Nāmasaṅgīti

Samundra Man Singh Shrestha’s magnum opus, The Teaching of Buddha depicts two main figures – the Buddha, supreme among all beings, and Vajrapāṇi, the Boddhisattva who protects the Dharma. The Buddha is seen preaching the 

Nāmasaṅgīti, the entire Buddhist philosophy addressing wisdom and knowledge of the universe.  

Vajrapāṇi Boddhisattva appealed to the Buddha to help him understand the depth, expanse, and subtlety, of the all-knowing knowledge of non-duality that explains the worldly and the divine. The entirety of the philosophy is personified by Manjuśrirūpi Nāmasaṅgīti. The preaching about Nāmasaṅgīti is absolute and carried out by all the Tathāgatas, present, past as well as future. During his third Dharmacakra prabartan in Dhānyakatak-sri Parbat, Śākyamuni Buddha preached on the Nāmasaṅgīti. 

Art By: Samundra Man Singh Shrestha

To portray in a painting, the immense vast nature and magnitude of this philosophy are extremely convoluted. Shrestha’s work highlights the three main figures, prominently focusing on Buddha and Vajrapāṇi, deftly endowed with the enigmatic imagery of Nāmasaṅgīti. The bright energy depicted through the golden color represents the positivity, divinity, spirituality, and celestial nature of Buddha and Vajrapāṇi. The central placement of Nāmasaṅgīti is subtle yet filled with vibrance.  

The representation of several other numerous Gods, faintly painted in the background and unseen at first glance, is, nonetheless, the most crucial component of this artwork. The background reflects Shrestha's creative inventiveness and ingenuity, symbolizing that whenever Buddha offered his discourses, all the Gods, demi-gods, and animals congregated to listen to him. This is brilliantly illustrated in the painting by adding depth to the background and giving the deities the appearance of trying to emerge from the wall to listen. 

This work of art displays the four components of Vajrayāna Buddhism in its entirety - kriyā, or action tantra, caryā, or performative tantra, yoga, or meditative tantra, and anuttaryoga, or unexcelled tantra. The various objects that Shrestha has placed around the deities are his own embellishments such as the butter lamps, incense, flowers, and fruits used during kriyā tantra practice. The conch shell and the gongs present depict the various qualities that Manjuśri embodies, which are described in the Nāmasaṅgīti.  

Content extracted from the catalog of the Solo Exhibition of Samundra Man Singh Shrestha