Descripción del sitio
This magnificent relief, carved in the mid-seventh century, measures
approximately 30m (100ft) long by 15m (45ft) high. The subject is
either Arjuna's Penance or the Descent of the Ganges, or possibly both.
In the culture of India (as for that matter the civilization of ancient
Egypt), logical alternatives are often conceptualized as "both-and"
rather than "either-or."
Arjuna's Penance is a story from the Mahabharata of how Arjuna, one of
the Pandava brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain
Shiva's weapon. The idea, which pervades Hindu philosophy, is that one
could obtain, by self-mortification, enough power even to overcome the
gods. In order to protect themselves, the gods would grant the petition
of any ascetic who threatened their supremacy in this way - a kind of
spiritual blackmail, or "give to get." (This meaning of the word
"penance," by the way, is specific to Hinduism. Unlike the Catholic
rite of penance, it is performed to gain power, not to expiate sin. Brought by to the TripsGuru.com