Chapter 2
Sri Krishna and His friend
Sri Krishna is as attractive as nectar and full of sweetness. He is as soft as anjana applied around one’s eyes.
His bodily complexion is lustrous like the indranila jewel or blackish blue (syamala) like the blue lotus. Or Sri Krishna is beautiful like a newly-grown tamala tree and as entrancing as a group of monsoon clouds. His bodily complexion is even more radiant than the lustre of a marakata jewel. His beauty is like an ocean of nectarean sweetness.
Lord Krishna dresses in yellow garments and is decorated with a garland of forest flowers and with various jewels. He is an ocean of many kinds of ecstatic pastimes.
Krishna’s hair is long, curly and scented with various fragrances. The beauty of His topknot, decorated with many kinds of flower garlands, captivates one’s mind.
A sandalwood tilaka and locks of hair beautify Krishna’s forehead. The playful dance of His raised, bluish eyebrows captivates the hearts of attractive women.
Krishna’s beautiful eyes are restless and radiant like a red and blue lotus. The tip of His charming nose is greatly handsome, like the beak of Garuda, the lord of birds.
Sri Krishna’s attractive ears are decorated with jewel-studded earrings. The radiance of His cheeks are enhanced with the lustre of these various kinds of jewels.
His lotus face is highly enchanting and effulgent like millions upon millions of moons. His attractive chin is brightly illuminated by many kinds of laughter and merriment.
Krishna’s beautiful and charming neck is decorated with pearl necklaces, and its graceful bending posture enchants everyone in the three worlds.
Krishna’s charming chest, decorated with the Kaustubha jewel and a splendorous pearl necklace resembling lightning, displays His desire to sport with young ladies.
Krishna’s arms, which extend to His knees (ajanulambita), are decorated by armlets and bracelets. His lotus hands, which look like red lotuses, are beautified with various marks such as club, conch shell, barley corn, umbrella, half-moon, goad, flag, lotus flower, victory column, plough, pitcher and fish.
Krishna’s beautiful and attractive belly is the playground of all loveliness. His graceful back and His sides are endowed with the desire to have dalliances with beautiful young women.
Krishna’s round hips resemble a divine lotus flower and are eager to enchant Cupid. His ample thighs, which look like the trunks of banana trees, steal the minds of women.
Krishna’s knees are full of loveliness, sweetness and radiance. His remarkably charming lotus feet are decorated by jewelled ankle bells. His lotus feet are as effulgent as a java flower and marked by various signs such as disc, half-moon, octagon, triangle, barley corn, sky, umbrella, pitcher, conch shell, cow’s hoof, swastika, goad, lotus flower, bow and jamuna fruit.
Sri Krishna’s toes are as reddish as dawn and His toenails look like full moons. His beautiful lotus feet are like an ocean of the various joys of prema.
Although the above-mentioned features of Sri Krishna’s sweet beauty cannot be compared to anything within this material world, an idea has been given here to help stimulate the devotees’ bhakti.
Sri Krishna’s male friends
Now Krishna’s friends are described.
Balarama is the foremost of all the sakhas. He is Sri Krishna’s elder brother and the killer of the well-known demon Pralamba.
Groups of Sakhas (vayasya-bhedah)
Sri Krishna’s friends are divided into four groups:
(1) suhrit,
(2) sakha,
(3) priya-sakha and
(4) priya-narma-sakha.
The suhrit-sakhas
Sri Krishna’s paternal cousins Subhadra, Kundala, Dandi and Mandala as well as Sunanda, Nandi, Anandi and other suhrit-sakhas accompany Him when He goes to the forest.
Subhadra, Mandalibhadra, Bhadravarddhana, Gobhata, Yakshendra, Bhata, Bhadranga, Virabhadra, Mahaguna, Kulavira, Mahabhima, Divyasakti, Suraprabha, Ranasthira and other suhrit-sakhas are older than Sri Krishna and are engaged in protecting Him.
Because Nanda and Yasoda were terrified of the wicked Kamsa, they appointed the aforementioned suhrit-sakhas, beginning with Subhadra, to protect their sons Krishna and Balarama, who are more dear to them than millions of their own lives.
Vijayaksha, the son of Ambika, is the leader of all the suhrit-sakhas. Ambika, Krishna’s wet nurse, received her jewel-like son as a result of her constant worship of Ambika-devi .
Subhadra
Subhadra is effulgent due to his highly beautiful bodily lustre and bluish complexion. He wears yellow garments and is ornamented with many kinds of decorations.
Subhadra’s father is Upananda and his highly chaste mother is Tula. Subhadra is in his illustrious prime youth. His wife’s name is Kundalata.
The sakhas
Visala, Vrishabha, Ojasvi, Devaprastha, Varuthapa, Mandara, Kusumapida, Manibandha, Karandhama, Mandara, Candana, Kunda, Kalinda, Kulika and other sakhas are younger than Sri Krishna. They are very enthusiastic in serving Him.
The priya-sakhas
Sridama, Dama, Sudama, Vasudama, Kinkini, Bhadrasena, Amsumana, Stoka-krishna, Vilasi, Pundarika, Vitankaksha, Kalavinka and Priyankara are Sri Krishna’s priya-sakhas. These sakhas are of the same age as Krishna. Out of them, Sridama is a pitha-marda .
Among all of these priya-sakhas, Bhadrasena is the commander of the army consisting of Krishna’s friends.
Stoka-krishna has a suitable name, for he is like a small Krishna, always following under the guidance of Sri Krishna .
The priya-sakhas greatly please Sri Krishna through various types of playful pastimes and by different kinds of sports, scuffles, brawls, wrestling and stick fights.
All the priya-sakhas are peaceful by nature, and they are Krishna’s life and soul.
Sridama
Sridama has an attractive blackish blue bodily complexion. He wears yellow clothes and is decorated with jewelled necklaces. He is in his illustrious youth of sixteen years. He is very dear to Sri Krishna and is an embodiment of innumerable varieties of blissful pastimes.
Sridama’s father is Sri Vrisabhanu Maharaja and his mother, who is extremely chaste, is Kirtida-devi. Sri Radha and Ananga Manjari are his two younger sisters.
Sudama
Sudama has a supremely attractive bodily lustre, which is slightly fair. He wears blue garments and is decorated with jewelled ornaments.
Sudama’s father is Matuka and his mother is Rocana. He is beautified by his handsome youth and attire, and he is a mine of various blissful sports.
Sudama is particularly famous for his pastimes of being cursed by Srimati Radharani and coming to the earth as the demon Sankhacuda .
The priya-narma-sakhas
Subala, Arjuna, Gandharva, Vasanta, Ujjvala, Kokila, Sanandana, Vidagdha and other sakhas are famous as priya-narma-sakhas.
There are no confidential topics whatsoever about which these priya-narma-sakhas do not know. Of the priya-narma-sakhas, Madhumangala, Pushpanka, Hasanka and others are Krishna’s vidusakas .
Sriman Sanandana is drowned in the happiness of his affectionate friendship with Sri Krishna.
The priya-narma-sakha called Ujjvala is as greatly effulgent (ujjvala) as Rasaraja personified. Even Sri Krishna, who is the crown jewel of all revellers of pastimes (vilasa), becomes enchanted by his pastimes.
Subala
Subala is fair-complexioned. He is supremely enchanting with his blue attire and his body decorated with various jewels and flowers. He is in the blooming youth of twelve-and-a-half years. He is immersed in serving Sri Krishna in various ways as His friend. He is most expert in arranging meetings between Radha and Krishna. He is absorbed in madhura-bhava and is endowed by various good qualities, which bring joy to Sri Krishna.
Subala is extremely dear to Sri Krishna due to all these reasons .
Arjuna
Arjuna’s bodily complexion is exceedingly effulgent like that of a red lotus and his clothes resemble moonlight. He is beautified by various jewels.
Arjuna’s father is Sudakshina and his mother is Bhadra. His elder brother’s name is Vasudama. Both of them are immersed in love for the Divine Couple.
Arjuna is supremely radiant in his youth of fourteen-and-a-half years. He is decorated by various types of flower ornaments and garlands made of forest flowers.
Gandharva
The highly attractive Gandharva has a bodily lustre which resembles that of a moon. He wears red clothes and is decorated by innumerable types of ornaments.
Gandharva is twelve years old and in his blooming youth. He is extremely radiant, being decorated with many kinds of flower garlands.
Gandharva’s mother Mitra is extremely chaste and his father is the great soul Vinaka. Gandharva is most dear to Sri Krishna and is famous for his various amazing pastimes.
Vasanta
Vasanta is slightly fair-complexioned and his attire is as radiant as the moon. All his limbs are exceedingly bright because he is decorated with many types of jewels and flower garlands. He is eleven years old. His mother Saradi is very chaste and his father is the great soul Pingala.
Ujjvala
Ujjvala’s complexion is greatly bright like radiant red colour and his clothes resemble rows of stars. He is beautified by mukta flowers.
Ujjvala’s father’s name is Sagara and his glorious mother is called Veni. Ujjvala is in his radiant youth of thirteen years.
Kokila
The extremely radiant and charming Kokila has a bright whitish bodily complexion. He wears blue clothes and is ornamented by various types of jewels.
Kokila is eleven years and four months old. His father is Pushkara and his celebrated mother is Medha.
Sanandana
The exceedingly beautiful Sanandana has a slightly fair bodily lustre. He wears blue clothes and is decorated by various kinds of ornaments.
Sanandana is fourteen-and-a-half years old. He wears a garland around his neck. His father’s name is Arunaksha and his mother’s is Mallika.
Vidagdha
Vidagdha’s complexion is attractive and greatly effulgent like that of the campaka flower, and he wears clothes that are blackish blue like the throat of a peacock. He is decorated by many types of pearl necklaces.
Vidagdha is fourteen years old and in the prime of his youth. His father’s name is Matuka and his mother is Rocana. The previously mentioned Sudama is his elder brother and his sister is Susila. Vidagdha is exceedingly dear to Krishna and is always immersed in his love for the Divine Couple.
Madhumangala
Madhumangala’s complexion is somewhat blackish blue.
His clothes are of a golden colour and he is decorated with garlands made of forest flowers.
Madhumangala’s father is Sandipani Muni and his mother’s name is Sumukhi. Nandimukhi is his sister and his paternal grandmother is Paurnamasi.
Madhumangala, who also belongs to the vidusakas, always accompanies Sri Krishna.
Balarama
Sri Balarama’s complexion is whitish like that of crystal or camphor. His name is Balarama because He is extremely strong . He wears blue garments and is decorated with many kinds of garlands made of forest flowers.
Sri Balarama’s long and beautiful hair is extremely charming, and He wears an enchanting topknot. Jewelled kundalas hang from His ears.
Garlands made of many kinds of flowers and jewelled necklaces hang beautifully from Sri Balarama’s neck. Armlets and bracelets decorate His arms.
Jewelled anklebells beautify Sri Balarama’s feet. His father is Sri Vasudeva and His mother is Sri Rohini.
Balarama’s father, Vasudeva, is the friend of the King of Vraja, Nanda Maharaja, and His highly chaste mother Rohini is Yasoda’s friend. Krishna is His younger brother and Subhadra is His sister.
Balarama is radiant in His youth of sixteen years. He is very dear to Sri Krishna and is a mine of various ecstatic pastimes.
Servants called vita
Sri Krishna has many different groups of servants, who all are absorbed in pleasing Him through their service.
Out of them, Kadara, Bharati-bandha, Gandhaveda and other servants are called vita .
Servants called ceta
Bhangura, Bhringara, Sandhika, Grahila, Raktaka, Patraka, Patri, Madhukantha, Madhuvrata, Salika, Talika, Mali, Mana, Maladhara and others are cetas . They carry Sri Krishna’s possessions such as His venu , horn, murali , stick and the rope used when milking cows. They present red ochre and other minerals to Sri Krishna.
Servants who prepare betel nuts
Pallava, Mangala, Phulla, Komala, Kapila, Suvilasa, Vilasa, Rasala, Rasasali, Jambula and other servants are appointed in preparing Sri Krishna’s tambula . They are skilled in preparing it by cleaning and wrapping it. They are all younger than Krishna and always stay close to Him. They are in the initial stage of learning the art of reciting Sri Krishna’s pastimes and singing and playing musical instruments.
Servants who supply water
Payoda, Varida and other servants bring vessels filled with water for Krishna’s use.
Servants who wash Krishna’s clothes
Saranga, Bakula and other servants are skilled in taking care of His clothes by washing and decorating them.
Servants who decorate Krishna
Premakanda, Mahagandha, Sairindhra, Madhukandala, Makaranda and other servants decorate Sri Krishna.
Servants who prepare fragrant substances
Sumana, Kusumollasa, Pushpahasa, Hara and other servants beautify Krishna’s body with ointments such as aguru and kunkuma. They decorate Sri Krishna with flower garlands and also prepare flower ornaments.
Servants who act as hairdressers
Subandha, Karpura, Sugandha, Kusuma and other servants are Sri Krishna’s hairdressers. They are vastly skilful in services such as arranging His hair, massaging His body and offering Him a mirror for looking.
Servants who are engaged in various other tasks
Svaccha, Susila, Praguna and other servants are engaged in taking care of the store-rooms and performing other services.
Vimala, Komala and other servants take care of Sri Krishna’s plate, seat and other articles used at the time of eating.
Maidservants
Dhanishtha, Candanakala, Gunamala, Ratiprabha, Taruni, Induprabha, Sobha, Rambha and others are Krishna’s maid-servants. They are all specifically expert in decorating the house, cleaning, smearing cow dung and bringing milk.
Maidservants appointed in many different services
Kurangi, Bhringari, Sulamba, Lambika and others are Krishna’s cetis .
Spies
Catura, Carana, Dhiman, Pesala and other servants are Krishna’s foremost caras, or spies. Always wearing many types of disguises, they visit the gopas, gopis and others in order to secretly accomplish Sri Krishna’s tasks.
Messengers
Tunga, Vavaduka, Manorama, Nitisara and other servants are Sri Krishna’s messengers. They are skilled in everything. They are experts in arranging amorous pastimes between Krishna and the gopis and in pacifying loving quarrels.
Their names are appropriate: Tunga (the efficient one) is proficient in accomplishing tasks, Vavaduka (eloquent) is most clever in speaking both appropriate and inappropriate words, Manorama (charming) is capable of stealing anyone’s mind, and Nitisara (knowing the essence of virtuousness) knows what is essential in regards to Radha and Krishna.
Sri Krishna’s Female Messengers
Paurnamasi, Vira, Vrinda, Vamsi, Nandimukhi, Vrindarika, Mela, Murali and others are the female messengers of Sri Krishna’s party.
All of them are experts in making enquiries in many different ways and in arranging meetings between Radha and Krishna. They are also talented in decorating forest bowers and other meeting places. Among them, Vrinda is the most accomplished in all tasks.
Paurnamasi
Paurnamasi’s bodily complexion is effulgent like molten gold. She wears white clothes and is amply decorated by jewels.
The father of Paurnamasi is Suratadeva and her chaste mother’s name is Candrakala. Paurnamasi’s husband is Prabala and her brother is Devaprastha. She herself is supremely learned, famous and the perfected crown jewel of all yoginis of Vraja-mandala.
Paurnamasi is skilled in making enquiries and in arranging meetings between Radha and Krishna.
Vira
Vira is another prominent female messenger. She is worshipful and famous in Vraja-mandala. Vira is a pragalbha-vacana . Conversely, Vrinda is most clever in using catu-vacana .
Vira’s complexion is blackish blue but seems bright because she wears white clothes. She is decorated with many kinds of flower garlands and jewelled ornaments.
Vira’s husband is Kavala. Her mother Mohini is a virtuous wife. Vira’s father is Visala and her sister’s name is Kavala.
Vira, who lives in Javata, is very dear to Jatila. She is most expert in making enquiries and is specifically devoted to arrange meetings between Sri Radha and Sri Krishna.
Vrinda
Vrinda’s bodily complexion is attractive like molten gold. She wears blue garments and is decorated with pearls and flowers.
Vrinda’s father is Candrabhanu and her mother’s name is Phullara. Her husband’s name is Mahipala and her sister is Manjari.
Vrinda always resides in Vrindavana. She is eager to relish many kinds of ecstatic pastimes as well as to arrange meetings between Sri Radha and Sri Krishna. She is always immersed in love for Them.
Nandimukhi
Nandimukhi is fair-complexioned. She wears silk clothes. Her father is Sandipani Muni and her chaste mother’s name is Sumukhi. Her brother’s name is Madhumangala and her paternal grandmother is Paurnamasi. Nandimukhi is decorated with various jewels and is in the prime of youth.
Nandimukhi is skilled in making enquiries about various topics. She is talented in many kinds of fine arts and in arranging meetings between Sri Radha and Sri Krishna. She is always carried away by her love for both of Them.
Ordinary Servants
Sobhana, Dipana and other servants take care of Sri Krishna’s lanterns. Sudhakara, Sudhanada, Sananda and other servants play mridanga. They are all experts in singing, playing musical instruments and the other sixty-four arts. Many good qualities ornament them, and they are skilled in playing a specific kind of vina called mahati .
Vicitrarava, Madhurarava and other servants are Sri Krishna’s panegyrists (vandis), and Candrahasa, induhasa, Candramukha and others are dancers.
Kalakantha, Sukantha, Sudhakantha, Bharata, Sarada, Vidyavilasa, Sarasa and other servants of Krishna are experts in composing literary works about all kinds of subjects. They are conversant in rasa. They play rhythmical instruments to give the tempo to the music and dance.
A servant named Raucika, who is an expert tailor, sews kurtas and other garments for Sri Krishna.
Sumukha, Durlabha, Ranjana and other servants are engaged in washing His clothes.
The two servants Punyapunja and Bhagyarasi are sweepers who clean Sri Krishna’s home and the surroundings of His home.
The jewellers Rangana and Tankana make ornaments for Krishna. The potters named Pavana and Karmatha make churning pots and earthen bowls, cups and other vessels.
The two servants Vardhaki and Vardhamana are carpenters who make Krishna’s bed, ox-cart and other such things. Sucitra and Vicitra are artists who paint colourful pictures for His pleasure.
Kunda, Kanthola, Karanda, Katula and other servants are craftsmen. They prepare items to be used in Krishna’s service, such as ropes, churning rods, axes, boxes and baskets made of flat rope for carrying fruits and vegetables.
Mangala, Pingala, Ganga, Pisangi, Manikastani, Hamsi, Vamsipriya and other cows are most dear to Sri Krishna and are known as the best of cows.
The two bulls Padmagandha and Pisangaksha are most dear to Sri Krishna. His deer is called Suranga and His monkey’s name is Dadhilobha.
Sri Krishna also has two pet dogs, Vyaghra and Bhramaraka; a swan named Kalasvana; a peacock called Tandavika; and two male parrots named Daksha and Vicakshana.
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