Yogis, Saints

 

A Shaivite Sadhu and His Youthful Acolyte, Lucknow or Awadh

Sultan Ibrāhīm Ibn Adham visited by Angels, source Amir Mohtashemi

Yogini in meditation with rosary

A Yogini in Meditation, Impey Ragamala

A Yogi Worshipping Vishnu on Garuda, Victoria & Albert Museum

Sikh Miniatures

Guru Nanak meets Nath Siddhas

Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjabi, c 1840

Nizamuddin

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, was a famous sufi saint of the Chisti order. He lived near Delhi. Nizamuddin stressed love as a means of realising God.

Angels ministering to a Saint

Two versions of the same subject: Angels ministering to the saint, Sultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham of Balkh.

Ibrahim is one of the most well known early sufi saints. He lived in the 8th century, and gave up the throne of Balkh to become a wandering ascetic. His teaching emphasised stillness and meditation.

Yogini

Contemporary painting by Kailash Raj. 
A Yogini is a female yogi, meaning one who has attained yoga (union) with the Divine.

Kedara Ragini

Mughal circa 1700.
Kedar or kedara is a name associated with Lord Shiva, the god of ascetics.

Ladies visiting an Ascetic

detail

Holy Man

Provincial Mughal, A Holy Man and Visitors, 19th Century.

Dervish

A prince or nobleman visiting a holy man.

Gajendra Moksha

Mid 18th century.

Depicts Lord Vishnu rescuing the king of the elephants, Gajendra, from a crocodile. In his previous life, Gajendra had been a great king who failed to greet a visiting sage with respect. The sage cursed him to be reborn as an elephant because he sat heavily on his throne rather than rising to honour the sage. 

Garuda, the vehicle of Shri Vishnu, flies overhead.

Kedar Ragini

Akbar visiting an Ascetic

From the collection of the Bodleian Library.

Sufis

Ascetic

A prince and ladies visiting a female ascetic at night. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Pet Lion

detail

Annunciation

Annunciation, Oudh

Ascetics

The Ascetics of Chitrakuta ask for Lord Rama's Protection, Illustration from the Ramayana.

Khwaja Khizr Khan

This 17th Century Mughal painting depicts the legendary muslim saint, Khwaja Khizr travelling on a fish, dressed in green robes and turban. 

In Islam, the colour green has associations with spirituality. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH was said to have favoured green, and in the Koran it is written that the inhabitants of Heaven will wear robes of fine green silk. 

Upanishad

Jaimuni questions Markandeya, Garwhal c. 1785, 17.8 x 24.7 cm


A detail of this painting was used for the cover of the Penguin Classics edition of the Upanishads.