We have always painted the characters in our myths and puranas in a classy light. We have shown them to be very gentle and beautiful. But there is this guy, Molee, who thought they should be different. Since the setting of the puranas is in an ancient period, he gave them the ruggedness of the early kings and warriors. Irrespective of whether you agree with the illustrations, the art is definitely awe-inspiring!
The Gods
1. Ganesha
2. Lord Krishna:
There is the biggest misconception that Feminism was dominant in Krishna. But appearance-wise, Krishna is supposed to be very manly, and he was also a very aggressive warrior with massive muscular arms and a tall stature as recorded in the Mahabharata.
3. Lord Yama:
Kala in the Mahabharata is black skinned with a shaven head... the scorched skin is Molee's own creativity to relate him to the scorching sun, as he is the son of the sun.
4. Lord Vishnu:
"For this his mighty deed is Viṣṇu lauded, like some wild beast, dread, prowling, mountain-roaming; He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their habitation." - Rig Veda book 1, verse 154.
5. Vayu:
Vayu is the god of the supernatural wind, the wind that drives us all! He is described in the Vedas as the soul of the gods... the germ of the universe!! He is a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
6. Mohini:
The only female avatar of Lord Vishnu. Her name comes from the word 'moha' which means infatuation. Mohini uses the power of lust to destroy her enemies as lust blinds the function of reasoning in any living being.
7. Ardhanarishwara:
Born from the eye of Brahma, Rudra was born neither male nor female. Brahma told him to procreate through love, and so Rudra then split himself to create the Rudras through sexual union as male and female.
8. Agni
9. Varuna:
The God of Cosmic Order, Justice, Sky and the god of the ocean called life/Bhavsagar. Varuna was praised as "Asura-Mahat -The great Asura" during the Vedic times.
10. Karthikeya/Muruga/Kumaraswamy: The God of War.
11. Kalki:
As per the Kalki Purana… the Lord is prophesized to take birth in the home of a well-known Brahmana by the name Vishnuyasa and his wife Sumati in the village of Shambhala. He will train extensively in martial arts and weaponry under guru Parashurama - the warrior worshipped by all warriors. After doing immense penance for over ten years in the mountains for Rudra, he will receive the sword, Ratnamaru and also his vehicle, Devadatta – the white horse. Kalki will then annihilate all evil in this age of darkness and lead humanity to the age of truth, Satya Yuga.
12. Krishna as Narasimha:
If you have read the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a story in which Krishna transforms into Narasimha to save a swan.
The Ramayana
1. Sita Devi:
Rama's beloved wife from Mithila, Nepal.
2. Rama and Lakshmana:
During the Vanavaasam, they lived for long periods in the forests. So it is entirely possible that they looked like this.
3. Sagara:
Rama threatening Sagara, God of the Sea & Ocean. He's the Indian counterpart of Poseidon.
4. Hanuman
5. Parasurama:
Parashurama... co-founder of an awesome martial art system named Kalaripayattu. Also the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu.
6. Rama and Sita during Vanavasa:
Rama was dark-skinned, 10 feet tall with a well-built body. Ravana once said to Rama, about his rugged looks, "You do not look like a King.". But we all know what happened in the end.
7. Rama rides Hanuma:
Hanuman asks Lord Rama to ride on his back and confront Ravana in the battlefield This scene occurs in Yuddha Kanda Chapter 59, Verse 124 & 125 of the Valmiki Ramayana.
8. The fall of Jataayu:
Jatayu the vulture was a descendant of Vinata. He was monstrous in size and fought Ravana unarmed though aged, only using his beak and talons, to save Sita.
9. Ranaveera:
In Chapter 93 of the Yuddha Khanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Rama uses the Gandharva Astra and he destroys about 10,000 chariots, kills 18,000 elephants, 14, 000 horses with their riders, and 200,000 foot soldiers with superhuman speed, in a matter of three hours.
10. Ravana, the Demon King:
He was an extremely powerful Rakshasa.. He was adept in the Vedas, Shastras, sciences of weaponry and was an expert warrior. His skin was like sapphire. His eyes were smoking red like burning charcoal and his hair - black and curly. He had huge beautiful clean white fangs and he him-self was huge in stature. his chest was broad and his arms massive like elephant trunks! His body was smeared with red sandalwood paste. He had a huge crater like scar on his chest caused by the tusk of Airavata. He had several scars all over his bodies caused by various celestial weapons and his shoulders were smeared with diamonds by attacks from Vishnu's chakra(because of his boon, no god can defeat/kill him). His wore a beautiful diadem on his head decorated with the rarest pearls, and his arms were adorned with golden angadas(armlets). and mouth smelt of the finest liquor, for Ravana loved to drink. He wore gold or red clothes made of the finest silk. He can assume a form with ten heads and twenty arms at will.
11. Kumbhakarna:
He devoured living creatures by millions. He grew mighty and strong, there was none as huge as he was on earth.
The Mahabharata
1. Yudhistra: Son of Dharma, the wisest of the Pandavas.
2. Bheema: The strongest of the Pandavas.
3. Nakula/Sahadeva: The Warrior Twins.
4. Arjuna:
The third of Pandavas, who played a key role in Mahabharata. Probably the most powerful among his Siblings.
5. Bhishma Pitamaha:
Uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the eight son of Kuru king who was blessed with wish-long life and sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king.
6. Ghatotkacha:
He was the son of Bheema. He looked nothing close to a human being. He had sharp arrow like ears, bright red eyes, his head was green, his neck was red, his body was blue, his lips were of a coppery hue, his teeth were razor sharp and four of his canines were long and extended, his tongue was very long, his cheek bones were high, his nose was big,his mouth was wide extending from ear to ear, his chest and arms were broad and muscular, his hips were wide, but like his father his belly was slim and sunken deep, his hair was tied up in a terrible knot on his head, his body hair stood erect, he wore an armour of brass, and a golden diadem decorate his head, he wore garlands made of gold, his bow was twelve cubits long. He also devoured the flesh of humans and was a master of a hundred kinds of illusions.
7. Lord Krishna as Parthasarathy:
Krishna when he was wounded severely by the arrows of Bhishma. There is temple for Krishna as Parthasarathy in Triplicane, Madras where his face is full of scars by the arrows of Bhishma! Most of the arrows Bhishma aimed at Arjuna were shielded by Krishna's own body.
So that is how the characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata, and our various Gods are supposed to look like, according to the books. If you still want to argue, read the books, rather than considering those low-budget serials that fill our minds with useless half-knowledge.
All pictures courtesy of Molee Art.
2. Lord Krishna:
There is the biggest misconception that Feminism was dominant in Krishna. But appearance-wise, Krishna is supposed to be very manly, and he was also a very aggressive warrior with massive muscular arms and a tall stature as recorded in the Mahabharata.
3. Lord Yama:
Kala in the Mahabharata is black skinned with a shaven head... the scorched skin is Molee's own creativity to relate him to the scorching sun, as he is the son of the sun.
4. Lord Vishnu:
"For this his mighty deed is Viṣṇu lauded, like some wild beast, dread, prowling, mountain-roaming; He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their habitation." - Rig Veda book 1, verse 154.
5. Vayu:
Vayu is the god of the supernatural wind, the wind that drives us all! He is described in the Vedas as the soul of the gods... the germ of the universe!! He is a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
6. Mohini:
The only female avatar of Lord Vishnu. Her name comes from the word 'moha' which means infatuation. Mohini uses the power of lust to destroy her enemies as lust blinds the function of reasoning in any living being.
7. Ardhanarishwara:
Born from the eye of Brahma, Rudra was born neither male nor female. Brahma told him to procreate through love, and so Rudra then split himself to create the Rudras through sexual union as male and female.
8. Agni
9. Varuna:
The God of Cosmic Order, Justice, Sky and the god of the ocean called life/Bhavsagar. Varuna was praised as "Asura-Mahat -The great Asura" during the Vedic times.
10. Karthikeya/Muruga/Kumaraswamy: The God of War.
11. Kalki:
As per the Kalki Purana… the Lord is prophesized to take birth in the home of a well-known Brahmana by the name Vishnuyasa and his wife Sumati in the village of Shambhala. He will train extensively in martial arts and weaponry under guru Parashurama - the warrior worshipped by all warriors. After doing immense penance for over ten years in the mountains for Rudra, he will receive the sword, Ratnamaru and also his vehicle, Devadatta – the white horse. Kalki will then annihilate all evil in this age of darkness and lead humanity to the age of truth, Satya Yuga.
12. Krishna as Narasimha:
If you have read the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a story in which Krishna transforms into Narasimha to save a swan.
The Ramayana
1. Sita Devi:
Rama's beloved wife from Mithila, Nepal.
2. Rama and Lakshmana:
During the Vanavaasam, they lived for long periods in the forests. So it is entirely possible that they looked like this.
3. Sagara:
Rama threatening Sagara, God of the Sea & Ocean. He's the Indian counterpart of Poseidon.
4. Hanuman
5. Parasurama:
Parashurama... co-founder of an awesome martial art system named Kalaripayattu. Also the 6th avatar of Lord Vishnu.
6. Rama and Sita during Vanavasa:
Rama was dark-skinned, 10 feet tall with a well-built body. Ravana once said to Rama, about his rugged looks, "You do not look like a King.". But we all know what happened in the end.
7. Rama rides Hanuma:
Hanuman asks Lord Rama to ride on his back and confront Ravana in the battlefield This scene occurs in Yuddha Kanda Chapter 59, Verse 124 & 125 of the Valmiki Ramayana.
8. The fall of Jataayu:
Jatayu the vulture was a descendant of Vinata. He was monstrous in size and fought Ravana unarmed though aged, only using his beak and talons, to save Sita.
9. Ranaveera:
In Chapter 93 of the Yuddha Khanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Rama uses the Gandharva Astra and he destroys about 10,000 chariots, kills 18,000 elephants, 14, 000 horses with their riders, and 200,000 foot soldiers with superhuman speed, in a matter of three hours.
10. Ravana, the Demon King:
He was an extremely powerful Rakshasa.. He was adept in the Vedas, Shastras, sciences of weaponry and was an expert warrior. His skin was like sapphire. His eyes were smoking red like burning charcoal and his hair - black and curly. He had huge beautiful clean white fangs and he him-self was huge in stature. his chest was broad and his arms massive like elephant trunks! His body was smeared with red sandalwood paste. He had a huge crater like scar on his chest caused by the tusk of Airavata. He had several scars all over his bodies caused by various celestial weapons and his shoulders were smeared with diamonds by attacks from Vishnu's chakra(because of his boon, no god can defeat/kill him). His wore a beautiful diadem on his head decorated with the rarest pearls, and his arms were adorned with golden angadas(armlets). and mouth smelt of the finest liquor, for Ravana loved to drink. He wore gold or red clothes made of the finest silk. He can assume a form with ten heads and twenty arms at will.
11. Kumbhakarna:
He devoured living creatures by millions. He grew mighty and strong, there was none as huge as he was on earth.
The Mahabharata
1. Yudhistra: Son of Dharma, the wisest of the Pandavas.
2. Bheema: The strongest of the Pandavas.
3. Nakula/Sahadeva: The Warrior Twins.
4. Arjuna:
The third of Pandavas, who played a key role in Mahabharata. Probably the most powerful among his Siblings.
5. Bhishma Pitamaha:
Uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the eight son of Kuru king who was blessed with wish-long life and sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king.
6. Ghatotkacha:
He was the son of Bheema. He looked nothing close to a human being. He had sharp arrow like ears, bright red eyes, his head was green, his neck was red, his body was blue, his lips were of a coppery hue, his teeth were razor sharp and four of his canines were long and extended, his tongue was very long, his cheek bones were high, his nose was big,his mouth was wide extending from ear to ear, his chest and arms were broad and muscular, his hips were wide, but like his father his belly was slim and sunken deep, his hair was tied up in a terrible knot on his head, his body hair stood erect, he wore an armour of brass, and a golden diadem decorate his head, he wore garlands made of gold, his bow was twelve cubits long. He also devoured the flesh of humans and was a master of a hundred kinds of illusions.
7. Lord Krishna as Parthasarathy:
Krishna when he was wounded severely by the arrows of Bhishma. There is temple for Krishna as Parthasarathy in Triplicane, Madras where his face is full of scars by the arrows of Bhishma! Most of the arrows Bhishma aimed at Arjuna were shielded by Krishna's own body.
So that is how the characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata, and our various Gods are supposed to look like, according to the books. If you still want to argue, read the books, rather than considering those low-budget serials that fill our minds with useless half-knowledge.
All pictures courtesy of Molee Art.
