The Love of Kṛṣṇa in Poems and Paintings

:a.....I earls of ne O_rient Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library �dited by Nigel AlIan  South Asia The Love of Krsna • • • In poems and paintings BY DOMINIK WUJASTYK t was in 1985, at a conference held at the Wellcome Institute, that I first drew I attention to one of the Wellcome Library's most valuable manuscript treasures, the Sanskrit Balagopalastuti manuscript, MS Indic al226. It is a great pleasure to be able to write more fully on the subject now, in this magnificent volume in which many of the treasures long hidden in the Wellcome's vaults are being brought to wider attention for the first time. I first set eyes on Wellcome MS Indic a1226 some time in about 1983. It was still wrapped in sheets of First World War Indian newspaper. These had been used to pack most of the Sanskrit collection when it was acquired in India by Dr Paira Mall in the years before and during that war. As I peeled away the paper wrapping, a small, undistinguished pile of paper manuscript sheets was revealed. At first, due to the script and the style of painting, I jumped to the conclusion that I was handling a work on Jainism - one of India's major religions, most noted for its doctrine of non­ violence (Sanskrit ahi1J1sa) which was championed by Mahatma Gandhi. However, almost at the same moment, I recognized paintings of the Indian deity Kr�lfa and his divine consort Radha, and other images from the devotional tradition of Vai�lfava faith. I had never seen anything like this before. As I continued to turn the leaves, it gradually dawned on me that this puzzling manuscript was an extraordinary treasure, since leaf after leaf held a gem-like miniature painting of exquisite beauty. I knew enough about the history of Indian miniatures to realize that these were from an early period in the evolution of Indian book painting. The manuscript contains, in fact, 65 miniature paintings, making it one of the most richly illustrated manuscripts in the Wellcome Library, and it dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. Further study in the succeeding months taught me a great deal about the early history of Indian miniature painting. In particular, I learned that the representational style most closely associated with manuscripts on Jaina religion and thought, produced in western India, was in rare cases applied to the illustration of non-Jaina themes. Much later, I learned that this even extended to Muslim manuscripts of the Persian epic Shahnama (Goswamy, 1988). The poem calls itself by the title Balagopalastuti, 'Hymn to the Baby Cowherd', but is often referred to simply as its author's poem of praise, or Bilvamangalastava, 'Bilvamangala's Paean'. Published notice of the Wellcome Library's manuscript first =.- C-5K ce:c.: '?':Ia's momer YaSodii appeared in 1985, in the first volume of my handlist of the Wellcome collection.! ::=ers :::x..-:: e r � ...... �e C"'\Jp-l fig DOt 1:0 his I drew attention to several publications which dealt with the tradition of the Hymn to the Baby Cowhndtext and its associated paintings as well as to references to other ... = ...J -:x:: ...... known manuscripts in the same tradition.2 Those references provided a preliminary key to the scholarship on western Indian painting, a subject whose literature has �:ec continued to grow exponentially since its beginnings with the seminal works of -.5 a I. W Norman Brown in the 1930s.3 W Norman Brown (1892-1975) was Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Pennsylvania for forty years, during which time he forged a distinguished career as a researcher, teacher and administrator. In his writings, he pioneered the study of illustrated Indian manuscripts, publishing a series of landmark studies in the years between 1930 and 1964. These publications are still of great importance for their scholarship, and they formed the foundation for the later historical study of manuscript art in India. But Norman Brown's publications demonstrate a special feature which is not always shared by later authors: he always studied miniature paintings as integrated elements of the manuscripts in which they appeared. He treated text and image as inseparable parts of an artistic whole. Indeed, Norman Brown's studies of these manuscripts are as much works of text-critical scholarship as they are of art history and interpretation. Side by side with the study of the miniature paintings, he compared text recensions, examined parallel versions, suggested variant readings, and so forth. Throughout his researches, he showed in practice how a thorough knowledge of the literary background of the texts in the manuscripts made possible the proper understanding of the images they accompanied. Norman Brown was at times devastatingly critical of scholars who took no account of the literature in the manuscripts they were studying. Mter citing several errors in the work of one such author, he noted in an understated manner that "he does not report on the subject matter of the text or the paintings" and, perhaps somewhat unkindly, reproduced that author's excuses: 4 I had not the opportunity to examine the text minutely, the point of view of my study being aesthetic, rather than literary, or linguistic. Norman Brown felt strongly that the study of Indian manuscript painting was most appropriately carried out in close association with the study of the texts contained in the manuscripts. The artistic and historical analysis of western Indian art was continued by scholars such as M R Majumdar (1942-48), Moti Chandra (1949), Sarabhai Manilal Nawab (1980), Rajendra S Nawab (1985), Karl Khandalavala (1960), and other distinguished experts who had access to an immense wealth of painted manuscripts from libraries and private collections in Gujarat and neighbouring areas. The scholarship of J P Losty, based on the collections of the British Library, has added many important insights to this field.5 Serious study of the textual tradition of Bilvamangala's poems was begun by De (1938) and others, although many of the conclusions of this early work on an exceptionally difficult textual problem were 11a! ml later to be superseded beginning with the corrective study by Kunjunni Raja (1980). rl lIli The learned editions, translations and analyses of Bilvamangala's poems by Wilson lal (1973, 1975) have placed the study of the literary background of our text on a L firmer basis than was available to previous scholars. IlS ar The work of Gadon (1984) moved the understanding of the Hymn to the Baby Cowherd illustrations forward in a decisive way. Gadon collected information on d 88 I PEA R LS 0 F T HE 0 R lEN T I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library 2  THE LOVE OF KRSNA IN POEMS AND PAINTINGS MS INDIC y453 twelve illustrated manuscripts of the Hymn to the Baby Cowherd, and analysed their 2 The birth of Aristanemi, one of the paintings and related texts in great detail, as well as surveying the cultural and founding teachers of the J aina faith, religious background of their production in western India. The present study refers fro m the KolposOtro, fol. 33r, dated 1 5 12. to this work throughout. The style of the paintings The principal stylistic features of the paintings in MS Indic a1226 are those familiar from Jaina manuscripts painted on paper after the 14th century. These exemplified many manuscripts of such works as the Jaina hagiography, the Kalpasutra, illustrated in fig. 2. The style is marked by the characteristic protruding further eye and the linear technique, which imposes "fixed distortions and angularities" (Losty, 1982: 29) on the subjects. The figures sit, lie or stand in rigid postures, with clothing disposed in standard manners. The fixity of these features is compensated for by the free use of strong colour, including rich embellishment with gold, and the detailed presentation of textile design. Textiles were important in the context of this art: some manuscripts from the period still include original protective curtains of fine silk covering each individual painting. In early studies of these paintings, it was common to refer to this style of art as 'Jaina', because the style was principally known from many manuscripts of the Jaina scriptures, especially the Kalpasutra, which exists in many lavishly illustrated copies. However, it gradually became clear to art historians that the stylistic features so prominent in these Jaina manuscripts also occurred in a wider cultural and geographical context. Amongst the first manuscripts to lead modern scholars to question the appropriateness of the term 'Jaina painting' were copies of the Balagopalastuti, of which Wellcome MS Indic a1226 is a striking and early example. _5 E 0 - E _ .= - i.-  It was Moti Chandra, in particular, who provided the decisive survey of the various taxonomic issues regarding this style of painting, and established the term 'Western Indian School' as his preferred name for the style in question (Chandra, 1949: ch. 2). In the course of his argument, he explicitly cited the Balagopalastuti as an example of works that ruled out sectarian-based names for the style: 6 The theory of its being exclusively Svetambara Jain is further exploded with the discovery of such Brahmanical illustrated manuscripts as the Devi-mahatmya and Balagopalastuti . . . [ It is] not only that the style exerts a powerful influence on the 11th to 13th century miniatures from eastern India and N epa!, but there are documents from the eastern United Provinces and Orissa which show that the style had penetrated even in those far off places. For such a widely diffused style, a sectarian designation is hardly appropriate. Chandra continued with a survey of several possible other designations for this style, and finally chose the term 'Western Indian School' as his preferred term. It can be argued that the related term 'Old Western Art' was in fact introduced by the 16th-century Buddhist historian Taranatha (b. 1575), who remarked in his history of Buddhism that:7 During the period of king SIla, there was an extraordinarily skilled icon-maker called SrigadharI, who was born in the region of Maru. He made sculptures and paintings in the tradition of the Yak�as. The school following his technique is known as the school of Old Western Art. Taranatha thus specifically attributed this name to the style of painting and image­ making of a founder called SrigadharI. 8 He also gave information about this style in a wider area of South Asia: 9 In Nepal also the earlier tradition of art was similar to the Old Western (style of Indian art) . . . In Kashmir also was followed the tradition of the early central art and of the Old Western [ Indian] Art. This location-oriented, rather than sect-oriented terminology was also adopted in the later work of Norman Brown, following his reading of Taranatha's work, and by many others, although it is still not universally accepted, since it too does not completely capture the complexities of the early history of this type of art. lO The Hymn to the Baby Cowherd is the work of a deeply pious poet devoted to Kr�l)a. In his poem, he tells us that his name is Bilvamangala. ll Bilvamangala's poems have been very popular for centuries, especially in southern and northeastern India. Even in recent times, it is reported that fond fathers repeat a verse by Bilvamangala over the cribs of their baby sons.1 2 Bilvamangala's poems are infused with love of the divine, in the aspect of a playful child, a splendid young lover, and a dazzling human incarnation of the godhead. It bursts forth everywhere - the Splendour which, Just freed from the bonds of childhood, charms with its every expression and delights my eyes. It is enjoyed to the full by the minds of wise men which, freed from occupation with world feelings, are full of true feeling by knowledge of the supreme 10ve.1 3 I PEA R L S 0 F THE 0 R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  THE LOVE OF KRSNA IN POEMS AND PAINTINGS MS INDIC a 1226 Many of the verses contain vivid visual images of Kr�f.la. 3 Kr?r:1a's mother Yasoda offers butter fro m the chuming pot to h is reflection in a He has a holy garland of sacred basil leaves around his throat, mirror; Kr?r)a enj oys the spectacl e fro m an aura of light from the Kaustubha jewel shining on his chest, b e h i n d Yasoda's maid. A parakeet a n d a and a forehead gracious as the quarter moon. peacock strut on the palace roof From the B%gop%stuti, fo l . Bv. We worship him - the son ofVasudeva with the benevolent countenance.14 The imagery used even extends to the portrayal of optical tricks, as when Kr�f.la smiles as he witnesses his mother Yasoda when she sees his reflected image (see figs 1 and 3): In a jewelled pillar Yasoda saw the endlessly lovely reflection of the dancing Kr�f.la She took it to be the second Kr�f.la and divided a lump of butter into two parts.15 Gadon proposes that it is the strong imagery of the poems which first suggested to an unknown patron in Gujarat the creation of a set of paintings to illustrate this particular cycle of poems. Bilvamangala's individual stanzas are separate miniature poems, not linked into any particular narrative connection, although they all assume a knowledge of the life and adventures of Kr�f.la. As such, his verses lend themselves to being selected, quoted, and rearranged, and this is indeed what seems to have happened. Bilvamangala appears originally to have authored several hundred such stanzas. These have come down to us today in two named collections, the Krrrlakar/:ziimrta, and the Bilvamangalastava. There are several different versions of both these works, and many verses in common to both. Almost every manuscript one looks at of either work has a different set of verses. Frances Wilson's exhaustive studies of all these verses and the collections and manuscripts in which they appeared have demonstrated that it is very difficult to achieve clarity about the earliest history of these poems. In spite of the difficulties, the textual evidence, coupled with later hagiographical accounts, suggests that Bilvamangala lived in about l300, and that he was a very popular poet-saint, who wandered over the whole of India composing hymns to Kr�f.la. His title 'Master Renunciate and Great Soul' (Sanskrit paramaharrzsa­ parivriijakiiciirya) places him in the famous onhodox tradition of Indian monkhood - E " _ s E I � - i .. -  and scholasr hip mat includes many of me greatest conrribumrs m Inruas spiriruaI heritage. The verses mat Bilvamangala composed came to be admired by a grammarian called LIlasuka or Kr-?l).alilasuka, who lived in me 14m century in southern India, perhaps three or four generations after Bilvamangala. LIlasuka's name came to be associated with me Kmzakan:uimrta collection, which was perhaps formed by him. It is this collection which has become very well known in India today.16 This scenario is not completely certain, however, and it is not impossible that LIlasuka and Bilvamangala are one and the same person. Serious scholars of India's literary history, including Kunjunni Raja (1958: 47), have argued for a single author, Bilvamangala LIlasuka, who composed in the genres of hymn and grammar. Bilvamangala was, according to most accounts, from southern India. Wilson (1973: 2-4) has discovered compelling evidence of the influence of certain distinctive features of Dravidian language and poetry in the verses. Chief of these is the appearance of an initial assonance throughout the collection of verses, a clear marker of Dravidian verse normally uncommon in Sanskrit poetryY The first certain mention of Bilvamangala's poems in literature occurs in a work written by GangadevI, wife of King Kampana who ruled Kancipuram in southern India in about 1367. Kampana was a prince of the Vijayanagara Empire, and GangadevI wrote the work Madhuravijaya, 'Conquest at Madurai' to celebrate her husband's victory over the Sultan at Madurai (Wilson, 1975: 17). In her introduction, GangadevI salutes various poets, and says, The utterances of the poet of the Kan:zamrta are oceans of honey essence dripping from the blossoms of the tree of paradise. This places a knowledge of Bilvamangala's Kmzakan:zamrta at the court of Kancipuram, and probably Vijayanagara too, in the middle of the 14th century. The great Bengali saint Caitanya is said in some accounts to have travelled to southern India in about 1510. After visiting the shrine of Vinhala on the Bhirmarathl river, he walked to the Kr-?l).abinna river and there found devotees of the god Vi-?l).u sitting on the river bank studying a book called the Kmzakan:zamrta. Caitanya 'joyfully made a copy' of the first part of this work, and returned home with a collection of Bilvamangala's poems. This collection thus became deeply embedded in Bengali Vai-?l).ava sensibility and tradition.IS Caitanya's student, the famous religious author Rupa Goswaml, knows Bilvamangala, since he refers to him in several of his own devotional anthologies.19 The manuscripts Whereas the Krgtakan:zamrta is very well known in India today, the Bilvamangalastava is not. Wilson's 1973 study identified 26 manuscripts (excluding Wellcome a1226) and two printed editions which contain verses by Bilvamangala that can broadly be called members of an anthology Wilson referred to as me Bilvamangalastava. Within the texts of these 26 manuscripts and two editions, six particular groupings of verses can be distinguished on text-critical grounds (Wilson, 1973: 1). 92 I PEA R L S 0 F THE 0 R lENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  THE LOVE OF KR$NA IN POEMS AND PAINTINGS One of these groupings, Wilson's Y10 group, corresponds to the Balagopalastuti or 'Hymn to the Baby Cowherd'. It includes the Boston manuscript studied by Norman Brown20 as well as four others now housed in libraries at Hoshiarpur,2l Oxford,22 Bikaner23 and Pune.24 To this select grouping can now be added Wellcome a1226. However, only one of the manuscripts mentioned by Wilson is illustrated, Y ll, from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Norman Brown's pioneering study of the Hymn to the Baby Cowherd was based exclusively on this manuscript, the only one known at that time, but it lacked several folios. Forty miniature paintings were available to him, contained on 38 discontinuous folios of the 15th-century paper manuscript (Brown, 1930: 167). This manuscript was considered outstandingly rich. Gadon (1984) has greatly increased the evidence base for understanding the Hymn to the Baby Cowherd. Her study is based on leaves from no less than twelve illustrated manuscripts, whose dates range from c. 1425 to c. 1650.25 Almost all these manuscripts appear to be fragmentary, but by bringing together leaves from different original manuscripts, Gadon has presented a reconstruction of the entire text with a complete set of paintings. The Wellcome Hymn to the Baby Cowherd contains no fewer than 65 miniature paintings, 28 of which were not available to Norman Brown. 26 These folios are, therefore, especially worthy of further study. Gadon's study does not include a synoptic chart of the manuscripts she has used and their folios, but judging from image captions (pp. 376- 637), only her MS IX seems to be complete. The Wellcome Hymn to the Baby Cowherd is therefore uniquely valuable because of its completeness and the abundance of its miniature paintings. As a complete set of illustrations to the text, it can be compared with only one other known manuscript of the work, Gadon's IX, which is in the Vidyabhaga library belonging to the religious foundation supporting the worship of Kr�f.la in his form as Lord of Dvaraka, in Kankroli, Rajasthan.27 The miniatures in the Wellcome Balagopalastuti do not show any use of gold paint, but rather use the yellow pigment which is a marker of an early stage in western Indian manuscript painting. Ultramarine, crimson and gold, all absent in the present manuscript, were used increasingly only after the support for painting in western India changed from palm leaf to paper in the middle of the 14th century, and workshops began to produce Kalpasutra manuscripts in large numbers from the late 15th century onwards.2s Other features which point to an early date are the circular marginal roundels (diamond shapes were the fashion from the 16th century), and the manner of representing diphthong vowels in the script with prefixed verticals (Sanskrit pmhamatra). Among extant examples of early Hindu manuscript painting, the style of the Balagopalastuti miniatures can most closely be compared to the famous Vasantaviltisa scroll of the Freer Gallery of Art, which is dated to 1451.29 If the manuscript is indeed datable to the third or fourth quarter of the 15th century, it would place the Wellcome Balagopiilastuti among the very earliest of Hindu theme­ paintings (though later than Jaina or Buddhist ones on palm leaf ). Although the style of Jaina manuscript illustrations became increasingly static and formulaic from the 15th cenrury,30 Hindu exemplars seem not to have atrophied in _5 _ E  the same way, and the \X'ellcome Balagopalasruti s hows a fluidity and r:::lOY�;:rl�­ its lines which places it, perhaps, in a line of deyelopment which led to me . century miniature painting traditions of Rajasthan or the Panjab hills.31 In what follows, I have selected a small number of images from Wellcome al� from among those not treated by Norman Brown, and presented them rogether " -� translations of the accompanying verses from adjacent leaves of the manuscripL.. The miniature in fig. 4 shows the great god Vi�1fu, in traditional blue coloill. be--_ adored, standing upright between the pillars of his temple. He holds his tradicio­ conch and discus, and is kept fresh by the attendants' fly whisks. Below pedesta1, we devotees kneel in reverence. The accompanying verses introduce us to Bilvamangala, author of these poe � and turn our attention to Hari, another name for Lord Vi�1fu who is incarnaloc Kr�1fa. Hari receives the devotion of the wise yogin, and leads him to the hea\-= city. He also enables the reader of these poems to experience true devotion. The reference to the holy city of Dvaraka, in western Gujarat, confirms that the ilnag_ of Hari is that in the shrine of the DvarakadhIsa Temple in that city. The criss-cr� water, with fish, to the right, not shown here, and below the temple image, may r� both to the ocean of sa7J1sara from which the devotee will be rescued, and also ro � physical ocean which surrounds the coastal city, and which is not far from the tempk_ MS INDIC a1226 These vitally important verses establish both the authorship of the poems and m� 4 H ari being adored. From the vibrant devotional tone which will pervade the rest of the work. Bd/ogopd/ostuti, fo l. 2v. A tranquil master yogin who has found his true belief becomes famous when he declares his faith for the holy son of Vasudeva. Isn't it true that he leaves his earthly goal of final emancipation and, bowing to Hari, goes to the supreme and holy Dvaraka? o home of Lak�mI, 0 slayer of Madhu, 0 husband of Ma, 0 Lord be gracious and give me the wit to describe your child play always after doing homage to you. After folding his hands in prayer and while absorbed in devotion to Hari with the hope of seeing him, the venerable Bilvamangala composed these good hymns. Hari, well-pleased, gives devotion in full measure to those people who read them.32 The artistic treatment ofVi�1fu in fig. 4 can be compared to the Jaina tradition of painting such Jaina hero-saints as ParSva, Mahavlra and Neminatha in the standard or vertically upright posture showing bodily indifference to the attacks and annoyances of animals and humans (Sanskrit kayotsarga) , cf. fig. 5. The central moment of Kr�1fa devotion is his dance with the milkmaids, the gopis_ This Circle Dance is the climax of the events in Kr�1fa's life story as told in the classic work of Vai�1fava devotion, the Bhagavatapura1J.a. The metaphor captures the theological conundrum of how a single god may have the most intimate relationship with many people. The painting in fig. 6 shows five girls with five Kr�1fas. Each girl has a happy smile as she dances with her beloved. The figures of 94 I PEA R L S O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  THE LOVE OF KRSNA IN POEMS ,,"NO PMNTlNGS MS INDIC y453 5 Th e Jaina saint Mahavlra in the ky o as t ro go postu re , from the KofposOtro, fol. 15v, dated 1512, MS INDIC a1226 6 Kr;;�a multip l ies h imse lf and d ances individually with fivegap s, From the i 50fogapofostuti, fo l . 9r, _5 : - ! .. - - .:. - .. -  MS INDIC a1226 the women and of the Kr�[.las are full of animated movement and joy, as befits the 7 Kr;;f)a, dancing with the milkmaids, blissful encounter between the devotee and her god. effortlessly raises M o u nt Govard h ana. From the Bofogopofostuti, fol. 9v. Between each young woman was Madhava; between each Madhava was a young woman. In the middle of a circle so arranged, the son of DevakI played his flute. If you, 0 Heart, want a friend for the final march, serve him well - the one with the lotus eyes who, his heart tender with compassion, agreed, while dwelling of old on earth, to represent the Pa[.lc.iavas come to him for protection.33 Majumdar has pointed out that two distinct streams of the devotional worship of Kr�[.la can be discerned in the religious culture of Gujarat.3 4 The older stream is associated with the worship of Kr�[.la/Vi�[.lu as the Supreme Lord of the city of Dvaraka (Dvarakadhisa) , and is oriented around Kr�[.la as he is portrayed in the Mahabharata epic. In this stream, he is king of the Yadava people, ally of the five heroic Pal).c.iava brothers of the epic's core tale, and the charioteer and teacher of Arjuna in the great war of the Mahabharata. The second stream is focused more on the passionate love and service of Kr�[.la as a child and young cowherd, and especially his life and adventures in Vrndavana, where he spent his youth. The two verses above, which accompany the Circle Dance miniature, refer to these two religious traditions. The first emphasizes the loving dance of Kr�l).a with each girl, and the second uses the military language of marching, and refers to Kr�[.la's historical ("dwelling of old on earth") role as the supporter of the Pa[.lc.iava brothers. Once, Indra, the king of the gods and lord of thunder and storm, wanted to test Kr�[.la's divinity, and sent a violent rain storm. Kr�l).a lifted up Mount Govardhana on one finger, and held it effortlessly aloft for seven days, sheltering the milkmaids and the cows from Indra's attack. Fig. 7 shows the scene, in some features similar to the previous miniature. Kr�l).a's lower garment is striped red, and the artist has captured the sinuous movement of I PEA R L S O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  THE LOVE OF KRSl':'A IN POEMS AND PAlNTlNGS 8 MS INDIC a1226 8 Baby Kr?0a crawls on to h i s mother's lap. From the B%gop%stuti, fo l . 19r. MS INDIC a1226 9 Kr?0a, aged five, trying to get butter from h i s moth er. From the B%gop%stuti, fol. 21r. '; _ 5 . E - - -f; _ _ "",-  MS INDIC a1226 his body as he dances. The milkmaids are smiling, and their lower garments are 10 Young K[?Qa h i d es in a tree, wondering transparent. The cows look on, round-eyed, from the foreground, while rabbits about the world and sucking h i s toes. peep delightfully from the flaming hills in the background. From the Bologopolostuti, fol . 24r. Worship Govinda, of the moon face, you whose hearts are true. The tips of his shiny hair are powdered with the dust of cows returning in the evening, his body is smudged with saffron from all the bosoms of the milkmaids, and his arm is held up like a rod, supporting Govardhana mountain. 3 5 Fig. 8 , o n the previous page, evokes the charm o f the child, whose little ways are familiar to all, as well as the intense love felt by his mother. Hearing the poem, and seeing the painting, the worshipper feels like a parent, with Kr�l)a as the beloved child. But not only is Kr�l)a the archetypal child, he is at the same time the Supreme Being, honoured even by the gods, so full of wisdom that the wisest of ancients bow to touch his feet. Quietly, as a child will, he watches then intently crawls to this mother's lap. Delight forever in him of the lotus eyes, 0 heart. Let him, whose form is honoured by the gods, ever suffice for my welfare - the lotus eyed Kr�l)a whose feet are lotuses where supreme sages ever gather nectar. 36 I PEA R LS O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  THE LOVE OF KRSNA IN POEMS AND PAINTINGS Devakl, Kr�lJ.a's mother, sits on cushions on a couch, with an assistant III attendance. Kr�lJ.a crosses the gap from another couch, reaching out for his mother's hand, but at the same time holding up his palm in a gesture suggesting she need not fear. The roof of the house suggests pavilions and terraces. Once again, in fig. 9 on p. 97, Bilvamangala juxtaposes two emotions, the sweet affection felt towards a child, and the more adult sense of awe and worship towards the grandeur of a majestic, dark godY It is the former emotion that dominates the miniature painting. Kr�lJ.a climbs a step towards his mother who holds out a tempting butter-ball. 3 8 Nanda's eyes are turned upwards, and she smiles slightly: is she pretending not to see the little boy coming? He is five years old, happy and restless. He runs about and his fringe gets in his eyes. The bells on his neck, wrist, and ankle make him handsome. Bow to him, the son and joy of Nanda. I worship that magnificence, whose crown is made of a peacock feather, whose body is as majestic as a dark rain cloud, whose eyes are blue lotus leaves, whose thick hair is blue-black.39 Each line of the second verse begins with the Sanskrit word nila, 'dark, deep blue', illustrating exceptionally clearly Wilson's thesis concerning the initial assonance so characteristic of Tamil poetry. The miniature in fig. 10 presents itself almost as a visual puzzle of 'spot-the-child'. MS INDIC a1226 The chaotic branches and leaves criss-cross the visual field, and only after a moment 11 The milkmaids flirt with K�Qa. From the is the baby seen in the treetop, sucking his toes and gazing thoughtfully up into the Bologopolostuti, fol . 50r. sky. The tree is surrounded by 'woven' water, in which four turtles swim. E S 0 l E - S i. - -= -.& -  MS INDIC a1226 12 The story of the Romoyo00 from the "The moon is friend to the whole world, and his enmity with the 50logopolostuti, fol. S7v. lotus is strange," thinks the magician who lies in his crib of fig tree leaves and joins his lotus foot to his moon face to unite them as it were. May he give you blessing. When shall I see that boy, so strange, with the lotus eyes whose face is enjoyed by the eyes, languid with intoxication, of the young wives ofVraja, whose charming face, overspread with gentle open smiles, joyfully reflects itself again and again with increasing intensity in the lotus mind of sages?40 This poetic image depends for its effect on the Indian tradition that the moon and lotuses are known to be friends, since many lotuses blossom at night.41 But perhaps they were once enemies, and the change in their relationship was brought about through the power of the mystic child Kt�lJa, sucking his toes? His feet, as beautiful as lotuses, were brought to his face, as lovely as a moon, making the two into eternal friends. The painting in fig. 11, on the previous page, was available as fo!' 53r of the Boston manuscript studied by Norman Brown, but it was severely damaged, the whole central part of the image being torn away.42 The miniature painting shows the two milkmaids on the right of the frame. In just a few strokes, the painter has managed to give the young women's faces a look of amorous forwardness, especially the one nearer to Kt�lJa. This woman appears to 100 1 PEA R L S 0 F THE 0 R I ENT 1 Asian Treasures from the We 11 C 0 me Librar y  MS INDIC a1226 have her elbow in the other's chest, struggling to stay in front. The right-hand girl 13 Bilvamangala (right) in the presence of reaches around the other, trying to touch ��l)a behind her back. Both wear Kr;;na. From the 8ologopolostuti, fo!' 60v. enormous earrings. ��l)a's mother seems unable to prevent herself from offering him butter yet again; perhaps this time she is competing for his affections. Young ��l)a holds up a hand, as if to ward off the amorous milkmaids. At first the passion in the ��l)a story is all about his mother's love for him. But soon the milkmaids begin to enter the story, and they take the leading role in trying to engage the young boy in erotic sport. He is initially flustered, and asks his mother not to make him go into the fields with the cows, since the girls will take advantage of him. "Mother, I'm not going to the Yamuna's banks to herd the calves." "Why, child?" "The milkmaids crush me to each of their two full breasts." While he was saying this to Yasoda, the milkmaids with warning looks tried again and again to stop him, and finally they clapped their lotus hands over his mouth. May he, Damodara, protect you.43 In other verses and paintings from the Hymn to the Baby Cowherd, the milkmaid's breasts become a motif of early erotic encounter, and the complex of ideas and homologies grows to encompass cow's milk, breast-milk, butter, breasts, bowls of milk offered by buxom milkmaids, and ��l)a's mother feeding him at her breast. These themes all conspire to produce images and emotions of richness, the pure abundance and simple wealth of the bucolic setting, of the various fullnesses of stomach, heart and eye, and of the trembling intensity of unconsummated erotic 10ve.44 Later, as the ��l)a story unfolds, the erotic tone of these encounters becomes explicit, and the passionate physical love between Kr�l)a and the milkmaids, and especially his great love, Radha, becomes a centrepiece of the whole religious cycle. I PEA R L S O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library 101 THE LOVE OF KR5NA IN POEMS AND PAINTINGS The folio in fig. 12, shown on p. 100, is a wonderful pictorial survey of the Riimiiyarza epic. Why should this appear here? To remind us that Kr�f.1a is in essence Vi�f.1u, who is also manifested in Rima, the hero of the great epic. The miniature tells the story of the Riimiiyarza in tabloid format. At the top left, Rima - like Kr�f.1a, an incarnation ofVi�f.1u - and his brother L�maf.1a sit at one side of a tree, Rima's wife SIta on the other, enjoying the life of exile that they have chosen in the forest Pafi.cava�I. The deer appears, with a striking 'animated' treatment of its head and neck. At the top right we see Rama has chased after the deer with his bow, and the deer is beheaded. From the neck rises the dark figure of the demon MarIca, who cries out for help, using Rama's voice. At the bottom left frame, SIta, now alone, is tempted out of her protective circle by a sage-like figure, the demon king Rivaf.1a in disguise. In the central frame, she is abducted forcibly, the event watched coolly by a Sarus crane. Finally, Lak�ma1).a stands over Rama as he collapses in grief 45 The first of the verses adjacent to this painting contains references to famous episodes from the epic, cast in the form of an obeisance to Rama's feet. The second demonstrates the identity of baby Kf�f.1a with Rama: when his mother is telling him the Rama story, he becomes involved in the story, identifies with Rama, and calls out parts of the story that he has not yet been told. The third verse is a disturbing superposition of the Kr�f.1a themes of terrible warrior, lover of the milkmaids, sword-bearer, and child. The final two verses are harder to understand. The second mocks the god Siva, which introduces a strangely contentious tone into the manuscript. The former, "Because he has no moon ... ", lists various of Siva's attributes as being absent, which should signifY that the god being described is Vi�f.1u. But then the poet says "I do not believe." This remains a puzzle. I worship your lotus feet, 0 Great Soul. Those same dutiful feet walked out of the kingdom, which was as hard to abandon and as much loved by the gods as your wife. At your father's command they went to the forest, where your wife SIta asked them to run after a magic deer.46 "Once there was a man named Rama." "Yes." "His wife was called SIta." "Yes." "Rava1)a abducted her from Rama during his stay in the Pafi.cava�I forest in obedience to his father's command." Hari, indicating with yes's that he was listening to his mother's bedtime story, said, "My bow, my bow, where is my bow, Lak�maf.1a?" May these alarmed words protect usY Black as a rain-laden rain cloud, death to demons, terrible on the field of battle, adorned with a large flowery garland protector of the whole world, clapping out (he rhythm for milk-maids holding a sword in his hand, the child cowherd - I sing praise of him.� - � OF T E T - s: :&- E S 0 E  Because he has no moon on his crest, no fire on his forehead, no dark spot on his throat, no serpents on his body, no bow Pinaka in his hand, I think, 0 God, that I do not believe, I do not believe, I do not believe, I do not.49 Although half of you wears an antelope skin, and the other half, o Trident-bearer, wears a fine white garment, you are not a demon. Still, this is otherwise an unfortunate condition, because it means you share your one body with your wife.50 Finally, near the very end of the manuscript in fig. 13 (see p. 101), we come face to face with the author Bilvamangala himself On the right of the miniature, with his hands raised prayerfully before his god, Bilvamangala receives heaven from Kr�r.la. He is naked, except for a transparent white gown. Kr�l).a is before him in his fully divine form, as shown by his having four arms. Kr�l).a was pleased by this sage's hymns, which abound in symbolic statements, and revealed himself to bestow heaven. May Kr�l).a rule his devotees as he does this sage. o Lady Tongue, always speak, 0 Beautiful Lady, the beautiful and charming names of Karpsa's killer: o Govinda, 0 Kdava, 0 Mukunda, 0 Hari, 0 Murari, 0 Home of Lak�mI, o Slayer of Madhu, 0 Madhava.51 The second verse accompanying the painting sings the holy names of Kr�l).a, each one reminding us of one or other episode in the rich life of this extraordinary divine figure. NOTES 1 Wujastyk, 19 8 5, pp. 126-7. 9 Chimpa, et 01., 19 80, p. 348. 2 I nc l u d ing the studies by Brown (19 3 0) , 10 These issues are usefu l ly s u r veyed by Gadon Farquhar (1920, p. 3 04) , Gonda (1977, pp. (19 84, pp. 7 8 - 8 1) . 29-32) , Wilson (19 7 3 ) , Krishnamachariar 11 Fo!. 3c verse 4 of We l l come MS Indic a1226 (1974, pp. 3 3 4 -7). Further manuscripts of the (cfWilson, 197 3 , p. 2.12 3 ) . work are cited i n Aufrecht (18 9 1-19 0 3 : 12 Wilson, 1975, p. 5 (but the verse in qu estion 1, 3 7 3 b) and Raghavan et 01. (1949-: is t<r?r:lOkarryjmrta 2.58, not 2.57) . 4 , 3 54a-357a) . 13 Bilvamangalastava 1. 3 8 , trWilson (1973, p. 55). 3 N o rman Brown p rovided usefu l and important bib l iographical summaries of the 14 Bilvamangalastova 2.21, trWilson (1973, p. 9 5) . work done before his time i n h is studies of 15 Fo!. 8v, first verse. t<r?0akany3mrta 2.67, tr 19 30, p. 171, n. 6, 19 3 3 , p. 13 and 1941, p. 1. Wilson (1975, p. 164) . Cf Gadon, 19 84, p. 405. 4 Brown, 19 30, p. 167. 16 Wilson, 19 75, p. 20. 5 M any of Losty's d iscoveries are re po rted in 17 On this linguistic feature, cf Zve l ebil, 19 74, Losty (19 82) , and fu rther reports appear p. 3 3 . i n several iss ues of t h e British Library Journal 18 Wilson (1975, pp. 4, 9 1) , citing Sarkar (1913), and elsewhere . w h o bases h is account on Kr?t:ladasa 6 Chand ra, 1949 , p. 25. Kaviraja's Caitonyacaritdmrta. 7 Chimpa et 01., 19 80, p. 348. 19 D e , 19 3 8 , p. xiii; Wilson, 1975, pp. 8 -9 . 8 Or perhaps 'Srngadhara' (Chand ra, 1949, 20 Datable to 1450. p. 26) . 21 WRI no. 5080. I PEA R L S O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from t h e Wellcome Library 103  22 Bodl eian Chandra S h u m Shere d . 84 3 . 39 Fol. 21r, verses 1 1 3, 1 1 4. My transl ation see 23 Anu p Sanskrit Library n o . 3 1 07. footnote 3 5 above) . Bi!vam0l1galastova 1 .53, 1.52. Cf. Wilson, 1 97 3 , p, 6 1 and G adon, 1 9 8 4. 24 B O RI no. 429/1887- 9 1, d ated to 1625. pp. 455-6. 25 Gadon is not wholly expl icit about the 40 Fo l . 2 4 c verses 128 , 129 . Bilvomorigalostova identity of h e r twelve manuscripts, but judging 1.1. Kr;; f) okorT)omrto 3 . 11, tr Wilson (1 9 7 3 , from the captions to figures 1-12, p. 3 9 and 197 5, p. 18 8 ) . Cf. Gad on, 19 84, pp. pp. 327-3 32 , they are: I G O p l Krishna Kanoria, 4 67-8 . Patna; II Baroda State M useum and Picture Gal l e ry; I I I Jagdish Mittal, Hyderabad; IV 41 Pace Wilson (19 7 3 . p. 3 9 ) . Agarchand Nahata, Bikaner ; V N ational 42 Brown, 19 30, pp. 2 0 2 , 205, fi g . 3 7 . M useum, N ew D e l h i; V I , XI and X I I Prince 43 Fo l . 5 0 c verse 280. Bilvomorigolostovo 2.84. t r. of Wales M u seum, Bombay; V I I H aridas Swali, Wilson (19 7 3 , p. 11 9 ) . Cf. Gad on, 19 84, p p . Bombay; VI I I and IX S ri Brajbh a�anal alF 298, 580-1 Maharaja of Kankro l i; X Edwin C Binney, 44 Gadon (19 84, pp. 295-30 3) offers a nu mber San Diego. No MS sigla or codicol ogical of insightfu l reflections on the erotic side of descriptions are given. Kr?l:la'S nature . 26 Fo ls 1v, 2v, 3v, 4c Se 9c 9v, 10c 12c 19c 21c 45 Cf. Gad on, 19 84, pp. 309. 610-13 . 24c 25c 28c 3 3 c 3 5c 46c 52c 52v, 54v, 55v, 57v, 58v, 59v, 60v, 61v, 62v, and 63v. Th ree of 46 Fo l . 58c verse 3 15. 8i1vomorigolostovo 3 . 2 3 . the Boston manuscript's miniatures are not M y translation. C f. W rlson (19 7 3 , pp. 144-5) , represented in the We l lcome manuscript. who notes th at this verse I S most l ike ly not by Bilvamangala, but is taken over from other 27 Gad on, 19 84, p. 170. verse c o l l e ctions where it occu rs, such as the 28 Losty, 19 82, p. 44. S rfmodbhogovotomohopurof)o and the 29 Cf. the study of this manuscrrpt by Brown Dvodosostotro of M ad hva. (1962). See also the c h rono logical remarks 47 Fol. 58c verse 316. Kr;;f) okorT)omrto 2.72, of Losty (19 82, pp. 4 8-52) . tr Wilson (1975, p. 166) . 30 "The h uman figure is more disto rted, with 48 Fol . 58c verse 3 17. 8ilvomorigolostovo 2.117, exaggerated sh arpness of featu res and tr Wil son (19 7 3 , p. 13 3) (the Y1 0 variants p rotru sions at chest, bust and hips, and most do not seem to give a better reading). distu rbing of a l l , the fu rther eye of figures in 49 Fo l . 58 r, verse 3 18 . Not in the edited corpus the invariable th ree-quarter profi le is fu l ly of Bilvamangala verses. d rawn and p rotru des into space." (Losty, 19 82, p. 4 3 ) . 50 Fo l . 58c ve rse 3 19 . 8i!vomorigolostovo 3 . 5, tr. Wilson (19 7 3 , p. 137) . 31 Losty, 19 82, p. 51. 51 Fo l . 60v, verses 3 34, 3 3 5 . 8ilvomorigo!ostovo 32 Fol. 3c verses 2-4. 811vomorigolostovo verses 340, 2.42, tr Wi lson (19 7 3 , pp. 149 , 10 3 ) . 2.112, 1. 8 3 and 2.12 3 , tr Wilson (19 7 3 , p. 13 1, C f. Gadon, 19 84, pp. 621-2. 19 75, p. 13 5) . Cr. Gadon, 19 84, pp. 226 - 8 , 378-80. 33 Fo l . 9 c verses 4 2 , [4 3]. Kr;;n okorrYlmrto verse 2 . 3 5, 8ilvomorigolostovo verse 1. 3 , tr Wilson (1975, p. 152, 19 7 3 , p. 39). Cf. Gadon, 19 84, pp. 275- 8 6 , 407 f. 34 M ajumdac 19 65, pp. 202-203, cited by Gadon (19 84, pp. 227-8). 3 5 Fo l . 9v, verse [44]. M y translation. We l l come M5 I ndic a1226 and the other M S S of the Y10 recens ion have several variants in this verse making the sense differ signifi cantly from Wilson's translation (1975, pp. 148 , 265, od 2.26). Cf. Gadon, 19 84, pp. 2 37- 8 , 263 -4. 36 Fo l . 19 c verses 10 3 , 104. 8ilvomorigolostovo 1.94, 1. 8 , tr W r l son (19 7 3 , pp. 81, 41) . Cf. Gadon, 19 84, pp. 206, 448. 37 Gadon (19 84, p. 252) cites other cases of striking thematic juxtaposition in the 8ologopolostuti poems and miniatures. 38 Gadon, 1 9 84, pp. 23 8-92. 104 PEA R L S O F THE O R I ENT I Asian Treasures from the Wellcome Library  B I BLIOG RAPHY Aufrecht, 1; Catalogus Catalogorum, An Alphabetical Khan dalavala, Karl, M oti Chan d ra, and Pramod Register orWorks an d Authors, Lei pzig: German Chandra, Min iature Poin tin g. A catalogue or the O riental Society, 1 89 1 -1 9 0 3 . exhibition or the Sri Motichan d Khajanchi collection Brown , W N o rman, ' Early Vai s n ava m i n i ature held by the Lalit Kola Akademi, D e l h i : Lalit Kal a Akadam i , 1 960, painti ngs from Western I n d ia', Eastern Art, 1 9 30 , 2, pp, 1 67-206, Kri s h n amachariar, K, History or Classical San skrit - The Story or Kolaka, Texts, history; legends, Literature, D e l h i : M oti lal Banars id ass, 3 rd e d n , 1 974, an d miniature paintings or the Svetombara join hagiographical work, vo l . 1 of Oriental Studies, KunJ u n n i Raja, K, ' B i lvamangala alias Kr;;l}a Lllas u ka ', Was h i ngto n : S m ithson ian I n stituti o n , 1 9 3 3 , ch, 2 in The Con tribution or Kerala to San skrit - A Descriptive an d Illustrated Catalogue o r Literature, 2nd e d n , M ad ras: U n iversity of M ad ras, 1 9 80 (first publ ished in 1 9 5 8 ) , Min ioture Pain tin gs o rt h e jain a kalpasutra as Executed in the Early Western Indian Style, Losty, J e rem iah, The art or t h e book i n India, vo l . 2 of Oriental Studies, Was h i n gto n : Lon d o n : The Britis h Library, 1 9 82, Sm ith s o n i an I n stituti o n, 1 9 34, M aj u mdar, M R, The Guwati school of painting - Man uscript Illustrations or the Uttarodhyayan a and some newly d iscovered Vai ?l}ava m i n iatu res' , Sutra, vo l . 21 of American Oriental Series, Journal or the In dian Society or Oriental Art, 1 942, New H aven , Conn ecti cut Ameri can Oriental 1 0, pp, 1 -3 1 , Society, 1 941 , - Cultural History or Gujarat. Bom bay: Po p u lar - The Saun daryalaharT or Flood or Beauty, vo l, 43 Prakashan, 1 9 6 5 , of Harvard Oriental Series, Cambridge, M ass,: N awab, Sarabhai M a n i l a l , jain Pain tin gs Harvard O riental Press, 1 9 5 8 , vol, I (Pain tin gs on palmleaves an d wooden book­ - The Vasanta Vilosa, A poem or t h e sprin g covers only), with 400 illustrations, vo l . 2 ofjoin restival in Old GujarotT accompan ied by San skrit Art Publication Series, Ahmedabad: Sarab hai an d Prakrit stanzas an d illustrated with miniature M ani lal Nawab, 1 9 80, paintings, critically edited an d translated, with an N awab, Sarabhai M ani lal and Raj e n d ra Sarabhai in trod, an d a description or the pain tin gs, vo l . 4 6 N awab, jain Pain tin gs vol, 11 (Pain tin gs on paper, of American Oriental Series, N ew H aven, commencing rrorn VS, 1 403 to 1 65 6 only) with Conn ecticut Ameri can Oriental Society, 1 9 62, 78 1 illustration s" , an d 1 8 7 colophon s, vo l . 3 of jain - The Mahimn astava or Praise or Shiva's Art Publication Series, Ahmedabad: Sarabhai Manilal Greatn ess: Edited, translated, an d presen ted N awab, 1 9 8 5 , in illustration s, Poona: Ameri can I n stitute of P reciado-So lis , Benj a m i n , The K(?lJa Cycle i n the I n d ian Stud ies, 1 9 64, Repri nted D e l h i : M oti lal Puranas: Themes an d motirs in 0 heroic sago, Banars i d ass, 1 9 8 3 , D e l h i : M otilal Banars idass, 1 9 84, Chan d ra, M oti, jain miniature paintings rrom Raghavan, V, K Ku nj u n n i Raj a, C S S u n daram, Westem India, vo l . 1 of jain Art Publication Series, N Veezh i n athan, and N G angad haran, Ahmedabad: Sarab hai M ani lal Nawab, 1 949 , New Catalogus Catalogorum, An Alphabetical C h i m pa, Lama, Alaka Chatto pad hyaya, and Register or Sanskrit an d Allied Works an d Authors, D e b i p rasad Chattopad hyaya, Toran otha's history M ad ras U n iversity Sanskrit Series, Madras: or Buddhism in India, Calcutta: K P Bagc h i & Co, U n iversity of M ad ras, 1 949, References to vo l . 1 Reprint of 1 970 edn, 1 9 80, are t o t h e revised 1 9 68 editi o n , De, S u sh i l Ku mar, K(?lJakarlJom(ta or Ulo5uka, Sarkar; Jadu nath, Caitanya's Pilgrimages an d Dacca: Dacca Un iversity, 1 9 3 8 , Facs i m i l e repri nt, Teachin gs, Lo n d o n : Luzac and Co" 1 9 1 3 , N ew Del h i : N avrang, 1 9 90, Shah, U makant P and Kalyan K Gangu l i (eds) , Farq u har, J N , An Outlin e or the Religious Literature Western Indion Art, Calcutta: I n d ian Society of or India, Oxfo rd : Oxford U n iversity Press, 1 920, O riental Art, 1 9 66, Reprinted, D e l h i 1 9 67, Wilson, Frances, The Bilvamangalastavo Edited an d Gad o n , E l i n o r W, An Iconographical An alysis or Translated with an In troduction , Le i d e n : B ri l l , 1 9 7 3 , the Bolagopolastuti: early K(?lJabhakti in Gujarat. - The Love or Krishno: The K(?lJakorl}om(to or P h D, U n ivers ity of C h i cago, Comm ittee o n the Ulo5uka Bilvamongalo, Phi ladel phia: U n iversity H i story of Cu ltu re, C hi cago, 1 9 84, A copy is of Pen n sylvan i a Press, 1 97 5 , available in the We l l c o m e Library. Wujastyk, Dom i n i k, A Han dlist or Sanskrit an d Gonda, Jan, M edieval Religious Literature in Sanskrit, Prakrit Man uscripts in the Library or the Wellcome vo l . 2,1 of History or Indian Literature, Wiesbad e n : Institute ror the History or M edicin e, vo l , 1 , Lo n d o n : Harrassowitz, 1 9 77, The We l l co m e I n stitute for the H i story o f Goswamy, B N , A jainesque Sultan ate Shahnama Medicine, 1 985, an d the Context or pre-Mughal poin tin g in India, Zve l e b i l , Kam i l Veith , Tarni! Literature, vo l . 1 0, 1 vo l , 2 of Rietberg Senes on Indian Art, Zurich: of A history or Indian literature, Wiesbad e n : M useum Rietberg, 1 9 8 8 , Harrassowitz, 1 974, PEA R L S OF T HE O R I EN T I A s i a n Tr e a s u r e s f r o m t h e We l l c o m e L i b r a r y 105