The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry

Triumph

r without.'[46] The function of the new Krishna was to defend these two premises-that romantic love was the most exalted experience in life and secondly, that of all the roads to salvation, the impassioned adoration of God was the one most valid. God must be adored. Krishna himself was God and since he had shown divine love in passionately possessing the cowgirls, he was best adored by recalling these very encounters. As a result, Krishna's relations with the cowgirls were now enormously magnified and as part of this fresh appraisal, a particular married cowgirl, Radha, enters the story as the enchanting object of his passions. We have seen how on one occasion in the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna disappears taking with him a single girl, how they then make love together in a forest bower and how when the girl tires and begs Krishna to carry her, he abruptly leaves her. The girl's name is not mentioned bu

ted by standard views of marriage. In early India, marriage had been regarded as a contract between families and romantic love between husband and wife as an accidental, even an unexpected product of what was basically a utilitarian agreement. With the seclusion of women and the laying of even greater stress on wifely chastity, romantic love was increasingly denied. Yet the need for romance remained and we can see in the prevalence of love-poetry a substitute for wishes repressed in actual life.[48] It is precisely this role which the story of Krishna the cowherd lover now came to perform. Krishna, being God, had been beyond morals and hence had practised conduct which, if indulged in by men, might well have been wrong. He had given practical expression to romantic longings and had behaved with all the passionate freedom normally stifled by social duty, conjugal ethics and family morals. From this point of view, Krishna the prince was a mere pillar of boring respectability. Nothing in his conduct could arouse delight for everything

given pride of place. At the river Jumna, when Krishna removes the cowgirls' clothes, Radha begs him to restore them. At the circular dance in which he joins with all the cowgirls, Radha receives his first attentions, dancing with him in the centre. When Krishna is about to leave for Mathura, it is Radha who heads the cowgirls and strives to detain him. She serves, in fact, as a symbol of all the cowgirls' love. At the same ti

ging of the soul for God was occasionally expressed in terms of sexual imagery-the works of the Spanish mystic, St. John of

that was

arer than the

hat joined

belov

them each in

y flower

or himself e

into h

my gif

rs with which th

to forsake their worldly attachments and rush to love him. In removing the clothes of the cowgirls and requiring them to come before him naked, he was demonstrating the innocent purity with which the soul should wait on God. In himself neglecting Radha and toying with the cowgirls, he was proving, on one level, the power of worldly pleasures to seduce the soul but on another level, the power of God to love every soul irrespective of its character and status. From this point of view, the cowgirls were as much the souls of men as Radha herself and to demonstrate God's all-pervasive love, Krishna must therefore love not only Radha but every cowgirl. Equally, in the circular dance, by inducing every cowgirl to think that she and she alone was his partner, Krishna was proving how God is available to all. Finally it was realized that even those portions of the story which, at first sight, seemed cruel and callous were also susceptible of religious interpretation. When Radha has been loved in the forest and then is suddenly deserted, the reason is her pride-pride that because Krishna has loved

m the twelfth century onwards and, as we shall shortly see, inf

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na's career after his d

5

of St. John of the Cro

e Gita

elfth century. Its subject is the estrangement of Radha and Krishna caused by Krishna's love for other cowgirls, Radha's anguish at Krishna's neglect and lastly the rapture whi

Krishna to mind

is interest

of words-sweetness,t

of Jayadev

ingtime solely, he says, in order once again to recall Krishna.[51] When, at last, the poem has come triumphantly to its clo

d lest in the gathering gloom the boy should get lost. Radha, who is somewhat older, is with them, so Nanda desires her to take Krishna home. Radha leads him away but as they wander by the river, passion mounts in their hearts. They forget that Nanda has to

ptly neglected. Charming but faithless, Krishna is now pursuing other girls and the jilted Radha wanders alone. Meanwhile spring has come to the forest and the th

ellow and lotus garland

his ears in movement dangli

himself with charmin

kisses another, and fond

ely with smiles, and starts

himself with charming

girls, she kisses him violently and clasps him to her; but Krishna

adness.[56] Yet her love is still so strong that she cannot b

ts he made, who placed his

lips kept flowing with notes

the toss of whose head the earri

ts he made, who placed his

andal spot, as among dark

thout pity when crushing the

in my foolish

t me-lusting still

ood in his nature

nger. Pleased withou

e cont

e, my friend, that

l on her way to the fir

with flattering wor

he on whose hip the gar

e, my friend, that

stened all over my bod

ere lovely with down all st

were languid, and restl

e, my friend, that

ere like loose-slipping fl

ves, that Krishna w

all in his love that the

e, my friend, that

accomplished the anklet

gave his kisses seizi

onate love my girdle sou

, is filled with remorse and abruptly goes in quest of her. He does not k

ed, troubled to see m

ar of my guilt, made n

s gone in anger,

I imagine your h

eeling in homage, I kno

shall never repeat th

your pleasure again

dha's friend lights upon him and con

der lotus garlands to h

ect you from heavy showers of

of Love upon you,

y, Krishna, pa

to Radha but instead asks the friend to bring Radha to him. The girl departs, meets

swarms of bees, he covers h

fter night, of a heart

from you, O friend, t

Krishna is contrite and ur

ce, full of all desired bliss, O

im the master of your heart, him e

n leaves about the forest floor, h

oks about with trembling eyes, anx

lotus-eyed, embrace his hips, his na

those loins which are a treasure heap, t

ve that she can no longer move. The girl has, therefore

every side

honied swee

stays now sh

o longer witho

she keeps tell

Krishna de

her limbs she adorns

her fluttering

in a hundred ways,

d, arranging her bed

y that beautiful gir

hy, Krishna, bes

to the pasture of ey

till delays and Radha, who has half expe

led to come to t

d is dazed, or perhaps tha

by festive folk

dark fringe of the fo

m toying with a

her charms unrivalled, dall

ondled by the flutteri

of his lips induces

cheeks while dancing wit

emor of her moving h

ss sounds, through

er curly tresses, curls which are u

y in the forest of her tresses, haun

tate, Radha contrasts it bitterly

arer of the garland

y mouth is like a lo

nectar in their sweetne

ment streaked with gold,

she, my friend, de

too late. Radha has suffered too greatly. Her patience is at an end and although Krishna implores her to f

ened, enhances the crimson

ness that arises from the kissing

ist from uttering th

yed, she who can dispel

can you deceive me, so tort

body which appears so black, that he

yed, she who can dispel

re than his love. She attempts, therefore, to instil in her a calmer frame of mind, urging her to end her pride and take Krishna back. S

eam of your teeth will destroy the darknes

n my eye, the moon-bird's eye, now mak

ful, give up that bas

of longing; give me that dri

n anger against me, strike me then with

f your arms, and bite me then with y

ful, give up that bas

g. Radha's joy returns. She decks herself in the loveliest of her ornaments and then, accompanied by her maids, mo

ace the smile that comes

ove-abode is the floor

nd their love stra

esired only her, on him who

re was overwhelmed and who

and ardently, Krishna w

mighty flood with its neck

o and Krishna

on this patch of flower-s

foot throug

d of All, O be attac

me, my li

ctar of your lips, infuse new life

u, whose body burned in separation, thi

t passes they achieve height

delightful, the love play where thril

h other, and their secret talk to their drinking of each the other's nectar

e of the conflict of love, to win, lying over

w lifeless, and languid her vine-like arms, and her

of her lord was smitten with arrows of L

enied eyes, her crimson lips from a bath of kisses, her hair disar

locks waving, her cheeks perspir

appearing fair because of her j

glittering girdle,

ce where the lips were washed

ague and delirious, the rows of teeth in the b

ose body lay helpless, released of excessive

t ended, Radha begs Krishna

the joy of

w which puts the lotus t

my forehead, a spot wit

esses, untidy now on accou

he girdle, the clo

luscious and firm, the c

and a picture on my cheeks an

garland and place many bracelets upon my

as God and of the song itself-its words 'sweeter than

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Later

rishna) earning for him the title 'the Jayadeva of the South.' But it is during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that the most important developments occurred. In Bengal, the poets Vidyapati and Chandi Das flourished in about the year 1420, while in Western India, Mira Bai, a local princess, began a wide-spread popular movement. M

parate 'musical characters,' appended to each a love-poem about Krishna. Sur Das was followed by Keshav Das of Orchha (fl. 1580), Govind Das (fl. 1590), Bihari Lai (fl. 1650) and Kali Das (fl. 1700)-al

mind when as a young girl about to become a woman she discovered for the first time the exquisite sensations of awakening love. Or he imagined he was Krishna stumbling on Radha by accident and being stirred to ecstasy by his first glimpse of her glowing charms. Sometimes he even became the unseen viewer of thei

other cowherd boys waylays Radha and her friends and claims a toll. Radha refuses to pay but at last offers to make a token gift provided he ferries them over. Meanwhile a cowherd boy has hidden the boat and nig

his no longer and partly in jest dresses herself up as a constable. When Krishna next teases

e strings some flowers into a bunch of garlands, dangles them on his arm and strolls blandly down the village street. When he reaches Radha's house, he goes boldly in and is taken by Radha into a corner where she starts

his hair with mud, and slinging a bag of roots and plants over his shoulder. As he enters, he sits on Radha's bed, lifts her veil, gazes intently at her face and declares that certainly she is very ill indeed. He then takes her pulse and says, 'it is the water of love that is rotting her heart like a poison.' Radha is elated at this diagnosis, rouses herself and stret

n lyrical descriptions of Radha and Krishna, their physi

ng in a medley o

ays, his eye

e arts of a c

is waist makes

anklet

sweet voice of a pair of geese as

nd the rings and arml

oves his arms, what gr

gait of ladies and now

is the jewel o

ance in the dept

r D

r midst the cowherds

re ahead, frisking an

rns go forth, each h

ves the cows to low as th

feathers glistens on th

n the path and Krishna in

the cowgirls pour out

a, quenching the

r D

i

es dart from

y and clothes ar

smile shines

ses her skir

stirs and once

enters the

azes at her blo

ly, then forgetti

nd girlhood

d old are bo

pati: O Lo

ow the signs

dya

breasts of

hapely, her wai

ets stole u

childhood s

ke breasts

risper, achi

n saw her a

still clinging

resses fallin

swathed in ya

ati: O wond

ome man can

dya

udder in her w

y to frame

ned tonight to

ents, now sh

love, she clo

ach the oce

her fo

s her mo

night lily, the

touch startli

ove treasure w

she covered u

re was lef

ders at the n

usy in each

dya

Radha

parrot a

ong must

e heart of yo

The dawn

ed shafts

ing us

dya

i

the parr

ng lovers are

of tend

igure is l

he fai

piece of je

emptied th

wer-arrows ar

other in the

y Radha

are going t

Govin

busine

pt the way

ind

speak-Krishna, for example, describing his first glimpses of Radha

i

lightning h

er by t

ressed wit

ike a coi

, I will

ret of

darting

entle

me wild w

catching a ba

ed me to

uthful

ted b

from he

ce was

unting

ankle

et sho

Chand

u see h

ndi

O lovely

your

golden pitchers

ur neckla

I gather i

touch anyo

ecklace-sn

ords do not

me as I

arms, hit me w

with your milk-

night in the pri

dya

een such love

eyelids

eter

breasts, you a

ou as a veil c

ight when you tur

y, we spen

the deeps

, we see with

deser

ought break

Chand

rl, how I

ndi

I cannot

near or far,

ine of l

ined the

er flooding

shini

d that li

rs shootin

fell wit

y ravishe

king like

torming

ear my an

ng lik

e last-waters

this was n

Vidya

sibly believe

dya

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e Rasik

siques were divided into unmarried and married, while cutting across such divisions was yet another based on the particular circumstances in which a woman might find herself. Such circumstances were normally eight in number-when her husband or lover was on the point of coming and she was ready to receive him; when she was parted from him and was filled with longing; when he was constant and she was thus enjoying the calm happiness of stable love; when, for the time being, she was estranged due to some quarrel or tiff; whe

and there arose a new type of Sanskrit treatise, showing how different kinds of lover should be treated in poetry and illustrating the correct attitudes by carefully chosen verses. In all these writings the standard of reference was human passion. The lovers of poetry might

the poet of Orchha in Bundelkhand, produced in 1591 his Rasika Priya. Here all the standard situations were once again examined, nayikas and nayakas were newly distinguished and verses illustrating their appropriate treatments were systematically included. The book differed, however, in two important ways from any of its predecessors

had a quarrel? Is his body uneasy? Is he afraid when he sees the

er door, it is the prospect of Krishna's arrival

ng the trees and the birds shifting in the night. She thinks it must be

who has been deceived') upbraids Krishna for wandering about like a crow, picking up worthless gr

shna. 'He said he would not be long. "I shall be back," he said, "as soon as I have had my meal." But now it is hours since he went. Why does he si

cowherd lover or the hero prince, the central figure of a sacred narrative. Neither is he merely or only the lover of Ra

hna shows an elegance and poise which betrays his different origin. And in the Rasika Priya it is once again his courtly aura which determines his new role. A blend of prince and cowherd, Krishna ousts from poetry the courtly lovers who previously had s

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