sweetnesses of character, his heart-provoking charms and begin to mimic his acts—­the slaying of Putana, the quelling of Kaliya, the lifting of the hill Govardhana.  One girl imitates Krishna dancing and another Krishna playing.  In all these ways they strive to evoke his passionately-desired presence.  At length they discover Krishna’s footprints and a little farther on those of a woman beside them.  They follow the trail which leads them to a bed of leaves and on the leaves they find a looking-glass.  ‘What was Krishna doing with this?’ they ask.  ‘He must have taken it with him,’ a cowgirl answers, ’so that while he braided his darling’s hair, she could still perceive his lovely form.’  And burning with love, they continue looking.

While they are searching, the particular cowgirl who has gone with Krishna is tempted to take liberties.  Thinking Krishna is her slave, she complains of feeling tired and asks him to carry her on his shoulders.  Krishna smiles, sits down and asks her to mount.  But as she puts out her hands, he vanishes and she remains standing with hands outstretched.[29] Tears stream from her eyes.  She is filled with bitter grief and cries ’O Krishna! best of lovers, where have you gone?  Take pity.’

As she is bemoaning her fate, her companions arrive.[30] They put their arms around her, comfort her as best they can, and then, taking her with them, continue through the moonlight their vain and anguished search.  Krishna still evades them and they return to the terrace where the night’s dancing had begun.  There they once again implore Krishna to have pity, declaring that there is none like him in charm, that he is endlessly fascinating and that in all of them he has aroused extremities of passionate love.  But the night is empty, their cries go unanswered, and moaning for the Krishna they adore, they toss and writhe on the ground.

At last, Krishna relents.  He stands among them and seeing him, their cares vanish ‘as creepers revive when sprinkled with the water of life.’  Some of the cowgirls hardly dare to be angry but others upbraid him for so brusquely deserting them.  To all, Krishna gives the same answer.  He is not to be judged by ordinary standards.  He is a constant fulfiller of desire.  It was to test the strength of their love that he left them in the forest.  They have survived this stringent test and convinced him of their love.  The girls are in no mood to query his explanation and ‘uniting with him’ they overwhelm him with frantic caresses.

Krishna now uses his ‘delusive power’ in order to provide each girl with a semblance of himself.  He asks them to dance and then projects a whole series of Krishnas.  ’The cowgirls in pairs joined hands and Krishna was in their midst.  Each thought he was at her side and did not recognize him near anyone else.  They put their fingers in his fingers and whirled about with rapturous delight.  Krishna in their midst was like a lovely cloud surrounded