In this Book
- Krishna, The Butter Thief
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Princeton University Press
- Series: Princeton Legacy Library
The author traces the development of the theme of Krishna as butter thief from its earliest appearance in literature and art until the present. He focuses on the dramas (ras lilas) of Krishna's native Braj and on the Sur Sagar, a collection of verse attributed to the sixteenth-century poet Sur Das that is as familiar to Hindi speakers as Mother Goose is to us.
Originally published in 1983.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- pp. ix-xi
- List of Tables
- p. xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xv
- Transliteration
- pp. xvi-xvii
- List of Abbreviations
- pp. xviii-xix
- List of Poems Translated from the Sūr Sagār
- pp. xx-xxii
- Part I. Before Sūr Dās
- 1. The Tradition in Literature
- pp. 21-51
- 2. The Tradition in Sculpture
- pp. 52-96
- Part II. The Sūr Sāgar
- 3. Sūr's Butter Thief Poems: Two Types
- pp. 99-134
- 4. The Butter Thief in Context
- pp. 135-161
- 5. The Legacy of Sūr's Butter Thief
- pp. 162-178
- Part III. The Rās Līlās
- 6. The Butter Thief Līlā
- pp. 181-222
- 7. Variations on the Butter Theme
- pp. 223-258
- Part IV. Interpretation
- 8. The Unbounded Economy of Love
- pp. 261-287
- 9. Other Boundaries: An Outsider's View
- pp. 288-310
- Bibliography
- pp. 381-404