Plate 35
Radha Disguised as a Constable Arresting Krishna as a Thief — Garhwal, Punjab Hills, C. 1785 — Indian Museum, Calcutta
Tired of Krishna’s attempts to waylay the cowgirls, Radha dons a turban, brandishes a constable’s heavy staff and seizes Krishna by the wrist. ‘I am a policeman of Raja Kansa, come to take you to gaol,’ she says. The picture shows the cowgirls standing with their pitchers of curd, while cowherd boys—Krishna’s accomplices—take to their heels. Krishna himself stands limply by, as if uncertain who the constable is.
The incident is unrecorded in the Bhagavata Purana but appears in later poetry as an instance of Radha and Krishna’s mutual fun—teasing being an essential part of their love-making.
The picture is by the same master artist as Plate 19.