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Question: Do the Pictures of Krishna Accurately Depict Him?

My Dear Guruji,

Are the pictures that we see of Krishna showing us the actual form of Krishna? Does Krishna really look like how we see Him in these pictures?  Does the ultimate God Krishna have any shape, or is He formless and shapeless? I would be grateful if you could enlighten me on this.

Thanking you very much,

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
They Most Certainly Do

Pictures that are based on the description of Krishna given in the scriptures and confirmed by fully realized devotees, who can personally see Krishna at every minute, are authentic depictions of what Krishna actually looks like. It is confirmed in the Vedic scriptures and by self-realized souls that Krishna has a form. For example it is stated as follows in the Brahma Samhita, Chapter 5, Text 32:

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.

So as you can see from the above verse, Krishna does have a form. Sometimes when it is described that God is formless this means that He does not have a limited material form. His form is purely spiritual and is thus not limited by any mundane constrictions.

--Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Chant.... HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE ....and be happy.