Krishna Flirting with the Gopis, to Radha’s Sorrow
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | Museum Rietberg, Zurich |
| Location History: | Created in the Kangra region |
The description reads a bit monotonous, but overall the interpretation is pretty descriptive. It comes from the Pahari school of art, as illustrating scenes from sacred texts and literature was one of the key attributes of pahari style of paintings and there are many different illustrations for the same scene. This also seems to reflect the Vipralambha Sringara rasa, where Radha's pain and jealousy becomes clearly visible. However there is also a touch of affection and grace too if we look at the dancing movements in the painting. The relationship between Krishna and the Gopis, particularly Radha can also be interpreted as an allegory, symbolizing the eternal love between the Jivatma (individual self/soul) and the Paramatma (universal self/God). However, even without looking at it without the allegory, this can also be interpreted as a narrative which incorporates candid descriptions of love and longing, reflecting the nature of human and divine relationships in classical Indian literature and art.