Again Krishna on the tree is a familiar figure in paintings GOPIVASTRA- and decorative sculptures of temples. The story is related in PAHARAKA - the Bhagavata-Pitrana how one day Krishna saw the cow-herd girls bathing naked in the Jumna leaving their clothes on the sand banks of the river and how he took away their clothes and got up a tree standing near by. He did not restore the clothes to the girls till they confessed their error in bathing naked against the teaching of the Sdstras. One of the usual processional vehicles in Vishnu temples is the punnai-tree with the naked Gopis standing round it and begging for the return of their clothes (fig. 30).

After leaving Brindavana, Krishna became the clever and PARTHA- astute statesman and warrior of Dvaraka and took an active SARATHI - part in the war between Kauravas and Pandavas described in the Mahabharata. He was on the side of the Pandavas; he was an intimate friend of Arjuna (or Partha) and even served him as his charioteer on the battle-field. Hence Krishna is also known by the name of Parthasarathi, the name of the god in the famous temple at Triplicane. It was on this occasion in the battle-field, when Arjuna was dismayed at the prospect of a bloody war with his relatives, that the divine charioteer Krishna is said to have delivered to Arjuna the famous discourse known as the Bhagavad-Gitd. A fine illustration of the scene comes from the Kesavasvamin temple at Pushpagiri (fig. 31). The story runs that Arjuna and Krishna were bosom friends in far earlier ages, when under the names Nara and Narayana they are supposed to have performed penance in Badarikasrama.

Two other avatars of Vishnu, viz., Buddha and Kalki BUDDHA may be noticed. The latter is only a prospective incarnation and KALKI ...... i j j , _r i 1 incarnations. in which the god is expected to appear as a powerful hero riding on horse-back, sword in hand, to suppress the growing wickedness of the Mlechchhas. The Buddha incarnation of Vishnu is, no doubt, counted among the ten avatars but is rarely found worshipped in Hindu temples. 1 Buddha is

1 The flrahriya-Silpa does not include Buddha in the avatars of Vishnu. It mentions Krishna in the place of Buddha. The Manasara gives a complete description of the figures of Buddha which it says must be made of white stone, very much like the images of Jina (below, p. 262?.) seated or standing on a lion-pedestal under the pipal or the wish-giving celestial tree, with two hands, ushmsha (crown) a yellow cloth, broad forehead, long ear-lobes, big eyes, high nose, smiling counte- nance, long amis, broad chest, fleshy limbs and body. When standing, his arms must be made to hang down loosely.