Lord Krishna, The Cowherd Deity From Vrindavan

In the lush wilderness of Vrindavan, the cowherd deity roams with His flute. He is a dark and handsome young man, the very image of the beauty and tejas of Lord Vishnu as could be gleaned from this sculpture. Tall and broad-shouldered, His tribhanga form endears Him to all devotees. In Sanskrt ‘tri’ stands for three, ‘bhang’ for punctuated. Indeed, His body juts out laterally in exactly three places - the shoulders, the hips, and the ankle.

The cow is Lord Krishna’s best friend. Theirs is an unconditional, unrestricted friendship, replete with bhakti and its reciprocation of the highest order. Here he stands right behind Him, in close proximity with his Lord. Close enough to run the tongue, lovingly and tenderly, across His divine feet. From the trishool-tilaka (the Shaivite trident) countenance of the cow to the sharp-featured face of the Lord Krishna, the composure of calm and contentment is identical to both.

The subtle tints and shades of the natural brown colour of the medium make this a superb monotone work of art. The rest of this composition in bhakti is in keeping with the traditional architecture of ancient Kerala temples. An elaborate aureole that gathers in a statement Kirtimukha at the zenith, an image of the residual nature of kala or time. A dual-tiered pedestal engraved with lifelike lotus petals. Finally the perfectly circular-shaped floral motif down the midline of the pedestal.