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Caption: Balarama Kills the Ass Demon Page from an illustrated manuscript of the Bhagavata Purana Northern India (Punjab Hills, Bilaspur), ca. 1725 Opaque watercolor and silver on paper Overall: 8 3/16 x 11 in. (20.8 x 27.9 cm) Brooklyn Museum. Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.166

Label: This is an illustration from the Bhagavata Purana, a lengthy Hindu scripture dedicated to the god Krishna, who is said to have lived on earth as a prince. When Krishna (with blue skin) and his brother, Balarama (with white skin), approached a grove in hopes of picking fruit, Dhenuka, a demon who took the form of a donkey (or ass), kicked Balarama in the chest. In the lower right corner of the painting, Balarama is shown recovering from the blow. In the lower left, we see Balarama’s revenge, which was to grab the donkey by the back legs and fling him through the air; the demon died upon landing a great distance away. This repetition of figures to depict several episodes in a single composition is typical of storytelling imagery in India. The beauty of the forest backdrop here belies the violence of the story, none of which is actually illustrated in the painting.

Biggest Reactions These groups differed the most from the average rating	25-34 y.o. women with "no experience"	65-74 y.o. women with "more than a little experience"	25-34 y.o. women with "above average experience"	55-64 y.o. women with "above average experience"	25-34 y.o. men with "no experience"
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