Hair band
Hair-tying bands (bala-pasya) increase the beauty of the hair and tie the hair. They are made by stringing together like a garland various colourful flower buds.
Ear ornaments
Artisans divide ear ornaments (karnapura) into five types:
tatanka,
kundala,
pushpi,
karnika and
karna-vestana.
a. Tatankam
Tatankas, which look like palm leaves, are of two kinds. They are either made of many-coloured flowers or of the petals of golden ketaki flowers.
b. Kundalam
Kundalas are flower ornaments which resemble peacocks, sea creatures (makaras ), lotuses, half-moons and so forth. They are of many kinds.
c. Pushpi
Pushpi ornaments are made by stringing together four types of differently-coloured flowers in sequence to form a round shape. In the middle of these ear ornaments also hangs, in fitting size, a cluster of gunja berries.
d. Karnika
Karnika is made by stringing yellow flowers all around a lotus pericarp. Bhringi flowers and pomegranate flowers are stitched in the middle.
e. Karna-vestanam
The round ear-rings which overspread the whole ear are called karna-vestana.
Decoration for the forehead
Lalatika is made of flowers of two different colours. It has two parts. One is of red colour. It is fastened at the top of the head and follows the parting of the hair to the forehead. Its flowers are arranged in an artistic way.
Necklace
An ornament made of only one kind of flower and beautified in the middle by vines and leaves is called graiveyaka. The ornament hangs from the neck in a round fashion like four garlands.
Armlet worn on the upper arm above the elbow
An ornament made by stringing three different coloured flowers together, one by one, into the form of a round creeper is called angada.
Waist belt
An astonishing decoration made of five different kinds of colourful flowers and adorned with small wavy garlands, is called kanci.
Anklets
These anklets are made by stringing together many kinds of flower buds and stems of fruits or leaves, using a fine stalk as the thread. Many different kinds of anklets can be made.
Bracelets
Mani-bandhani is made with flowers of four different colours. Three flower-strings hang down from it. Mani- bandhani is tied around the wrist.
Ornaments for the feet
It is called hamsaka and it covers the entire top part and side part of the foot. It is beautifully constructed, and small strings made of the buds of the main flowers of the ornament swing from it.
Blouse
A highly enticing flower decoration skilfully made of six different coloured flowers is called a kanculi. It is scented with fragrance of musk, and it is fastened around the neck with flower strings.
Umbrella
Umbrellas (chatram) are made by attaching strings of white flowers to thin wooden rods and decorating a wooden handle with golden juhi flowers.
Bed
A pillow is made by joining campaka and asoka flowers and a huge quantity of mallika flowers . A wide mattress is made of strings of navamallika flowers .
Awning
The ulloca is prepared by making a lattice-like design with strings of variegated fresh mallika flowers and attaching them to petals of ketaki flowers. The ulloca is further beautified by decoration with additional varieties of colourful flowers.
Candratapah
When the walls of an awning are made of radiant strings of pearl-like sindhuvara flowers and garlands made of freshly blooming lotus flowers hang down from its middle, it is called a candratapa.
Huts
Many kinds of huts can be constructed by using various flowers to decorate four pillars made of reeds, placing the pillars in the four corners, and decorating all the sides with strings of various kinds of flowers.
2. Visakha
Sri Visakha is in her fresh blooming youth and is the personification of the highest auspiciousness.
She is a priya-narma-sakhi and is proficient in all areas. She gives faultless and useful advice and is highly expert in speaking joking words in Sri Govinda’s presence. She is especially competent in understanding the sentiments of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna and skilfully and intelligently carrying out the duties of a messenger. She knows well all the schemes regarding the art of love, like how to bring the hero to the heroine. She also knows all the means to nourish this meeting: sama (negotiations to get to mutual agreement), dana (alluring the hero), bheda (sowing discord) and so forth.
Sri Visakha shows great expertise in using substances like red ochre to paint beautiful and enchanting pictures of creepers, flowers and so forth on various parts of the body. She is expert in stringing garlands and flower wreaths for head decorations. She is skilful in sarvato-bhadra-mandala, which means painting auspicious diagrams (mandalas) in multi-colours on doors and other places. Sarvato-bhadra-mandala also refers to a style of writing poems mentioned in the acrostics (citra-kavya) section of the kavya-sastra . Employing this style, Visakha intelligently composes poetry containing double meanings by using variegated aphorisms (sutras); thus, she continually displays her extraordinary deftness.
She is talented in using words to bewilder people and in other similar activities. She is expert in preparing the various ingredients for the worship of the Sun-god, in singing songs in different languages, in singing with styles like dhrupada and in writing poetry.
Sri Visakha-devi is the supervisor of the eight sakhis (beginning with Rangavali) who can expertly converse about any subject matter; of Madhavi, Malati, Candrarekha and other sakhis; and of the sakhis and maidservants entrusted to take care of Sri Radha’s clothes. She is also the supervisor of the forest goddesses , who bestow joy and amuse everyone with their activities, and of the sakhis, beginning with Malika, entrusted to take care of trees that have flowers.
3. Campakalata
Campakalata is expert in supervising the messengers.
She always conceals the intentions behind her actions and is most clever in logical speech. She reveals the inferiority of the opposing party and demonstrates the superiority of her own party by accomplishing tasks and by deftness.
Campakalata is especially skilled in collecting fruits, flowers and edible roots as well as in how to use them. She is highly skilled in making objects out of clay just by cleverly using her hands. She is learned in testing the six kinds of tastes as well as in the scriptures that completely delineate the methods of cooking (suda-sastra). She is known as Mista-hasta because she is skilled in using sugar candy to make sweets of different shapes.
Campakalata is the supervisor of the sakhis and maid- servants who make different preparations from milk; of the eight sakhis beginning from Kurangakshi; and of the gopis who take care of the trees, creepers, bushes and other vegetation of Vraja.
4. Citra
Citra is skilled in all activities due to her remarkable dexterity. There are six expedients to arrange and nourish a rendezvous . Out of these six, she is extremely skilled in the third one, yana.
She is also most talented in writing; expressing her heart’s feelings with hints and signs; speaking in languages of many different countries; as well as recognizing the qualities of dishes made of honey, milk and so forth by glancing just once upon them. She can skilfully make crystal vessels. She can masterfully play the different notes on these crystal vessels filled with water to varying levels with the vibrations she arouses in the vessels.
She knows the scripture delineating astrology and is knowledgeable in how to protect and take care of animals and trees. She is especially skilled in preparing sherbets and other drinks.
Citra Sakhi is the supervisor of the eight famous sakhis beginning with Rasalika; of the sakhis and maidservants who prepare drinkables; and of the sakhis who always gather divine medicinal herbs and such, of those who protect trees without flowers, and of those who take care of the forest area and various creepers and vines.
5. Tungavidya
Tungavidya is well versed in the eighteen types of knowledge .
She is exceptionally skilled in arranging the meeting of the youthful Divine Couple. Sri Krishna has full faith in her.
Tungavidya, who holds the post of acarya in the art of music (gandharva-vidya), is most learned in the scriptures delineating mellows (rasa-sastra), moral conduct (niti-sastra) and the art of dancing (natya-sastra). She is expert in dramaturgy as well as in telling appropriate stories or instructive fabricated stories. She is especially skilled in singing according to ragas and raginis and in playing on the vina and other musical instruments.
Tungavidya-devi is in charge of the eight famous sakhis headed by Manjumedha; of the expert messengers accomplished in sandhi, the first of the six expedients and of the gopis who know how to sing, play musical instruments, dance and perform plays. She is also the leader of the skilful gopis who know how to play mridanga, who know the sixty-four arts, and who know how to dance, as well as of the sakhis who collect water from the various rivers and springs of Vrindavana.
6. Indulekha
Indulekha knows well all of the incantations for controlling snakes mentioned in naga-tantra. Moreover, she is also most skilled in using those incantations. She is especially conversant with samudrika-sastra .
Indulekha makes many different kinds of necklaces and so forth, and she decorates teeth. She has in her fingertips the skills to test all kinds of jewels, to string silk ribbons, and to make magical amulets or diagrams containing mantras that bring good fortune. She evokes Sri Radha’s and Sri Krishna’s loving attachment for each other and thus expands supremely good fortune.
Indulekha is the leader of the sakhis headed by Tungabhadra and of some of Sri Radha’s and Sri Krishna’s general messengers like Palindhika, who carry messages back and forth. She is the leader of the gopis who know about secret conversations; of the sakhis appointed in making ornaments, making dresses and protecting the treasury; and of the sakhis entrusted to take care of all the enchanting places of Vrindavana.
7. Rangadevi
Rangadevi, who is always maddened by pride, is the personification of the waves of bodily gestures . She cleverly speaks in an indirect way. What is more, she is eager to joke and act playfully with Radharani in the very presence of Krishna.
Rangadevi is expert in asana, the fourth of the six expedients, and her logic is excellent. As a result of her austerities, she received a mantra to attract Sri Krishna.
Rangadevi is the supervisor of the eight sakhis, headed by Kalakanthi, who are responsible for such services as painting flower decorations with fragrant substances, such as candana on the body.
She is also the leader of the sakhis and maidservants who offer incense, of those who burn the fire in the cold season and fan with camara during the warm season, and of those sakhis and maidservants who watch over the animals in the jungle, such as lions and deer.
8. Sudevi
Sudevi Sakhi always remains close to her dear sakhi Radharani. She adorns Sri Radha’s hair, applies black ointment (anjana) around Her eyes, massages Her body and serves Radharani in other such ways.
Sudevi is very expert in teaching the suka and the sari to sing the Divine Couple’s glories. She is also extemely skillful in boat pastimes, such as competiting with persons who are experts in taking boats to deep water or with persons who can ride their boats with great speed.
She expertly arranges competitions between cocks, she knows well the method of reading auspicious and inauspicious omens described in scriptures delineating Sakuna-sastra , and she understands very well the languages of animals and birds.
She is expert in identifying the flowers blooming in moonlight and knows well how to keep fire ablaze under all circumstances (agni-vidya). She is also skilled in making fireworks, lights and other such things, as well as in massaging with oil.
Sudevi teaches Kaverimukha and the other sakhis under her guidance how to use leaves to prepare spittoons used for spitting water after cleansing the mouth. She also instructs them in making pillows and cushions out of flowers.
Sudevi is the supervisor of the sakhis, maidservants and forest goddesses who are engaged in preparing thrones for Sri Radha and Sri Krishna to sit on; who roam here and there to find out the thoughts of the gopis in the opposing party; and who, according to need, behave cunningly and disguise themselves in various ways. The gopis protecting the forest birds such as parrots and cuckoo birds, and those who know the style of poetry called chekanuprasa , also act under Sudevi’s supervision.
Various Characters of different Sakhis
Now an account of the sakhis’ manifold qualifications in various arts is given.
Pindakeli, Vitandika, Pundarika, Sitakhandi, Carucandi, Sudantika, Akunthita, Kalakanthi, Ramaci, Mecika and other sakhis are insistent upon arranging loving quarrels (vigraha).
Pindakeli
Of these sakhis, Pindaka, whose bodily complexion is enchanting, wears clothes of coppery red colour. With a carefree heart she embarrasses Madhava by speaking ambiguously.
Vitandika
Vitandika’s bodily complexion is yellowish like the colour of turmeric, and she also wears clothes of that same colour. In Krishna’s presence she talks like His friend. She uses words that are vitanda , which stop the sakhis of the opposing party and instead bring Srimati Radharani and Her sakhis to Sri Krishna.
Pundarika
Pundarika Sakhi’s clothes and complexion are bright like a white lotus (pundarika). When the lotus-eyed (pundarikaksha) Sri Krishna has committed some offence, she grabs hold of the border of His garment and heavily scolds Him.
Sitakhandi
Gauri Sakhi’s complexion is like the colour of a peahen. She wears white clothes all the time.
She uses words that appear harsh but are actually sweet, and that is why Krishna calls her Sitakhandi. The word sita means ‘sugar candy’, which by nature is hard and sharp. The meaning is that even though sugar candy feels hard within the mouth, when it goes down in the throat and in the stomach, it cools the body and reveals its sweetness. In the same way, Gauri Sakhi externally seems to speak harsh words, but within her heart she is sweet and gentle. This is why she is known as Sitakhandi.
Carucandi
Sitakhandi’s sister is Carucandi.
Her complexion resembles a blackish (syama) bee and her attire is golden like lightning. Externally she seems very pleasing to one’s mind, but because she actually uses unbearable words, she is known as Carucandi .
Sudantika
Sudantika Sakhi’s complexion resembles the colour of the sirisha flower , and her dress is yellowish like the kurantaka flower. By her sharp words she magnifies the sweetness of ujjvala-rasa – the radiant amorous mellow.
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