Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 220
as gorgeous. As a baby elephant is sometimes dressed in colorful
clothing, so Krsna’s gorgeousness was manifested by decoration with
such colorful clothing on the different parts of His body.

Akalpa refers to the texture of Krgna’s hair, His nicely dressed
body annointed with sandalwood pulp and decorated with flower
garlands, His tilaka, and His chewing pan. Krsna was decorated con-
stantly in this akalpa process. Krsna’s hair was sometimes decorated
with flowers placed on the middle of His head, or else reaching down
to His back. In this way Krsna dressed His hair differently at different
times. As for the ointment on His body, the pulp of sandalwood gen-
erally appeared to be white, and when it was mixed with saffron dye
it appeared to be yellow.

Krsna used to put a vaijayanti garland around His neck. This vai-
jayanti garland is made of at least five differently colored flowers.
The length of such a garland was always touching Krsna’s knees or
feet. Besides this garland of flowers, there were other kinds of flower
garlands too—sometimes decorating His head, sometimes hanging
around His neck and chest. Artistic painting with sandalwood pulp
and colored sandalwood were also to be found on the body of Krsna.

One gopi addressed her friend and began to praise the bodily
features of Krsna. She praised His blackish complexion, the reddish
color of chewing pan enhancing His beauty hundreds of times, the
curling hair on His head, the kunkum* red spots on His body and the
tilaka on His forehead.

His helmet, His earrings, His necklace, His four garments, the ban-
gles on His head, the rings on His fingers, His ankle bells and His
flute—these are the different features of Krsna’s ornaments. Krsna,
the enemy of Agha, always looked beautiful with His incomparable
helmet, His earrings made of diamonds, His necklace of pearls, His
bangles, embroidered garments and the beautiful rings on His fingers.

Krsna is sometimes called vanamali. Vana means forest and mali
means gardener, so vanamali refers to one who extensively uses flow-
* Kunkum is a sweetly-flavored reddish powder which is thrown on the bodies of
worshipable persons.
