Eroticism and Krishna Worship in Bhakti Movements

Vaishnava movements such as Pushtimarg Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Ekasarana Dharma — led by the teachers Vallabhacharya, Chaitanya and Sankaradeva, respectively — take root across northern and eastern India, influencing religious practice and forms of worship with their emphasis on Krishna as the central godhead. 

Texts like the Bhagavata Purana and Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda are significant in influencing the philosophies of these movements, with their emphasis on the lilas (divine acts) of Krishna and the romantic love between the deity and the gopis (female cowherds) of Vrindavan, particularly Radha. The mystic eroticism and the depiction of shringara rasa featuring Krishna with the gopis or with Radha become a significant theme in artistic traditions, particularly Indian miniature painting traditions, where the representations of Krishna and Radha are also carried into non-religious poetic texts like Rasamanjari and Rasikapriya. The spread of Vaishnava movements also influences performance traditions in several parts of India.