Windows to the Spiritual World: The Visionary Art of Srimati Syamarani Dasi

Srimati Syamarani Dasi shines as a luminary of visionary art. Her paintings depict scenes from India’s wisdom texts like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In 2020, Hema Malini, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and former President Ram Nath Kovind praised her artistic prowess and contribution to India’s spiritual and cultural traditions.

Her paintings like Seva Kunja have touched millions across the globe, offering a glimpse into Sri Radha-Krishna’s eternal pastimes. She says that the glory of those paintings is that they were not a product of her imagination. Rather, every detail came from the Vedas and her two self-realized gurus, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world-famous founder of ISKCON, and Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja.
The result is vibrant art that portrays the beauty and depth of the bhakti philosophy. “These paintings are windows to the spiritual world,” Srila Prabhupada personally told her. “They will be like the rain after the drought of mundane art, and everyone will be attracted.”

How it all began
Born in New York, Didi graduated from The Music and Art High School, then majored in art and history at New York City College. In 1966, at the age of 19, her life took a transformative turn. As she walked through Tompkins Square Park she heard an ancient chant that captivated her. Tracing the source of the sound, she met with Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

His message was simple: “We are suffering because we have forgotten to bring our love to God, Krsna. By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra – Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare- under the guidance of genuine gurus, we can awaken our dormant eternal relationship with Krsna, the reservoir of beauty, love, sweetness, and all potencies.”

Didi decided to dedicate her life to him and his teachings and took initiation. Knowing that Didi had some art training, he requested her to paint. Thrilled at the idea that art could be a conduit to convey the Lord’s message, she set to work. Within a year he appointed her as his first art director.

In devotional art, the artist is trained to paint with reverence for the divine personalities he or she is depicting. Once, while Didi was working on a portrait of her grandfather guru she left the painting and the reference photograph of him on the floor. When she returned, she saw that Srila Prabhupada had placed pillows under both the canvas and the photo. By this simple act, Srila Prabhupada revolutionized her internal attitude toward her work. Since then, she painted over 300 paintings for his books and temples.

On November 14, 1977 Srila Prabhupada left this world for his spiritual home. Although bereft of his personal presence and guidance, Didi and the other artists, feeling his spiritual presence and guidance, continued to create paintings for his books.

Continued Guidance
In 1992, Didi met Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, one of Srila Prabhupada’s intimate friends and spiritual successors, at his temple in Vrindavan. She, along with others, noticed that one result of being in his company was that their personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada increased. Just as Srila Prabhupada’s mission was to deliver the pristine path of pure bhakti to the Western world, Srila Maharaja’s mission was to scripturally elucidate bhakti’s ultimate goals. He continued to engage her in the service of painting “windows to the spiritual world.”

The first painting he requested became famous the world over as Seva-kunja. It depicts a scene from Gita Govinda by renowned Vaishnava poet, Sri Jayadeva Goswami, wherein Krsna places His flute at the lotus feet of Srimati Radhika. It depicts the mood of the Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession coming from Srila Rupa Goswami down through Srila Prabhupada and his contemporaries. Even though Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is subordinate to His beloved associates, who love Him more than their own lives. Presently this painting is worshiped in Sri Rupa-Sanatana Gaudiya Matha in Vrindavan.

An Invitation to Experience the Divine
In 2021, Syamarani Didi founded the Sacred Vedic Arts Museum in Miami’s Design District. Their mission is to preserve and promote Vedic art and culture. The center offers a wide array of programs, from bhajans and kirtan, to art exhibitions and cultural festivals, to community service and spiritual education, to delicious vegetarian and vegan prasadam feasts. The walls are adorned by her original paintings. The museum also operates as a Radha-Krishna mandir.

The stunning details of Didi’s life with Srila Prabhupada were published in her memoirs, The Art of Spiritual Life. A comprehensive collection of her paintings were published in the fabulous Bhakti Art Illuminations artbook. You can pick up copies at the center’s gift shop. To plan your visit or learn more, visit their
website www.sacredvedicarts.org.