2-999-814 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Krishna Steals the Gopis' Clothing, 1775-1800. The Hindu god Krishna steals the clothing of the gopis - young women of Brindavan - while they are bathing in the Yamuna River. Sitting in a tree with their garments hung on the branches, he compels the gopis to emerge from the water naked, with arms raised in supplication, to beg for the return of their clothing. They eventually do so, their initial embarrassment washed away by the pleasure of devotion, as they reveal themselves fully before their god.