can be taken away from exhibtions like this one.
What does it mean to be seen? How do we wish to be seen? Are you perceiving, or are you concealing? To be seen is to truly show oneself without barriers, to be vulnerable to those around you, and to bare your soul to the God you believe in. To expereince darshan is to see those around you for who they are, and for them to see you as well. I might be wrong about the true meaning of darshan, but this is what I have come to understand from this exhibition. Sight is a double sided coin, you can’t truly understand one without understanding the other. You can’t understand yourself, if you don’t understand those around you, and vise versa.