The Hindu god Krishna as an infant, accompanied by attendants

The Hindu deity Krishna is worshiped in a number of forms. One of the perhaps most unexpected appears in this painting, where he is depicted as an infant. At one level, the representation of the deity as a child emphasizes how adorable he is; at another, it reflects the young Krishna’s notoriously mischievous nature. Perhaps most famously, Krishna stole butter from his mother, Yashodha, recruiting his friends in the venture. But there is more than a narrative here, for the representation of Krishna as a child invokes the theological notion of play (lila). In this conception, the universe is understood not as a planned or serious phenomenon but rather as the result of the play of the divine. Thus the whimsical body of the cosmic deity Krishna simultaneously evokes mythic narratives and philosophical ideas.

(Label from exhibition Divine Bodies)