yugas and colours

[Stella Sandahl]

Regarding the problem of the exact meaning of colours there is the  
excellent article by Jean Filliozat: "Classement des coleurs et des  
lumières en sanskrit" in Bulletin de l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes  
Etudes, IVe section, Paris 1955. See also the chapter "Les coleurs  
des sentiments" in my book Le GItagovinda. Tradition et innovation  
dans le kAvya, Stockholm 1977, pp.144-154.
Best
Stella Sandahl
--
Stella Sandahl
ssandahl at sympatico.ca



On 31-Oct-09, at 9:50 PM, JKirkpatrick wrote:

> Here you can see a photo of durva grass:
> http://tinyurl.com/yamfzx2
>
> It is (by our naming) "green". One of the problems with colors is
> that black, blue and green often are conflated in the same term.
> Or "dark" might mean green.
> And in some areas green and yellow share the same term.
> So here, I'd guess (in terms of the way 'we" perceive color),
> dvapara would be green, not
> "black as durva grass".
>
> krta--color of conch or milk--= white
> treta--like gold = yellow
> dvapara --durva grass = green (elsewhere, blue or dark blue)
> kali= kaajal--usually  there's little variation with real black.
>
> The missing color here is red.
>
> But, like classification of foods according to their warmth or
> coldness, dryness or moisture, etc.,  these color classifications
> will show variation.
>
> Joanna K.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of
> Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
> Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 6:34 PM
> To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
> Subject: Re: yugas and colours
>
> The /Balacarita/ of Bhasa also mentions Narayana/Visnu's changing
> colors in the yugas in its opening lines:
>
> Krta: the color of conch or milk
> Treta: shiny like gold
> Dvapara: black as durva grass
> Kali: black as collyrium
>
> Luis González-Reimann
> _____
>
> on 10/31/2009 1:30 PM Luis Gonzalez-Reimann wrote:
>> The colors in 3.148, mentioned by Harunaga, are:
>>
>> Krta: white
>> Treta: red
>> Dvapara: yellow
>> Kali: black
>>
>> But there is a different version in Mbh 3.187.31:
>>
>> Krta: white
>> Treta: yellow
>> Dvapara: red
>> Kali: black
>>
>> Where the colors for Treta and Dvapara are reversed.
>>
>> I discuss this in my book /The Mahabharata and the Yugas/ (pp.
> 103,
>> 114-116).
>>
>> Luis González-Reimann
>> _____
>>
>> on 10/31/2009 12:29 PM Harunaga Isaacson wrote:
>>> And it is in the MBh, not only in passages excluded from the
> critical
>>> edition (such as that which DG quoted), but also in 3.148
> ("sukla in
>>> vs. 16, rakta in 23, piita in 26, and k.r.s.na in 33).
>>>
>>> Harunaga Isaacson
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter Bisschop wrote:
>>>> It is found in the Vi.s.nudharma (edition R. Gruenendahl):
>>>> 104.27 ("sukla), 104.35 (rakta), 104.38 (piita), 104.45
> (k.r.s.na)
>>>>
>>>> Peter Bisschop
>>>>
>>>> Quoting Dominic Goodall <dominic.goodall at GMAIL.COM>:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Can anybody tell me whether the notion that Vi.s.nu changes
> colour
>>>>> in each yuga predates the Bhaagavatapuraa.na?
>>>>>
>>>>> BhP_10.08.013/1 aasan var.naas trayo hy asya g.rh.nato
> 'nuyuga.m
>>>>> tanuu.h
>>>>> BhP_10.08.013/3 "suklo raktas tathaa piita idaanii.m
> k.r.s.nataa.m
>>>>> gata.h
>>>>>
>>>>> I find it in a few passages excluded from the critical text
> of the
>>>>> Mahaabhaarata, e.g.
>>>>>
>>>>> 13*0002_01 ya.h "svetatvam upaagata.h k.rtayuge tretaayuge
>>>>> raktataa.m
>>>>> 13*0002_02 yugme ya.h kapila.h kalau sa bhagavaan
> k.r.s.natvam
>>>>> abhyaagata.h
>>>>>
>>>>> Does anybody know of any demonstrably early references?
>>>>>
>>>>> Dominic Goodall
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>