The Hindu deity Krishna as a boy, being scolded for eating mud

Krishna is an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. To keep him from being murdered by a usurper, Krishna was taken at birth from his parents and brought to a cowherders' village to be raised by a woman named Yashoda. At first, Krishna's adopted family and friends did not know his true identity, but he periodically performed feats of magic or miracles that revealed his godhood.
In the incident depicted in this painting, Yashoda, Krishna's foster mother, has heard the little boy has been eating mud, so she goes to him with a handkerchief to wash out his mouth. He denies having eaten mud and opens his mouth for her. Yashoda sees the entire universe inside and becomes frightened. (The undulating tree branches and the lightning in this painting suggest Yashoda's state while she is witnessing this miracle.) To calm her, Krishna makes her forget the incident., A loving and playful god, Krishna is a mighty deity whose cosmic powers are manifest from infancy. Many stories, like the one depicted here, tell of his childhood miracles and feats. Once, Krishna ate a handful of dirt while playing. When his adoptive mother Yashoda (unaware that her child was the great god) made him open his mouth to clean it, she saw the entire universe inside instead of mud. So terrified was she by the vision that Krishna had to erase her memory. This painting illustrates the moment right before Krishna opened his mouth.