Krishna Stealing Sarees of Gopikas

The most famous of Krishna's adolescent pranks was the stealing of the gopicas' clothes as they bathed in the river Yamuna in this patachitra. The gopicas had gone into the water nude. Krishna, watching from a nearby kadambha tree, stealthily stole their clothes and hung them up like so many fluttering banners on the branches of the tree. Discovering the theft, the gopicas hurriedly reentered the river to hide their nakedness. They implored Krishna to return their clothes, but he insisted that they come to him for them. Shivering in the cold water, the gopicas had no option but to forget their shame and come out.