We briefed Krishna in his most universal Vaishnav pose — the tribhanga sway, the bansuri at his lips, the body curved in three bends the way the flute-player has always been drawn. A profile-left stance lets the flute lead and the red shawl fly out behind to balance the sway. The peacock feather in his crown and the pearl strings across his blue chest are the patua essentials; the yellow dhoti gives the warm counterweight to the blue. We left the ground plain so the cross-legged stance and the lifted flute carry everything, the music implied entirely by the posture. Boneless shading rounds his torso and the gather of the dhoti.