The Golden Saint is a parable of good versus evil, of positive versus negative, and of playing with the complementary opposing forms of dualities, that records an episode that occurred in the Punja Sahib, wherein Nanak prevents a mountain from crushing him by merely holding up his hand. This is also a theme that Arpana has painted several times, and one that is derived from 19th century miniature paintings. Here Nanak robed in brilliant gold is showered with cascading flower petals as he holds out his right arm and pushes against a mountain top that is cleft by a blue running stream, over which hovers the ghost-like shadow of a man. Arpana’s paintings are inspired by the nineteenth-century miniature tradition of the Pahari styles of the Punjab Hills. They include the bold Basohli school, and the romantic Kangra and Guler schools that produced some of the most lyrical paintings in Indian art. Here the finger-like extensions of the rocky mountains are seemingly joined in the pious namaste mudra (greeting gesture), that recall the highly stylized slopes and colorings found in early Pahari paintings. It is as if they have recognized the great spirit of Nanak and are imploring him for forgiveness. The small figure of a woman in the inset red-bordered painting holds her hands out towards Nanak, echoing the sentiments of the mountains.

Wherever water flows it carves its way through terrain, dividing and separating. Arpana uses water in many of her paintings in a similar way as a formal device to divide her compositions. In the highly original painting of Dancing Nanak, the sinuous lines of the blue river of life are echoed in the curves of Nanak’s dancing body. Flames erupt from the curves of the river like festering sores, reminding us of the eternal duality that exists between fire and water. They also remind us of the continuing tensions in the Punjab, the region of the five rivers that throughout its history has been an area that has witnessed waves of invading forces making their way down into the rich plains of India. This same area witnessed the greatest transmigration of people in the world’s history in 1947. It was a tragic event that continues to be played out today in the political tension between India and Pakistan, and Arpana inserts both the ambiguity and the duality of the continuing political tensions into this painting of Nanak. The joyous dance of Nanak, who danced in the way of the mystic Sufis to express his spiritual devotion, is tempered by the flaming river­­––a reminder of the insolvency that can overwhelm the human spirit. In the Shivaite context the dance becomes the catalyst that destroys ignorance and the demonic powers of darkness in order to restore life. Fire burns, destroys and cleanses in order to bring forth life. Water also possesses these dual powers of destruction and creation. In Arpana’s painting the rhythm of the dance gives visible energy to Nanak’s joy and his sense of hope.

Endless Journeys is a series of paintings that depicts Nanak’s wanderings throughout the Punjab and his pilgrimages to Hindu and Muslim sacred places, spreading the message of One God (ikk oan kar), the equality of all men, the rejection of the caste system, and the futility of physical existence. He is accompanied by his two faithful followers, Bala, who was Hindu, and Mardana, a Muslim who played the rabab (lute) as music for Nanak’s devotional songs. In one painting three large footprintsiii enclose the three wanderers: Nanak robed in gold walks with his staff, Bala follows with a water bottle, and Mardana walks behind clasping his rabab.

In the painting owned by Dr. Kapany, Arpana has drawn one large golden footprint that appears to float in the firmament. Enclosed within it is the radiant figure of Nanak walking with his staff. His companions are no longer with him; he walks alone, intent on his quest to spread his teachings.
In an almost identical painting entitled, In Bleeding Times, 2002, the golden-robed figure of Nanak continues to stride forward, but now the footprint is black. It is backlit by an ominous red glow as it floats against a dark grey-black background. An even blacker arrow impedes Nanak’s progress.iv It seems that communal tensions and violence will never cease.

The reality of reoccurring warfare is expressed in Arpana’s iconic seated figure of Nanak.v In this magnificent painting, as also in the In Bleeding Times series, Nanak is seated in the posture of royal ease with one leg bent vertically at the knee. His body floats upon a black background and is contoured by a golden glow, inside of which soldiers are fighting each other and hunting animals; blood is pouring from the lifeless carcass of a tiger. Within Nanak’s right arm is the tree of life with its blue leaves, the same tree that appears in the footprint paintings of Nanak’s peregrinations. The stylistic tradition of painting figures within figures, and figures formed of figures, is one that was popular during the period of the Deccani Sultanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Then it was more of a visual conceit and a decorative conundrum. Arpana has exploited this normally playful approach to imbue her rendering of Nanak in the fullness of his compassion.

At the heart of Guru Nanak’s life and teachings was his consummate sense of humanity and compassion. In her painting entitled, Compassion, 2002, the large, golden head of Nanak appears from the firmament like the rising sun. Pouring from each of his eyes like waterfalls are two streams of water that bathe three seated female figures below. In his great compassion, Nanak is shown bathing away the sins of the world in order to restore life and hope. The small figures are Arpana, who is herself wholly embraced by the love and teachings of Nanak. This painting, perhaps, more than any of the others speaks to Arpana’s own sense of being Sikh. In a series of paintings that has celebrated the miraculous and legendary life of Nanak, Compassion, brings the Sikh experience into the present and into the personal and private sphere of experience.