The Bhagavad Gita, a canonical Hindu text, presents a spectrum of yogic doctrines and practices within a framework of personal devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. In its eleventh chapter, Krishna manifests in his cosmic form (Vishvarupa) and is praised as Lord of Yoga (Yogeshvara).

An eighteenth-century artist evoked the limitless and proliferating universe by extending Krishna’s sixty multicolored heads and forty-four pinwheeling arms to the very borders of the painting. With its delicate line, luscious sherbet colors, and especially Krishna’s gentle expressions, the painting conveys the god’s compassion toward his devotees.

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Krishna Vishvarupa
India, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur
ca. 1740
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

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