ART WIKI
The Cosmic Form of Krishna, c. 1750–75

The Cosmic Form of Krishna

c. 1750–75 · Paintings, Works on Paper

Can I see it?

Yes, on view now

Where is “The Cosmic Form of Krishna” now? Minneapolis Institute of Art, G211, Minneapolis. Yes, on view now. Checked October 12, 2026.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minneapolis, United States

RoomG211

Closed· opens tomorrow at 10:00 AM

On public display.

Checked
In this state since
Source
The museum
On the mapMuseum page
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About the painting

The striking imagery of this painting was inspired by the Bhagavata Gita (200 BCE to 300 CE), a foundational text in Hinduism. The artist illustrates a pivotal conversation between the epic hero, Arjuna (identified by inscription in the bottom left), and Krishna, who gives Arjuna special vision in order to reveal the majesty of his cosmic form, Vishvarupa or Vishnu (“having all shapes”).

Read on

Depicted with fifty-six multi-colored heads and fifty-six brandishing arms, the Cosmic Form of Krishna towers upright, his all-encompassing aura swelling to the borders of the page. Brahma, Shiva, the sun, and the moon are among the gods who peek through the long locks of his beard. His dress (dhoti) is imagined as a mountain—representing the earth—and beneath is a radiating splay of assured feet. The image articulates the boundless benevolence of Krishna (or Vishnu), with the cosmic body underscoring notions of yogic insight and transformation—the experiencing of the Self and the Absolute as the same, constituting ultimate reality.

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Details

Accession number
2020.40.1

In the catalog

PaintingsGouacheRococo18th centuryIndia

Sources

In the same room · G211, Minneapolis Institute of Art

Museum page
Processional image of a Large Swan (Velya Annam), 19th century

Processional image of a Large Swan (Velya Annam), 19th century

Brahminy Starling with Two Antheraea Moths, Caterpillar, and Cocoon on Indian Jujube Tree, Sheikh Zain al-Din, 1777

Sheikh Zain al-Din

Brahminy Starling with Two Antheraea Moths, Caterpillar, and Cocoon on Indian Jujube Tree, 1777

Krishna and Radha Sheltering from the Rain, Nurpur workshop, c. 1760

Nurpur workshop

Krishna and Radha Sheltering from the Rain, c. 1760

Folio from the Shangri Ramayana (Style IV): Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana Arriving at the Hermitage of Sage Agastya, Kulu or Mandi workshop, c. 1730

Kulu or Mandi workshop

Folio from the Shangri Ramayana (Style IV): Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana Arriving at the Hermitage of Sage Agastya, c. 1730

Illustration to the Shangri Ramayana (Style III): Rama and Lakshmana Arriving at the Rishyamukha Hill, Kulu or Mandi workshop, c. 1700

Kulu or Mandi workshop

Illustration to the Shangri Ramayana (Style III): Rama and Lakshmana Arriving at the Rishyamukha Hill, c. 1700

Jali (window screen), c. 1600–20

Jali (window screen), c. 1600–20

Child Shaiva Saint Sambandar, 15th century

Child Shaiva Saint Sambandar, 15th century

Devi Uma Parameshvari, Great Goddess Uma, 13th century

Devi Uma Parameshvari, Great Goddess Uma, 13th century