arrow, having a serpent as the bow-string and the hill as the bow, and He is described as blue-throated, wearing the crescfent on his fair head and with an eye shining on his forehead.¹ The other references are only short phrases alluding to his three eyes, his matted locks, his blue throat and the crescent moon on his head.² One passage, in the Agam, refers to the three-eyed śivan.³ In one stanza of Puṛam, śiva, Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and Subrahmaṇya are described. "He who is riding on a strong bull, has matted locks blazing like fire, the invincible battle-axe, and a throat like the blue gem, and He whose body is of the colour of the chank from the sea, and who wields the death-desiring plough and has the palmyra flag, and He whose body is of the colour of the well-washed sapphire and who raises aloft to the sky the bird-flag and desires victory, and He who holds up the gem-like peacock flag, who is always victorious, rides the peacock (or the elephant) and is bright red."⁴ Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva are referred to in one more place, where a śola and a Pāṇḍiya are together praised as looking like these two gods.⁵ There are two other references to Kṛṣṇa, one where a Pāṇḍiya is described as full of fame, like Māyon, famous for his powers of teaching.⁶ An incident in the life of Kṛṣṇa is decribed also in Puṛam. "When the terrible asuras swarmed and concealed the sun who shone in the sky and he disappeared, (men) could not see on account of darkness. To relieve the distress of the round world, the collyrium coloured one of great strength brought (the sun) back and raised (him in the sky)."⁷ One stanza in Agam refers to Māl's bending the branches of the tree, that the cowherdesses may wear the cool leaves for cloth.⁸ Paraśurāma is alluded to once in Agam. This will be referred to

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¹ Puṛ. 55, 11. 1-5.

²'He who has a head shinning with milk-like crescent moon and a throat like sapphire.' Pur. 91, 5-6.

³ Agam. 181, 91. 15-18.

'The three-eyed Lord whom the sweet-toned four Vedas which spread good to the world (sing about), embellished beautifully the yard where the banyan tree goes.'

In Puṛ. 198, 1, 9 occurs the phrase 'the god in the banyan tree.' The commentator has interpreted this phrase as 'Viṣṇu on the banyan leaf;' I think this explanation is anachronistic, for the phrase is a common epithet only of śivan in early Tamil literature.

⁴ Puṛ. 56. 11. 1-8.

⁵ Puṛ. 58. 11. 14-15.

⁶Puṛ. 57. 11. 2-3.

⁷ Puṛ. 174. 11. 1-5.

⁸ Agam. 59. 11. 5-6.

The original of this tale is not found in Sanskrit so far as I know and perhaps it is not an Aryan legend of Kṛṣṇa but a Tamil legend of Māyon.

In modern versions the story is somewhat altered. The ladies desire to wear their own clothes stolen by Kṛṣṇa.