Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/63

Rh and plays upon the flute. When the figure is intended for worship in temples the two upper hands will hold the conch and the discus and there will usually also be the images of his two consorts Rukminī and Satyā on either side (fig. 27). In the hundred-pillared mandapa of the Varadarājasvāmin temple at Little Conjeeveram is a figure of the flute-playing Krishna with ten arms (fig. 28). The Pāncharātrāgama calls this form of Krishna by the name Madana-Gōpāla. In paintings Vēnu-Gōpāla is often represented as leaning against a cow, with one foot bent crosswise and resting on the toe- Cows and cow-herds are also often shown gathering round him. The dance with Gōpis, with which the flute-playing Krishna is intimately connected, is found only in drawings. The esoteric sense of this flute-play and the dance is the supreme joy which the devotees experience in moments of overflowing love in the presence of the object of their devotion.

Another well-known sport of Krishna during his boyhood was the lifting up of the hill called Gōvardhana. He is said to have held the hill aloft so as to give shelter to the cow-herds of Brindāvana from a continuous down-pour of rain sent down by Indra in anger in order to flood their small village. A beautiful old representation of this scene comes from the Seven Pagodas (fig. 29) where, in the so-called Krishna-mandapa, Krishna stands in the centre with his left hand raised straight up to support the hill, while his right hand is held in the posture of offering boons (varada) All round the god are seen cows and cow-herds, men and women, the latter carrying pots of milk, butter, curds or other cooked offerings to the god, and leading their young ones by the hand or accompanying their husbands. The ornaments of Krishna in this picture are very sparing. They are the usual large ear-rings peculiar to the sculpture of the Pallava period, bracelets,armlets and the waist-band. The high crown on the head is also a noticeable feature. This representation differs, however, from the description given in the Silpasāra where the god is described as having one hand with flute resting on his waist and the other supporting the hill.