The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry

This listening journey opens with an invitation to see how India’s courtly painters turned the divine love of Krishna and his beloveds into a visual language of longing. The narrator explains the distinctive style of these 18th‑century works—bright, sometimes exaggerated figures paired with the soft grace of floral and stormy backdrops—showing how ordinary objects become symbols of desire. By decoding the lotus, the rain‑cloud, and the peacock feather, the guide reveals a layered sensuality that a casual glance would miss.

The book then moves from story to song, tracing Krishna’s episodes in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana before turning to the lyrical splendor of the Gita Govinda and later devotional verses. Interwoven with these narratives are vivid descriptions of paintings from Rajasthan, the Punjab hills, and other courts, each illustrated with careful commentary that links brushstroke to verse. Listeners gain a sense of how love, politics, and spirituality intertwine in a tradition where a single image can speak both to the heart and to ancient myth.