āsvādayantaṁ ghṛta-pakvam annaṁ
sunarmabhis tān api hāsayantam |
ālokayantaṁ nayanāñcalena
rādhānanaṁ taṁ dadṛśur mudālyaḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 4.27)
“The sakhīs joyfully beheld him [i.e., Kṛṣṇa]
Relishing the food cooked in ghee,
Making them [i.e., Balarāma and his sakhās] also laugh with excellent jokes,
And beholding the face of Rādhā
From the corners of his eyes.”
atha asama-snehāḥ—
adhikaṁ priya-sakhyās tu harau tasyāṁ tatas tathā |
vahantyaḥ sneham asama-snehās tu dvividhā matāḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.125)
“Now, those of unequal affection [are described]— Those of unequal affection are considered to be of two types: those who possess greater affection for their dear sakhī [i.e., their yūtheśvarī] than Hari, and those who possess greater affection for him than her.”
tatra harau snehādhikāḥ—
ahaṁ harer iti svānte gūḍhām abhimatiṁ gatāḥ |
anyatra kvāpy anāsaktyā sveṣṭāṁ yūtheśvarīṁ śritāḥ ||
manāg evādhikaṁ snehaṁ vahantyas tatra mādhave |
tad-dūtyādi-ratāś cemā harau snehādhikā matāḥ ||
yāḥ pūrvaṁ sakhya ity uktās tās tu snehādhikā harau ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.126–127, 130)
“Therein, those of greater affection for Hari [are described]—
Those who have the hidden identity in their hearts, ‘I am Hari’s,’ are sheltered in the yūtheśvarī desired by themselves [i.e., in the yūtheśvarī whose bhāva suits their own] without attachment anywhere else [i.e., to any other yūtheśvarī], possess slightly greater affection for Mādhava, and act as messengers for him, are considered to be of greater affection for Hari. … Those previously described as sakhīs [in verse 4.51, i.e., the group among the five classes of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs whose members are called (simply) sakhīs] are of greater affection for Hari.”
atha priya-sakhyāṁ snehādhikāḥ—
tadīyatābhimāninyo yāḥ snehaṁ sarvadāśritāḥ |
sakhyām alpādhikaṁ kṛṣṇāt sakhī-snehādhikās tu tāḥ ||
yāḥ pūrvaṁ prāṇa-sakhyaś ca nitya-sakhyaś ca kīrtitāḥ |
sakhī-snehādhikā jñeyās tā evātra manīṣibhiḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.131, 134)
“Now, those who have greater affection for their dear sakhī [are described]—Those who have the identity of being her own [i.e., of belonging to their dear sakhī] and are always endowed with affection slightly greater for their sakhī than Kṛṣṇa are [known as] those of greater affection for their sakhī. … They who were previously called the prāṇa-sakhīs and nitya-sakhīs are to known by the wise in this regard as those of greater affection for their sakhī.”
parama-preṣṭha-sakhyas tu lalitā sa-viśākhikā |
sa-citrā campakalatā tuṅgavidyendulekhikā |
raṅgadevī sudevī cety aṣṭau sarva-gaṇāgrimāḥ ||
āsāṁ suṣṭhu dvayor eva premṇaḥ parama-kāṣṭhayā |
kvacij jātu kvacij jātu tad-ādhikyam ivekṣate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 4.54–55)
“The eight parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs—Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Campakalatā, Tuṅgavidyā, Indulekhā, Raṅgadevī and Sudevī—are the foremost amongst all the groups [of sakhīs]. By virtue of the superlative level of their prema for the two of them [i.e., Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa], an aptly greater degree thereof [i.e., greater degree of prema] is as if seen sometimes for one and sometimes for another [i.e., either for Śrī Rādhā or for Kṛṣṇa].”
atha sama-snehāḥ—
kṛṣṇe sva-priya-sakhyāṁ ca vahantyaḥ kam api sphuṭam |
sneham anyūnatādhikyaṁ sama-snehās tu bhūriśaḥ ||
tulya-pramāṇakaṁ prema vayantyo’pi dvayor imāḥ |
rādhāyā vayam ity uccair abhimānam upāśritāḥ |
parama-preṣṭha-sakhyaś ca priya-sakhyaś ca tā matāḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.135, 137)
“Now, those of equal affection [are described]— Those who possess indescribable, vivid affection neither lesser nor greater for both Kṛṣṇa and their own dear sakhī are [known as] those of equal affection and highly numerous. … Those who, although they possess prema of equal measure for the pair [i.e., for both their dear sakhī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa], strongly foster the identity, ‘We are Rādhā’s’ are considered to be the parama-preṣṭha-sakhīs and priya-sakhīs.”
asamaṁ ca samaṁ ceti snehaṁ sakhyaḥ svapakṣagāḥ |
kṛṣṇe yūthādhipāyāṁ ca vahantyo dvividhā matāḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.124)
“Sakhīs situated in one’s own group are considered to be of two types: those who possess either unequal or equal affection for Kṛṣṇa and their yūtheśvarī [i.e., group leader].”
nirupādhi-prīti-parā sadṛśī sukha-duḥkhayoḥ |
vayasya-bhāvād anyonyaṁ hṛdaya-jñā sakhī bhavet ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 5.157 (121))
“One who is endowed with unconditional prīti [for the nāyikā, her yūtheśvarī], is correlated in happiness and sorrow [with her yūtheśvarī], and, because of being a contemporary, has a mutual awareness of heart [with her yūtheśvarī] is a sakhī.”
prema-līlā-vihārāṇāṁ samyag vistārikā sakhī |
viśrambha-ratna-peṭī ca tataḥ suṣṭhu vivicyate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 8.1)
“One who fully expands [i.e., makes known and enhances] the sport, play, and prema [of the nāyikā and nāyaka], and is a casket of the jewel of intimate confidence is [called] a sakhī. Thus, sakhīs will now be aptly described.”
