রাধিকার সখী যত, তাহা বা কহিব কত,
মুখ্য সখী করিব গণন ।
ললিতা বিশাখা তথা, চিত্রা চম্পকলতা,
রঙ্গদেবী সুদেবী কথন ॥ ৪৯ ॥
তুঙ্গবিদ্যা ইন্দুরেখা, এই অষ্টসখী লেখা,
এবে কহি নর্মসখীগণ ।
রাধিকার সহচরী, প্রিয় প্রেষ্ঠ নাম ধরি,
প্রেমসেবা করে অনুক্ষণ ॥ ৫০ ॥
rādhikāra sakhī yata, tāhā bā kahiba kata,
mukhya sakhī kariba gaṇana |
lalitā biśākhā tathā, citrā campakalatā,
raṅgadebī sudebī kathana || 49 ||
tuṅgabidyā indurekhā, ei aṣṭa-sakhī lekhā,
ebe kahi narma-sakhī-gaṇa |
rādhikāra sahacarī, priya preṣṭha nāma dhari,
prema-sebā kare anukṣaṇa || 50 ||
Śrī Rādhikā has so many friends; how can I describe them all? I shall thus only mention the principal ones. Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Campakalatā, Raṅgadevī, Sudevī, Tuṅgavidyā and Indulekhā are known as the aṣṭa-sakhīs. Now I shall describe the narma-sakhīs. They are Śrī Rādhikā’s constant companions and are known as the dearest of her dear ones. They perform loving service at every moment.
The Parama-Preṣṭha Sakhīs
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, while defining rāgānugā-bhajana, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has discussed the topic of bhajana performed in allegiance to the eternally perfect rāgātmikā-sakhīs and mañjarīs. He now gives the names of the principal sakhīs and mañjarīs among them, along with some details. To understand the nature of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs and mañjarīs, we must address some philosophical issues because rasa or līlā endures only when established on the foundation of philosophical conclusions (siddhānta). The judgment of all śruti-śāstras is that Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme truth, full of all opulences, the lord of all beings and the cause of all causes. Among the endless energies of the all-powerful Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss, three are preeminent: the antaraṅgā-cit-śakti (internal spiritual energy), the taṭasthā-jīva-śakti (marginal living entity) and the bahiraṅgā-māyā-śakti (the external illusory energy). Among these, the antaraṅgā-cit-śakti is supreme because this is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-śakti or natural power. The power or ability to perform some specific action is called a śakti. This svarūpa-śakti manifests in three ways, according to the type of action: hlādinī, sandhinī and samvit. Among these, the hlādinī-śakti is highest of all because although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of uninterrupted transcendental joy, he personally experiences this natural bliss through the hlādinī-śakti and also causes his bhaktas to taste it. The particular way this occurs is that the hlādinī-śakti remains in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body as a formless energy and causes him to experience his natural joy. Externally, it manifests as the presiding deity of that formless hlādinī-śakti and causes Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of unabated, condensed śṛṅgāra-rasa (the erotic sentiment), to taste the amazing sweetness of that rasa. This is Śrī Rādhā, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu. By nature, the hlādinī-śakti gradually evolves through the stages of rati, prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga and mahābhāva. This mahābhāva, or great love, is Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s natural state. Just as the inside and outside of a doll made of sugar is nothing but sugar, in the same way, Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s body, inside and out, is composed of mahābhāva, or absorbed in the loving sentiment called mahābhāva. Lalitā and the other sakhīs are Srī Rādhā’s bodily expansions. Regarding this, we find the following description in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.151-165:
kṛṣṇera ananta-śakti, tāte tina pradhāna |
cic-chakti, māyā-śakti, jība-śakti nāma ||
antaraṅgā, bahiraṅgā, taṭasthā kahi yāre |
antaraṅgā svarūpa-śakti sabāra upare ||
sac-cit-ānandamaya kṛṣṇera svarūpa |
ataeba svarūpa-śakti haya—tina rūpa ||
ānandāṁśe hlādinī, sadaṁśe sandhinī |
cidaṁśe sambit yāre jñāna kari māni ||
kṛṣṇake āhlāde tāte nāma hlādinī |
sei śakti-dvāre sukha āsvāde āpani ||
sukha-rūpa kṛṣṇa kare sukha-āsvādana |
bhakta-gaṇe sukha dite hlādinī kāraṇa ||
hlādinīra sāra aṁśa tāra ‘prema’ nāma |
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa premera ākhyāna ||
premera parama-sāra mahābhāba jāni |
sei mahābhāba-rūpā rādhā ṭhākurāṇī ||
premera svarūpa-deha prema-bibhābita |
kṛṣṇera preyasī-śreṣṭhā jagate bidita ||
sei mahābhāba haya cintāmaṇi-sāra |
kṛṣṇa-bāñchā pūrṇa kare—ei kārya yāra ||
mahābhāba-cintāmaṇi rādhāra svarūpa |
lalitādi sakhī tāṅra kāya-byūha-rūpa ||
“Among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited energies, three are predominant: the cit-śakti or spiritual potency, the māyā-śakti or material potency and the jīva-śakti or the living entity. They are also described as antaraṅgā or internal, bahiraṅgā or external and taṭasthā or marginal. Among them, the internal svarūpa-śakti or natural spiritual potency is above all. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is composed of sat-cit-ānanda—existence, consciousness and joy. Therefore, his svarūpa-śakti has three forms. Hlādinī is the joy component, sandhinī is existence and samvit is consciousness, which is also regarded as knowledge. That which gives joy to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called hlādinī. Through this potency, he personally experiences happiness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa feels joy, though being himself the embodiment of joy. Hlādinī also causes the bhaktas to feel joy. The essential part of hlādinī is called prema or love. Prema is described as being ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, a joyous spiritual sentiment. The absolute essence of prema is understood to be mahābhāva, the great love, embodied in the form of Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī. The natural embodiment of love is known throughout the world as the dearest sweetheart of love-struck Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Mahābhāva is the ultimate cintāmaṇi or wishing-stone; its purpose is to fulfill all of Kṛṣṇa’s desires. This mahābhāva-cintāmaṇi is the true form of Śrī Rādhā; Lalitā and the other sakhīs are her bodily expansions.”
Not only Lalitā and her other friends, but all the beautiful girls of Vraja are regarded as Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bodily expansions. Śrī Rādhārāṇī manifests herself in the form of countless vraja-gopīs who cause Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enjoy multifarious kinds of rasa-mādhurī corresponding to their different appearances, natures and so on.
ākāra svabhāba bhede brajadebī-gaṇa |
kāya-byūha-rūpa tāṅra rasera kāraṇa ||
bahu kāntā binā nahe rasera ullāsa |
līlāra sahāya lāgi bahuta prakāśa ||
tāra madhye braje nānā bhāba rasa bhede |
kṛṣṇake karāya rāsādika līlāsvāde ||
“The Vrajadevīs each differ according to appearance and nature. As Śrī Rādhā’s bodily expansions, they are the agents of rasa. Without many lovers, the rasa does not shine forth, so she manifests in many forms to support their pastimes. By the different moods and sentiments among them, they cause Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enjoy the rāsa dance and other pastimes in Vraja.” (Caitanya-Caritāmṛta Ādi 4.79-81)
Through her bodily expansions, Śrī Rādhārāṇī takes the form of unlimited gopikās with different natures and charms to enable Śrī Kṛṣṇa to taste the unprecedented sweetness of śṛṅgāra-rasa. The various wonderful moods of these gopīs divide them into four groups: Śrī Rādhā’s own party, rival parties, allied parties and neutral parties. These four kinds of gopikā camps exist with Śrī Vṛṣabhānunandinī in the center and are categorized by the type of bhāva. Śrī Lalitā, Śrī Viśākhā and the other parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs belong to Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s own party. Candrāvalī, Padmā, Śaibyā and others are her rivals; Śyāmalā and so on are her allies, while Bhadrā and others are neutral. Among these, Śrī Rādhā’s own party and the rival parties produce the greatest rasa. Although all the young girls of Vraja are merely Śrī Vṛṣabhānunandinī’s bodily expansions and there is no question of any of them being equal to her, still, Vraja’s śṛṅgāra-rasa causes Śrī Candrāvalī and others to think they are Śrīmatī’s peers. It then causes unprecedented states of love such as khaṇḍitā, māna and kalahāntaritā* to appear in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, enabling Śrī Kṛṣṇa to personally taste this amazing sweetness. Śrī Lalitā and the other sakhīs in Śrī Rādhā’s own party play many diverse roles in nourishing all these states of love. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love is powerful and eternal and therefore needs no one’s help to nourish it. Still, even though brahma is eternal and all-powerful, without the assistance of the cit-śakti, the rasa that nourishes the manifestation of various pastimes is not supported. In the same way, without the help of the sakhīs, the rasa that nourishes Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s love is not supported for even a moment. vibhur atisukha-rūpaḥ svaprakāśo’pi bhāvaḥ kṣaṇam api na hi rādhā-kṛṣṇayor yā ṛte svāḥ, pravahati rasa-puṣṭiṁ cid-vibhūtīr iveśaḥ śrayati na padam āsāṁ kaḥ sakhīnāṁ rasa-jñaḥ (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 10.17).
Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.203 says, sakhī-binu ei līlā puṣṭi nāhi haya, sakhī līlā bistāriyā sakhī āsvādaya. “Without the sakhīs, these pastimes are not nourished. After the sakhīs expand the līlā, they then relish it.” Śrī Rādhā has five kinds of sakhīs: asyāḥ vṛndāvaneśvaryāḥ sakhyaḥ pañca-vidhāḥ matāḥ. sakhyaś ca nitya-sakhyaś ca prāṇa-sakhyaś ca kāścana, priya-sakhyaś ca parama-preṣṭha-sakhyaś ca viśrutāḥ (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇiḥ 4.50). They are the sakhīs, nitya-sakhīs, prāṇa-sakhīs, priya-sakhīs and parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs, which are further divided into three types: viṣama-snehā, sama-snehā and adhika-snehā. Kusumikā, Vindhyā, Dhaniṣṭhā and others are sakhīs; they are viṣama-snehā, meaning they have more affection for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Kastūrī, Maṇi Mañjarī and others are nitya-sakhīs, while Śaśīmukhī, Vāsantī, Lāsikā and so on are prāṇa-sakhīs. They are all adhika-snehā, meaning they have more affection for Śrī Rādhā. They are known as mañjarīs. Kuraṅgākṣī, Sumadhyā, Madanālasā and others are priya-sakhīs, while Lalitā, Viśākhā and the other six principal sakhīs are the parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs. They are sama-snehā, meaning they bear equal affection for Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Even though Lalitā, Viśākhā and the rest of the principal eight parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs have equal affection for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, they always maintain the self-concept of “We belong to Śrī Rādhā.” The author first mentions the aṣṭa-sakhīs: lalitā biśākhā tathā, citrā campakalatā, raṅgadebī sudebī kathana, tuṅgabidyā indurekhā, ei aṣṭa-sakhī lekhā. To give the sādhakas some detailed information about the sakhīs, we shall describe the sakhīs’ names, complexions, clothing, natures, actions and so on with the help of Śrī-Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-Gaṇoddeśa-Dīpikā.
Lalitā: Among the aṣṭa-sakhīs, Śrī Lalitā is senior to them all. She is twenty-seven days older than Śrī Rādhārāṇī. She is also known by the name Anurādhā and is adorned with the vāmā-prakharā nature (very strong-willed and stubborn). Her complexion is like gorocanā (a bright yellow pigment secreted from a cow’s kidney), and her dress resembles the feathers of a peacock. Her mother’s name is Śāradī, her father’s name is Viśoka and her husband is a gopa named Bhairava, a friend of Govardhana.**
Śrī Lalitā is the leader of all of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s sakhīs; all aspects of yugala-līlā are under her control. She is adept at dealing with Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s love spats as well as bringing them together again. When discord, boasting, retorts or arguments occur, she lowers her face in anger and becomes imbued with the luster of her sakhī Śrī Rādhā. If a love-spat between Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is imminent, Lalitā causes the sakhīs to get creative and intentionally start a quarrel. Then, when Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava are ready to reconcile, she arrives there and serves as a neutral party. She is highly skilled in preparing flower ornaments, umbrellas, bedding, the cottage in the bower and so on. She is well-versed in performing magic tricks, creating riddles and composing poetry. Her sevā is to provide camphor and tāmbūla; her kuñja is called Lalitānandada. Ratnaprabhā, Ratikalā, Subhadrā, Bhadrarekhā, Sumukhī, Dhaniṣṭhā, Kalahaṁsī, Kalāpinī and other sakhīs are members of her group.
Viśākhā: Among the aṣṭa-sakhīs, she is second in position. Her behavior, qualities, resolve and so on are all like those of her dear friend Śrī Rādhā. She was born under the same astrological sign as Śrī Rādhā. Her complexion is like lightning, her dress resembles the stars in the evening sky, and her father’s name is Pāvana. Her mother is Dakṣiṇā, the younger sister of Jaṭilā, and her husband is Bāhuka Gopa. Viśākhā is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s jokester friend. Her advice is difficult to ignore and she is unparalleled in teasing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She has a deep understanding of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s inner feelings and is a highly-skilled messenger and intermediary. During Śrī Yugala’s love-quarrels, she is very expert in employing the methods of conciliatory speech, bribery and sowing dissension. She is skilled in painting tilaka on their faces and bodies using lines and figures made of fragrant, colorful substances such as musk, saffron, sandalwood paste and so on; in making necklaces, garlands, crowns and other ornaments; in performing magic, making puppets dance and preparing the ingredients for worship of the sun-god; in speaking different languages and singing in various styles such as dhrupada and so on. Her sevā is dressing and decorating, and her kuñja is called Viśākhānandada. Mālatī, Mādhavī, Candralekhā, Kuñjarī, Hariṇī, Capalā, Surabhī, Śubhānanā and other sakhīs are members of her group.
Campakalatā: Campakalatā is third among the aṣṭa-sakhīs. Her complexion is like a fully-bloomed yellow campaka flower, she is one day younger than Śrī Rādhā and her dress is the color of a blue jay. Her father’s name is Ārāma, her mother’s name is Vāṭikā and her husband is a gopa named Caṇḍākṣa. In qualities, she is very similar to Viśākhā. She is an expert messenger and intermediary, and she always keeps her intended actions a secret. She is very effective and logical in her speech and, by various means, she establishes her own party’s superiority over their opponents. She is skilled in preparing various kinds of pickles made from fruits, flowers, roots and so on. She is incomparable at crafting pots and other vessels made of clay and is very adept at experimenting with the six kinds of flavors. Because she is expert at making sweet-rice and other confections, she is known as Sweet-Hands. Her sevā is to provide jeweled necklaces for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and to fan them with a cāmara. Her bower is called Campakalatānandada or Kāmalatā Kuñja. Kuraṅgākṣī, Sucaritā, Maṇḍalī, Maṇikuṇḍalā, Candrikā, Candralatikā, Kandukākṣī and Sumandirā are members of her group.
Citrā: Citrā is fourth in position. Her complexion is like saffron, her dress is the color of crystal, she is twenty-six days younger than Śrī Rādhā and she is delighted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s happiness. Her father is Catura, a cousin of Vṛṣabhānurājā; her mother’s name is Carcikā and her husband’s name is Pīṭḥara. Because of her expertise in various activities, she has unrestricted freedom of access. She is skilled in the interpretation of internal sentiments by external gestures. She understands the languages of various places and knows the nature of substances like honey and milk simply by looking at them. She is expert in crafting crystal vessels as well as in playing a jala-taraṅga, a kind of musical instrument consisting of seven bowls that are filled with water and struck with one or more sticks to produce musical sounds. She is very knowledgable about the art of astrology, the particulars of different kinds of animals, the work of planting and maintaining trees, and the preparation of sherbet and other substances made from fruit juices. Her kuñja is called Citrānandada and her sevā is to provide cloves and garlands. Rasālikā, Tilakinī, Śaurasenī, Sugandhikā, Ramilā, Kāmanāgarī, Nāgarī and Nāgavelikā are members of her group.
Tuṅgavidyā: Tuṅgavidyā is fifth in position. She is five days older than Śrī Rādhā, her complexion is like saffron, her dress is a tawny color and her nature is dakṣiṇā-prakharā (very pleasant and amiable). Her mother’s name is Medhā, her father’s name is Puṣkara and her husband’s name is Bāliśa. Tuṅgavidyā is expert in the eighteen subjects of study, which are listed in Viṣṇu-Purāṇa as ṛg-veda, sāma-veda, yajur-veda, atharva-veda, śikṣā (pronunciation of Vedic texts), kalpa (ritual), vyākaraṇa (grammar), nirukta (explanation of difficult Vedic words), jyotiṣa (astronomy, astrology), chanda-śāstra (prosody), mīmāṁsā-darśana (examination of Vedic texts), nyāya-darśana (logic), āyur-veda (medicine), dhanur-veda (archery), gāndharva-veda (music), artha-śāstra (economics, politics), dharma-śāstra (code of laws) and the purāṇas. She is adept at arranging meetings; Śrī Kṛṣṇa places his complete trust in her; she is learned in rasa-śāstra and nīti-śāstra (ethics) as well as nāṭaka (acting, dancing), ākhyāyikā (narrative) and other śāstras; she teaches the art of singing. Her kuñja is called Tuṅgavidyānandada and her sevā is singing, dancing and so on. Mañjumedhā, Sumadhurā, Sumadhyā, Madhurekṣaṇā, Tanumadhyā, Madhusyandā, Guṇacūḍā, Varaṅgadā and others are members of her group.
Indulekhā: Indulekhā is sixth in position. Her complexion is like bright yellow orpiment, her dress is like a pomegranate flower and she is three days younger than Śrī Rādhā. Her mother’s name is Velā, her father’s name is Sāgara and her husband’s name is Durbala. She is vāmā-prakharā in nature. Indulekhā is particularly competent in chanting mantras from the śāstra for controlling snakes. She has a thorough understanding of the mantras for obtaining knowledge as well as of the jyotiṣa-śāstra. She has mastered the skills of stringing beautiful necklaces, coloring teeth, examining jewels, making silken cords and composing mantras for prosperity. After stimulating Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s mutual love, she spreads the wonderful good fortune to all.
Raṅgadevī: She is the seventh sakhī. Her complexion is the color of a lotus stamen and her dress is reddish like a China rose. She is seven days younger than Śrī Rādhā and in qualities she is similar to Campakalatā. Her father’s name is Raṅgasāra, her mother’s name is Karuṇā and her husband’s name is Vakrekṣaṇa. Vakrekṣaṇa is the younger brother of Lalitā’s husband, Bhairava. She is amazing at spreading laughter and mirth: even in front of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she continues the joking banter with her priya-sakhī Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Previously, after performing austerities, she obtained a mantra for attracting Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Sudevī: She is the eighth sakhī. Sudevī is Raṅgadevī’s twin sister and she has a very gentle nature. Because she is so similar to her sister in beauty, qualities and nature, she is often mistaken for Raṅgadevī. Her husband is Raktekṣaṇa, the younger brother of Raṅgadevī’s husband, Vakrekṣaṇa. Always staying near to Śrī Rādhā, she arranges Śrīmatī’s hair, applies collyrium to her eyes, massages her body and performs other sevā. She is highly skilled in teaching parrots and mynas to recite poetry and she knows how to arrange boating pastimes as well as games involving wild cocks. She knows the procedures of astrology and palmistry, and she can recognize the sounds of animals and birds. She knows which flowers bloom at moonrise, she is experienced in the use of fire and she is very expert at massaging the body with fragrant oils.
Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, ebe kahi narma-sakhī-gaṇa, rādhikāra sahacarī, priya preṣṭha nāma dhari, prema sebā kare anukṣaṇa. Having described Lalitā, Viśākhā and Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s other parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs, he now begins to describe the narma-sakhīs or mañjarīs. Even though these girls are Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s very dear friends, out of affection they choose to be her maidservants. They are constantly engaged in the loving service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. Though they remain in the group of sakhīs, their lives are dedicated to sevā. Their bodies are made of sevā-rasa. Therefore, their sevā is very charming, lively and filled with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s resplendent rasa. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhakas must become particularly familiar with the descriptions of these mañjarīs because they perform their bhajana in allegiance to them. This is mentioned in the next verse.
**‘Husband’ means a gopa who merely appears to be her husband; this husband-form is supported by yogamāyā only for the purpose of nourishing the parakīya-bhāva. This should be understood to apply to all of the girls so dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa: the gopīs, the sakhīs and the mañjarīs.
