THE LOVES OF KRISHNA
IN INDIAN PAINTING AND POETRY

By

W. G. ARCHER

To
MR. AND MRS. H. N.
WITH LOVE AND ADMIRATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am deeply indebted to Dr. A.L. Basham for generous guidance throughout the preparation of this book, to George Keyt for permitting me to quote extensively from his brilliant translation of the Gita Govinda, and to Deben Bhattacharya who supplied me with new translations of later poems and discussed a number of important points. I must also express my deep gratitude to Mildred Archer and to Gopi Krishna Kanoria for valued criticism and advice, to Messrs. Faber and Faber, the Harvill Press, Messrs. Macmillan, the Oxford University Press, the Phoenix House and Messrs. Sidgwick and Jackson for permitting me to quote passages from works still copyright, to Professor J. Brough for an informative note on Bhanu Datta's Rasamanjari and to all those owners of collections who have either allowed me to reproduce pictures in their possession or have kindly supplied me with photographs.

Part of the material for this book was delivered as lectures to the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society and at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

CONTENTS

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  
  
• I INTRODUCTION
  
  
• II THE MAHABHARATA: KRISHNA THE HERO
  
  
• III THE BHAGAVATA PURANA: THE COWHERD
  
  
• (i)  Birth and Early Adventures
  
• (ii)  The Loves of the Cowgirls
  
• (iii)  The Death of the Tyrant
  
  
• IV THE BHAGAVATA PURANA: THE PRINCE
  
  
• (i)  The Return to Court
  
• (ii)  Marriages and Offspring
  
• (iii)  Last Phases
  
• (iv)  The Purana Re-considered
  
  
• V THE KRISHNA OF POETRY
  
  
• (i)  The Triumph of Radha
  
• (ii)  The Gita Govinda
  
• (iii)  Later Poetry
  
• (iv)  The Rasika Priya
  
  



• VI THE KRISHNA OF PAINTING
  
  
• NOTES
  
  
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
  
• Loves of Krishna
  
  
• THE PLATES AND COMMENTARY
  
  
• SOURCES