SRI-SRI RADHASTAMI LILA Narrated By Siddha Krishna Das Babaji

SRI-SRI RADHASTAMI LILA

Narrated By Siddha Krishna Das Babaji

From the first day of the bright lunar quarter of the month of Bhadra, a band is sitting down at the Lion Gate of Vrsabhanu Maharaja’s town, making it as beautiful as Nandisvara (at the time of Krishna’s birthday).

On the third day of the light lunar quarter of Bhadra is the birthday of Tungavidya Sakhi. That night there will be Rasa-lila and Sayan lila (taking rest) in her Kunja. The same thing happens on Astami (the eight lunar day) in the Kunja of Sri Radha and Visakha, on Navami (the ninth day) in the Kunja of Campakalata, on Ekadasi in the Kunja of Indurekha, on Purnima (fullmoon night) in the Kunja of Rangadevi and Sudevi and on the third bright lunar day in Asvina in the Kunja of Citra Sakhi.

Two days before Radhastami, on the sixth day of the light quarter of the month of Bhadra, father Vrsabhanu sends an invitation to Nanda baba (Krishna’s father) at Nandisvara to come and celebrate Sri Radhika’s birthday. Sridama, Sri Radhika’s elder brother, and sikanya deliver the inivitation.

The next day, after performing their daily morning-duties, Nanda baba and his entire entourage, including Gostha Candra Sri Krishna, come to Vrsabhanupura (Varsana) on foot, with bullock-carts or in palanquins. Hearing the musical instruments of their approaching guests resounding, Vrsabhanu baba and his brothers and Mother Kirtida and her sisters-in-law are awaiting them. They show the guests their quarters and take a meal with them. Sri Radhika and Her Yuthesvaris (group-leaders) cook rice, vegetables, puris, ksira (sweet rice) and many other delicious dishes, and the pujari offers everything to Maharaja Vrsabhanu’s Narayana-deity. After the pujari puts the deity to rest Sridama arranges for prasada to be served on the courtyard of the palace and Sri Radhika starts quarreling with Her Yuthesvaris about who can serve first. Externally angry Syama-sakhi says to Sri Radhika: “It’s Your father’s invitation! What’s it to us? You can serve first or not, whatever You like!”

Hearing this loving quarrel Mother Kirtida decides to make lines for serving, and every sakhi can serve her own line of guests. After eating, chewing betelleaves and washing the mouth, everyone lies down in his own guestroom. On the pretext of picking flowers Sri Radhika then goes to Vilasa Kunda, which is situated west of Varsana, where She secretly meets Sri Syamasundara. After a brief meeting everyone returns to their own rooms. Then Sri Radhika cooks something and takes that along for Her usual noontime meeting with Krishna at Sri Radhakunda.

On the morning of Radhastami-day, after performing their morning-duties, everyone assembles to witness Sri Radhika’s abhiseka (bathing ceremony). Sri Radhika wears a thin, white dress along with all Her usual ornaments for the abhiseka. Musicians start playing their instruments (like Vina, Upanga, Pakhowaj, Mrdanga, Dundubhis, Bheris and Dolaks) and the maidservants come in to bring all the paraphernalia for the bathing-ceremony. Paurnamasi-devi chants the mantras and Gargi (the daughter of the priest Gargamuni) starts the abhiseka. First she pours Mahausadhi-water, water that contains many auspicious herbs, over Sri Radhika’s delectable limbs, then Panca-Gavya, five kinds of dairy-products, like milk, yoghurt, buttermilk, clarified butter and cow’s urine, then a hundred jugs of clear water and finally She bathes Her with a conchshell that makes a thousand streams. The maidservants dry Sri Radhika off with soft white towels and anoint Her with fragrant oils and Catuh-Sama (a blend of sandalpaste, vermilion, camphor and musk). Then they take Her to Her Srngara Vedi (dais for ornamentation), dress Her in Her usual splendid blue sari and decorate Her with Her shimmering ornaments, the sixteen srngaras and twelve abharanas. Gargi worships Sri Radhika with Durva-grass (bright green grass which is highly auspicious) and wheat in her hand, and Paurnamasi offers Her brahminical blessings. After a maidservant has offered arati to Sri Radhika, mother Yasoda blesses Her and presents Her with a jeweled necklace, clothes and ornaments. She also gives such presents to the Yuthesvaris. Then Sri Radha gives ornamented cows in charity. Father Vrsabhanu also gives thousands of cows and calves. Sri Radhika offers Her obeisances unto all these superiors.

After this Sri Krishna and His friends take a snack and Sri Radha and Her girlfriends and groupleaders also take a snack. Sri Radhika then takes off Her ornaments and cooks Her own birthday-feast together with mother Rohini - sweet rice, savouries, rice and vegetables. Hundreds of brahmanas are cooking another feast for all the villagers outside. Compassionate Yasoda says to her friend Kirtida: “Sakhi! Your heart is so hard! You make Sri Radhika, who is as tender as a Sirisa-flower, cook so much! You don’t have any love and affection! Just see how warm She feels of this hard labour on Her very birthday!” Mother Kirtida replies: “Because Sri Radhika got the blessing that whatever She cooks would be more delicious than nectar, Vrsabhanu-baba wanted Nanda Maharaja and his family to savour this once. That’s why Sri Radhika is cooking on this special occasion! O Queen of Vraja! Just see how nice Her preparations are!” Mother Rohini then shows mother Yasoda all the preparations Sri Radhika had cooked. Sri Radhika offers Her obeisances unto Queen Yasoda’s feet and Yasoda blesses Her, saying: “O Radhe! Your preparations please my eyes with their form and my nose with their fragrance!” Then Lalita and Syamala come and offer their obeisances to mother Yasoda’s lotus feet and she then also affectionately praises and blesses them.

Mother Rohini then says: “O Krishna-Janani, mother of Krishna! This Sri Radhika is a golden gem and Sri Krishna is a sapphire gem-stone! They are just like a couple of necklaces for the Vraja-Laksmi (the goddess of Vraja’s pastoral beauty)!” Sri Radhika’s nostrils bloom of shyness when She hears this. When Lalita and the other sakhis see this they rejoice. Sri Yasoda then orders some maidservants to prepare the offering for the deities and to fan Sri Radha to remove Her fatigue. After this the pujari offers the bhoga and puts the deities to rest. (Meanwhile outside hundreds of brahmins have also completed their enormous cooking work) After this everyone dresses properly and, like on Krishna-Janmastami in Pavan Sarovara, proceed to Bhanukhora, the pond that lies east of Varsana, to play Dadhikada, a game of throwing butter, yoghurt and other dairy-products at each other, and splashing each other with water from different corners of the Khora - one ghata (bathing place) is reserved for men, one for women, one for girls and one for boys. After this Maharaja Vrsabhanu and Kirtida Maharani present all ladies and gentlemen present with proper gifts of clothes and ornaments. Vrsabhanu baba first sumptuously feeds all the brahmanas and then all other people, on a large courtyard. Everyone eats in supreme ecstasy, and after flushing their mouths they take betelleaves and take rest in their individual abodes.

In the inner chambers of the palace mother Kirtida and mother Sri Yasoda also feed all the ladies, after which they too take rest in their individual quarters. After this he generously gives clothes, ornaments and daksina (monetary donations). Then everyone takes rest in their own rooms.

After taking some rest Sri Radhika goes picking flowers with Her girlfriends on the bank of Vilasa Kunda in the west of Barsana. While they depart the sakhis give a hint to Sri Krishna through the window. Sri Krishna then joins them at Vilasa Kunda, performs His amorous pastimes with Sri Radha there, performs Yogapitha pastimes and then everyone returns to their own bedroom for taking some rest. After this Sri Radha’s pastimes of cooking offerings for the Sun-god and going on abhisara are the same as on the Saptami. At night They dance the Rasa and recline in the kunja of Visakha-sakhi, because it is also her birthday on this day

NAVAMI LILA: NANDA AND OTHERS TAKE LEAVEIn Vrsabhanupura on the ninth day of the lunar fortnight in the month of Bhadra Sri Radha, Sri Krishna and everyone else take their morning baths, bathe, dress, ornament and then take a snack. After that, after Sri Radhika and Her assistants have completed their cooking work and the offering is done to the deities, everyone takes their meal in due order and take rest. As in the previous day Sri Radha-Krishna perform Yogapitha-pastimes and Their various other eternal pastimes such as wandering through the forest. Then, in the afternoon they return to Barsana where they all have a snack in due course. After that Sri Nanda Maharaja and others take leave from Sri Vrsabhanu Maharaja in order to return home. Just like Nanda Maharaja did on Sri Krishna Janmastami, Sri Vrsabhanu Maharaja is bidding everyone goodbye after offering them suitable presents. Everyone then returns home in topmost bliss.

After this Sri Krishna’s cow-milking pastimes and others take place as usual. On this Navami-tithi the Rasa- and Sayana-lila take place at Radhakunda in the kunja of Campakalata-sakhi on the occasion of her birthday.


FESTIVITIES AROUND BARSANA AFTER RADHASTAMIOn Navami, at noontime Krishna dances like a peacock at Mora Kutira (at the edge of the ridge of Varsana Hill), then Radha and Krishna throws laddus (sweetballs) down to Their devotee-spectators from Mora Kutira and dance the Rasa down in Gahvara-Vana. The following day, on Dasami, Radha and Krishna enjoy swinging on a see-saw on top of the ridge named Vilasa Gadha, and on the evening of Ekadasi, the following day, They enjoy boating in Prema Sarovara at Sanketa, a village halfway between Varsana and Nanda-grama. That night They enjoy Their pastimes in the fullmoon-kunja of Indulekha-sakhi, named Purnendu-kunja. Two days later, on Trayodasi-day, They fight over the toll on butter and curd at Sankhari Khor, the narrow passage between Chiksauli-village and Varsana. On this occasion Krishna and His chums smash the earthen pots on the gopis’ heads with wooden sticks and wildly feast on the spilled dairy-products.

Thus ends Sri Siddha Krishnadas Baba's description of Sri Radhastami lila.


Ujjvala Nilamani of Sri Rupa GosvaminChapter 4 - Sri Radha Prakaranam(Unedited translation)

In all respects Radha and Candravali are the best of all the gopis. Each of them has a group of followers numbering millions of doe-eyed gopis.

On the shore of the Yamuna Krishna enjoyed the rasa dance with these two and many hundreds of millions of other gopis. This rasa dance is very famous.

Among the gopis of Vrndavana, Srimati Radharani and another gopi are considered chief. However, when we compare them, it appears that Srimati Radharani is most important because Her real feature expresses the highest ecstasy of love. The ecstasy of love experienced by other gopis cannot be compared to that of Srimati Radharani.

Srimati Radharani is glorified in all Vedic literatures. In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad, Uttara-khanda, She is addressed by the name Gandharva. In the Rg-veda-parisista She is addressed by the name Radha and described as the companion of Madhava. In the Padma Purana Devarsi Narada narrates Her glories.

Just as Srimati Radharani is dear to Lord Visnu, so Her lake, Radha-kunda, is also more dear to Him. Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani is the most dear to Lord Visnu.Srimati Radharani is Lord Krishna's hladini-sakti (pleasure potency), the best of all His potencies. She is the form of ecstatic love for Lord Krishna. All this is described in the Tantras. She wears 16 kinds of ornaments and 12 kinds of ornaments.

Krishna to Radharani: My dear Radharani, Your curling locks of hair, long restless eyes, firm breasts, slender waist, shyly bowed head, creeper-like arms, and jewel-like fingernails are all exquisitely beautiful. The jubilant festival of Your beauty makes all the three worlds tremble with transcendental bliss.

Srimati Radharani's 16 ornaments are described as follows:

1. Srimati Radharani is nicely bathed; 2. the tip of Her nose is decorated with a glittering jewel; 3. She wears exquisite blue garments; 4. She wears a charming belt; 5. Her braids are nicely tied; 6. She wears beautiful earrings; 7. Her transcendental body is anointed with fragrant sandalwood paste; 8. Her hair is decorated with flowers; 9. She wears a flower garland; 10. She holds a lotus flower in Her hand; 11. She chews betel-nuts; 12. Her chin is decorated with bunches of flowers drawn with many musk dots; 13. Her eyes are attractively anointed with black mascara; 14. Her limbs are decorated with colorful designs and pictures; 15. Her feet are splendidly decorated with red lac; 16. She wears graceful tilaka marking.

These are the 16 decorations on the transcendental form of Srimati Radharani.

Srimati Radharani's 12 ornaments

Srimati Radharani wears the following 12 ornaments, all fashioned from gold: 1. a splendid jewelled crown; 2. earrings; 3. a belt; 4. a niska; 5. a pair of cakri-salakas; 6. bracelets; 7. a kantha-bhusa; 8. finger-rings; 9. jewel necklaces that look like strings of stars; 10. armlets; 11. millions of jewelled ankle-bells; 12. splendid toe-rings.

These ornaments decorating Srimati Radharani's transcendental form appear like a great host of shining suns.

Srimati Radharani's 25 chief qualities

Srimati Radharani's 25 chief transcendental qualities are: 1. She is very sweet; 2. She is always freshly youthful; 3. Her eyes are restless; 4. She smiles brightly; 5. She has beautiful, auspicious lines; 6. She makes Krishna happy with Her bodily aroma; 7. She is very expert in singing; 8. Her speech is charming; 9. She is very expert in joking and speaking pleasantly; 10. She is very humble and meek; 11. She is always full of mercy; 12. She is cunning; 13. She is expert in executing Her duties; 14. She is shy; 15. She is always respectful; 16. She is always calm; 17. She is always grave; 18. She is expert in enjoying life; 19. She is situated at the topmost level of ecstatic love; 20. She is the reservoir of loving affairs in Gokula; 21. She is the most famous of submissive devotees; 22. She is very affectionate to elderly people; 23. She is very submissive to the love of Her friends; 24. She is the chief gopi; 25. She always keeps Krishna under Her control.

In short, Srimati Radharani possesses unlimited transcendental qualities of form, mind, and words, just as Krishna does.

In this way four kinds of transcendental qualities are described as being present in Srimati Radharani, the queen of Vrndavana. In this explanation the word madhura means beautiful, navyam means the middle of adolescence, saubhagya-nekha means the auspicious markings of a crescent-moon and other figures on Srimati Radharani's lotus feet and the other parts of Her body, maryada means never wavering from the path of saintliness, lajja and sila means shyness and good character, and chairya means the ability to tolerate suffering. These transcendental qualities are all manifested on Srimati Radharani and they may be clearly seen in Her. Their fullest expression cannot be seen on anyone else.

1. madhurA: sweetness

Srimati Radharani's sweetness is described in the following statement where Paurnamasi says: The beauty of Radharani's eyes forcibly devours the beauty of newly grown blue lotus flower, and the beauty of Her face surpasses that of an entire forest of fully blossomed lotuses. Her bodily luster seems to place even gold in a painful situation. Thus the wonderful, unprecedented beauty of Radharani is awakening in Vrndavana.

2. nava-vayAH: fresh youthfulness

The gopi messengers say to Radharani: O slender-waisted Radharani, You are know well equipped for amorous battle. Your hips are Your war-chariot, Your breasts two Sundarsana cakras, Your eyebrows two opulent bows, and Your eyes two swift arrows. Cupid has now placed Krishna, the master of the surabhi cows, as the general of the opposing army. General Krishna is now fighting on the battlefield of Your body. Even though You were so confident of victory, He has soundly defeated You, and He is now plundering the regal opulence of Your transcendental body. He is carrying off Your wealth as the victor's spoils.

3. capalApAGgI: restless eyes

Krishna to Radharani: My dear moon-faced Radharani, has the lightning flash learned from Your sidelong glance the art of moving swiftly, or has Your sidelong glace learned this from the lightning flash? I think Your sidelong glance must be the teacher, and the lightning flash is it's student. Your glance is so swift that it has even captured My own quickly moving mind.

4. ujjvala-smitA: brightly smiling

Visakha says to Radharani: Now that He has seen on the moon of Your face the line of Your lips, from which flows the nectar of Your smile, the most handsome cakora bird Krishna suddenly flies into the air, excited with transcendental bliss.

5. cAru-saubhAgya-rekhADhyA: beautiful, auspicious lines

Madhumangala says to Krishna: O Krishna, O killer of Aghasura, be cheerful! Look! Here are footprints bearing the lines of the earring, creeper, flower, bracelet, and crescent-moon. These must be Radharani's footprints. These footprints proclaim that this is the place where Radharani is hiding.

6. gandhonmAdita-mAdhavA: She makes Krishna happy with Her bodily aroma

Tungavidya says to Radharani: My dear queen of Vrndavana, O beloved of Madhava, do not uselessly try to hide among these blossoming creepers. My friend, the intoxicating fragrance of Your transcendental body will disclose Your hiding place to Krishna, the king of the bumble-bees. He will find You, violently capture You, and forcibly drink the nectar of Your lips. Therefore, what is the use of trying to hide from Him?

7. saGgIta-prasarAbhijJA: expert in singing

Vrnda-devi says to Radharani: O Radharani, please give a wonderful festival of vocal music in the fifth note, that attracts all the deer. Do not worry, Your irritable husband will not be able to see Krishna running to find the source of this singing.

8. ramya-vAk: charming speech

Krishna to Radharani: O beautiful-faced Radharani, what sweetness is present in the words from Your mouth? This sweetness has filled the cuckoo with despair, and made the sweetest nectar completely useless by comparison.

9. narma-paNDitA: expert at joking and speaking pleasantly

Radharani to Krishna: My dear Krishna, are You the teacher of Your flute, or is the flute the teacher and You the student? I cannot tell, for You both act in the same way. You both perform no activity other than to steal away the religious principles of respectable young girls.

Radharani to Krishna: O Lord who makes piety prosper, whose saintliness is very famous, and who has become eternally purified by the auspicious worship of the chaste gopis' breasts, please be kind to Me. I have carefully bathed for the worship of the sungod. Please don't touch, don't touch My body now.

10. vinItA: humble and meek

Nandimukhi to Krishna: Everyone in Gokula knows how Radharani's superiors knit their eyebrows and forbid Her to see You. Although She humbly complies with all their demands, as soon as She sees a single surabhi cow in the evening, She at once leaves Her place and runs to see You.

Radharani to Her gopi friends: In the pastimes of My quarrel with Krishna I repeatedly offended the Lord, and for this reason I have now become famous as Radha. O slender-waisted gopi-friend, because of the fragrant flower blossoms of mercy given to Me by you gopis, Krishna has again accepted Me. There is not other cause for His accepting Me other than your mercy.

11. karuNA-pUrNA: full of mercy

Vrnda-devi to Paurnamasi: Seeing a calf whose mouth was pierced by a sharp straw, Radharani felt very unhappy. With tears in Her eyes, She at once dressed the calf's wound with red kunkuma.

12. vidagdhA: expert

Radharani is the original teacher of the art of drawing pictures in colorful mineral pigments. Her mind is beautifully decorated with expertise in the art of cooking. In the battle of speaking clever, witty words She bewilders even Krishna, and even Brhaspati, the guru of the demigods. She is the most learned scholar in the science of stringing flower-garlands. In reciting of poems She is more expert than the parrots. In the pastimes of gambling She defeats even the unconquerable Krishna. She is expert at the arts of transcendental amorous pastimes. Her intelligence shines with all varieties of knowledge.

13. pATavAnvitA: cunning

Krishna to Madhumangala: When Jatila suddenly arrived, Radharani said: O My friend, My favorite pearl-necklace has broken. Let Me find the scattered pearls. On this pretext She was able to dispatch many charming, loving glances to Me from the corner of Her eyes as She pretended to search for the pearls while Jatila looked on.

14. lajjA-zIlA: shy

Radharani addresses Her own shyness in the following words: Although it is very difficult to see Krishna, the prince of Vraja, He has come to this secluded place, and He appears to be filled with longings. O friend shyness, please withdraw now so that I may uncover My face for a moment and send a sidelong glance at Krishna.

15. sumaryAdA: respectful

Syama: My friend, You look very thin and pale. If the cataki bird of Radharani refuses to eat, She will certainly give up the living condition. Radharani: The cataki bird of Radharani will not accept any nourishment except for the nectar rain of the dark cloud of Krishna.

Radharani to Vrnda-devi: Even though Vraja's Queen Yasoda is calling Me, I cannot come now. My superiors have forbidden Me to go. It is not auspicious for Me to disrespect their order.

An elderly gopi approaches Radharani with a message from Krishna: O Radharani, You have not noticed that tonight is the full moon night of the month of Sravana, a time when all one's desires may be easily fulfilled. Mukunda desires now to shower You with all transcendental nectar. My child, please take this opportunity and consent to meet with Him. This advice I give You is the proper course of action for You to take. After hearing these words, Radharani, the daughter of the sun-god's friend Vrsabhanu, declined to go to the rendezvous, and instead sent Citra-gopi in Her place.

16. dhairya-zAlinI: calm

Paurnamasi to Nandimukhi: Padma spoke many lies trying to implicate Radharani. Abhimanyu's mother Jatila brought a flower-garland supposedly given to Radharani by Krishna and later stolen by a monkey. The affectionate child Saibya brought a jasmine flower supposedly given to Radharani by Krishna. Hearing all this evidence, Radharani's husband Abhimanyu became furious, and he bitterly rebuked his wife. Look! Radharani is very tolerant of all this abuse. She does not reply to Her accusers, but simply stands calm and silent.

17. gAmbhIrya-zAlinI: grave

Rupa-manjari to her friend: In this midst of this ferocious quarrel Radharani remained very sober, calm and cheerful. My friend, this exalted virtue is very rare.

18. suvilAsA: expert at enjoying life

Radharani dispatches many darting glances from the corners of Her playfully crooked, glistening eyes. The creepers of Her eyebrows dance happily. Her face is illuminated by the moonlight of Her jasmine flower smile. Glittering earrings swing on Her cheeks. Every half word She speaks is an inscrutable, powerful mantra to invoke the presence of cupid. With all these features She has enchanted Krishna. With the waves of Her cheerful playfulness She has swept away His heart.

19. mahA-bhAva-paramotkarSa-tarSiNI: situated at the topmost level of ecstatic love

Radharani cried a great monsoon of tears that doubled the water in the Yamuna, and made Her appear like a candrakanta jewel melting in the moonlight. She stuttered, the syllables breaking in Her throat. The hairs of Her body stood up, making Her appear like a kadamba tree. The sound of Krishna's flute made Her appear like a plantain tree tossed about in a hurricane.

20. gokula-prema-vasatiH: the reservoir of loving affairs in Gokula

Queen Yasoda says: The creator Brahma must have fashioned Radharani out of transcendental love. Whenever we vrajavasis see Her our hearts become filled with love for Her.

21. jagac-chreNI-lasad-yazAH: Her fame shines in all the universe

Paurnamasi to Radharani: O beautiful Radharani, the moonlight of Your fame makes the blue lotus flower of this universe blossom with appreciation. Shining on the ear of the queen of the demigods, Saci-devi, it appears like a white jasmine flower there. That moonlight makes the vegetation of the bodily hairs of Lord Brahma's wife Savitri sprout with joy. That moonlight makes the candrakanta jewel earrings of the devotees' ears melt in ecstasy. That moonlight fills the goddess of fortune, Laksmi-devi, with terror.

22. gurv-arpita-guru-snehA: She is very affectionate to elderly people

Mother Yasoda to Radharani: You are not Kirtida's daughter. You are my daughter. What I say is true, the sight of Your face keeps me alive. When I look into Your face I see the face of my own son Krishna. O Radharani, why have You suddenly become so embarrassed?

23. sakhI-praNayAdhInA: very submissive to the love of Her friends

Radharani in the midst of a violent quarrel with Krishna, speaks the following words to Vrnda-devi: O Vrnda, I am always controlled by the love of My gopi-friends. O friend Vrnda, please ask this cowherd prince Krishna why He is troubling Me. With great fear He should at once flee the homes of respectable girls like Me. Does He not know the power of My friend Lalita?

24. kRSNa-priyAvalI-mukhyA: the foremost among Krishna’s beloveds

Krishna to Radharani: My dear girl with the fascinating eyes, even if I am attacked by many beautiful eyebrowed girls who are expert archers with their restless, crooked sidelong glances, how can I find happiness for even a moment without You? I cannot. I am just like the sky. Even if the moonlight and all the stars try to illuminate the sky, it never becomes really bright until it is filled with the sunlight. In the same way it is not possible for Me to become bright with happiness without You. Neither Candravali, Tara, or their friends can make Me happy, without the presence of Radharani, the beautiful daughter of Maharaja Vrsabhanu.

25. santatAzrava-kezavA She always keeps Kesava under Her control

Krishna says: My dear Radharani, here are the flowers untouched by bumble-bees, the many whole peacock feathers, and the new blossoms as splendid as the rising sun. I have collected all this according to Your order. I am Your menial servant. Please order Me. What else would You like Me to bring to You?

The gopi-friends of Srimati Radharani

Srimati Radharani's beautiful eyebrowed friends are the best of all the gopis. They are decorated with all transcendental virtues. Their beauty, grace and charm completely attracts Krishna.

The gopi-friends of Radharani, the queen of Vrndavana, may be divided into five groups: 1. sakhis (friends); 2. nitya-sakhis (eternal friends); 3. prana-sakhis (friends as dear as life); 4. priya-sakhis (dear friends); and 5. parama-prestha-sakhis (most dear friends).

Among the sakhis the most prominent are Kusumika, Vindhya, and Danistha. Among the nitya-sakhis are the most prominent Kasturi and Mani-manjari. Among the prana-sakhis the most prominent are Sasimukhi, Vasanti, and Lasika. The priya-sakhis have spiritual forms closely resembling that of Radharani. Most prominent among the priya-sakhis are Kurangaksi, Sumadhya, Madanalasa, Kamala, Madhuri, Manjukesi, Kandarpa-sundari, Madhavi, Malati, Kamalata, and Sasikala. Among the parama-prestha-sakhis the most prominent are Lalita, Visakha, Citra, Campakalata, Tungavidya, Indulekha, Rangadevi, and Sudevi. These eight gopis are the leaders of all the other gopis. In whatever time, place or circumstance these gopis are placed, their most exalted and intense love for the transcendental divine couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krishna is always very easy to see