Akunthita
Akunthita Sakhi’s bodily lustre resembles the colour of the stalk of a lotus flower, and her dress is white like the lotus flower’s cobweb-like roots. She reveals Sri Krishna’s offences to increase the pleasure of the gopis in her own group.
Kalakanthi
Kalakanthi Sakhi’s bodily complexion resembles that of the kuli flower. Her dress is white like the colour of the mixture of milk and water. She reveals Radha’s jealous anger to Krishna and advices Him to beg for Her forgiveness.
Ramaci
Ramaci is the daughter of Sri Lalita’s wet nurse.
Her bodily lustre is golden and she wears clothes resembling the colour of a male parrot. She feels unsurpassed joy by insulting Krishna with joking harsh words.
Mecika
Mecika’s complexion resembles the pinda flower and she wears yellow garments all the time. She unfolds Krishna’s faults from His spoken words.
Messengers
Vrinda, Vrindarika, Mela, Murali and other gopis are called messengers (dutis).
They are all remarkably skilled in decorating beautiful forest bowers and other such places to arrange Radha and Krishna’s meetings. They are also extremely deft in identifying medicinal roots and herbs found in the Ayurveda .
The messengers have authority over all the topmost places. They are filled with affection for Radha and Govinda. Their bodily complexions are golden and they wear multi-coloured garments.
Vrinda is the foremost amongst them.
Messengers who arrange loving quarrels between Radha and Krishna
Petari, Varudi, Cari, Kotara, Kalitippani, Marunda, Morata, Cuda, Cundari, Gondika, Pindakeli and other messengers zealously arrange loving quarrels (vigraha) and the like. They all have crossed their youth and are always roaming in the forest under the guidance of their prominent sakhis.
Petari
Petari is an old woman of the gurjara community . Her matted hair is white like the stringy roots of a lotus flower.
Varudi
Varudi’s bodily lustre resembles the marakata jewel . Her braided hair looks like the current of a river.
Cari
Cari is Kucari’s sister. She is also called by the name Tapah-katyayani. Kotara is an abhira by caste, and the colour of her hair resembles that of sesame seeds mixed with rice .
Kalitippani
By her social status Kalitippani is a washerwoman. Her hair is white and yellow because of old age.
Marunda
She does not have any hair and both of her eyebrows are yellowish.
Morata
Morata is capable of running around here and there with great speed. Her hair is as lustrous as the kasa grass flower.
Cuda
Cudavali’s face is covered by wrinkles caused by old age. Her forehead is effulgent due to her white hair.
Cundari
Cundari is a middle-aged woman belonging to the brahmana class. The lotus-eyed Sri Krishna sings of her glories.
Gondika
Gondika belongs to a lower class and is somewhat older. Her head is luminous with yellowish hair.
Messengers who arrange meetings
Sivada, Saumya-darsana, Suprasada, Sada-santa, Santida, Kantida and others are messengers who arrange meetings . They are very skilful in cleverly arranging meetings, and because they are Sri Lalita-devi’s life and soul, they are counted as particularly trustworthy members in the family of Sri Madhava.
When Radharani is in the state of kalahantarita , the messengers arranging meetings approach Krishna following the indication of Lalita.
They intelligently and diligently accomplish their responsibilities as messengers. They make Krishna happy by their pleasing advice and thus arrange the youthful Divine Couple’s meeting – the fulfilment of their own desire.
Krishna rewards them for arranging these beautiful meetings, and they also become worthy recipients of Vrindavanesvari’s complete mercy.
Of the aforementioned messengers, Sivada was born in the Raghu dynasty and Saumya-darsana in the Candra dynasty. Suprasada belongs to the Puru dynasty and Sada-santa is a daughter of an ascetic. Santida and Kantida are born in brahmana families. By the mercy of Devarishi Sri Narada, they all received residence in Sri Vrindavana.
The Sakhis Belonging to the Second Division, the Mandala
The prema of the sakhis belonging to the second division is somewhat inferior to the love of the sakhis of the first division (samaja).
The sakhis in the mandala are divided into two groups according to their prema:
sama (equal) and
asama (unequal).
The priya-sakhis are in the category of sama-prema (equal love). They are further divided into two groups:
the eternally perfected (nitya-siddha) and
those who have attained perfection by the practise of devotion (bhakti-siddha).
The eternally perfected priya-sakhis are divided into a hundred million ganas and eighteen hundred thousand samavayas.
The previously described eight parama-prestha sakhis each have eight sakhis serving under their guidance. They also are divided into many kinds of groups (sancaya). In some of these groups there are five thousand gopis and in some of them there are six thousand gopis.
Some of the groups include four or five thousand gopis, and some include three or four thousand gopis. In some cases these sancayas share an almost equal nature.
Although there are many samajas in the category of a sancaya, these samajas are of one nature. The samajas are in some cases divided into sixteen divisions according to the affection (sneha) their members experience.
Some samajas are divided into twenty, some into twenty-five, some into thirty, some into forty and some into fifty divisions.
Some samajas are divided into sixty divisions and some into sixty-four divisions. Now the samaja which is divided into sixty-four divisions is described in detail.
In some of these sixty-four divisions there are two sakhis, in some of them there are two or three, and in some of them there are four sakhis. These samajas are also called samanvayas, because they are very similar.
Lalita’s sakhis
Ratnaprabha, Ratikala, Subhadra, Ratika, Sumukhi, Dhanishtha, Kalahamsi and Kalapini are the eight prominent sakhis serving under the guidance of Lalita Sakhi.
Visakha’s sakhis
Madhavi, Malati, Candrarekhika, Kunjari, Harini, Capala, Surabhi and Subhanana are the eight prominent sakhis serving under the guidance of Visakha Sakhi.
Campakalata’s sakhis
Kurangakshi, Sucarita, Mandali, Manikundala, Candrika, Candralatika, Pankajakshi and Sumandira are the eight prominent sakhis serving under Campakalata Sakhi’s guidance.
Citras sakhi’s
Rasalika, Tilakini, Sauraseni, Sugandhika, Ramini, Kamanagari, Nagari and Nagavenika are the eight prominent sakhis serving under Citra Sakhi’s guidance.
Tungavidya’s sakhis
Manjumedha, Sumadhura, Sumadhya, Madhurekshana, Tanumadhya, Madhuspanda, Gunacuda and Varangada are the eight prominent sakhis serving under the guidance of Tungavidya Sakhi.
Indulekha’s sakhis
Tungabhadra, Rasottunga, Rangavati, Susangata, Citrarekha, Vicitrangi, Modani and Madanalasa are the eight prominent sakhis serving under Indulekha Sakhi’s guidance.
Rangadevi’s sakhis
Kalakanthi, Sasikala, Kamala, Madhura, Indira, Kandarpa-sundari, Kamalatika and Prema Manjari are the eight prominent sakhis serving under Rangadevi Sakhi’s guidance.
Sudevi’s sakhis
Kaveri, Carukavara, Sukesi, Manjukesika, Harahira, Maha-hira, Harakanthi and Manohara are the eight prominent sakhis serving under Sri Sudevi Sakhi’s guidance.
Names of Sri Radha’s Eight Sakhis According to the Sammohana Tantra
Lilavati, Sadhika, Candrika, Madhavi, Lalita, Vijaya, Gauri and Nanda.
Names of the eight sakhis mentioned in another part of the same Sammohana Tantra
Kalavati, Rasavati, Srimati, Sudhamukhi, Visakha, Kaumudi, Madhavi and Sarada.
Ratnabhavah
The group of sakhis (named Ratnabhava) mentioned in the Sammohana Tantra has not been neglected in this literary work; they are all counted among the eternal sakhis.
The family of the King and Queen of Vrindavana, Radha and Krishna, is unlimited, so counting can only give the reader an idea of their actual number.
There are innumerable gopis who prepare beds, cooked food preparations, rasala and tambula and who swing the swing, apply tilakas and perform many other similar services, but whose names have not been mentioned in this literary work. Pure devotees expert in relishing rasa will themselves find the names of various other associates of Radha and Krishna from many other scriptures. These associates are worthy of meditating upon.
When darkness pervades, the faculty of seeing forms and other objects gets ineffective, but when the moon or the sun arises, one’s ability to see things is resumed. From one point of view, the darkness-like influence of time has similarly caused the names, forms and other aspects of Sri Radha’s and Sri Krishna’s associates to become unmanifest, but these features, which are like a grand festival for the eyes, have now manifested again in the form of words, caused by the effulgent light of the Supreme Lord’s mercy.
In the year 1472 of the Saka era (1550 A.D.) on Sunday, the sixth day of the month of Sravana , at Nandagrama, the home of the king of Vraja, this book, the Radha-Krsna-Ganoddesa-dipika was completed.
Thus ends the first chapter of Sri Radha-Krishna-Ganoddesa-dipika
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