एकदा कृष्णपत्न्यस्तु श्रीकृष्णविरहातुराः ।
कालिन्दीं मुदिता वीक्ष्य पप्रच्छुर्गतमत्सराः ॥
श्रीकृष्णपत्न्य ऊचुः ।
यथा वयं कृष्णपत्न्यस्तथा त्वमपि शोभने ।
वयं विरहदुःखार्तास्त्वं न कालिन्दि तद्वद ॥
तच्छ्रुत्वा स्मयमाना सा कालिन्दी वाक्यमब्रवीत् ।
सापत्न्यं वीक्ष्य तत्तासां करुणापरमानसा ॥
श्रीकालिन्द्युवाच ।
आत्मारामस्य कृष्णस्य ध्रुवमात्मास्ति राधिका ।
तस्या दास्यप्रभावेण विरहोऽस्मान्न संस्पृशेत् ॥
तस्या एवांशविस्ताराः सर्वाः श्रीकृष्णनायिकाः ।
नित्यसंभोग एवास्ति तस्याः साम्मुख्ययोगतः ॥
ekadā kṛṣṇa-patnyas tu śrī-kṛṣṇa-virahāturāḥ |
kālindīṁ muditā vīkṣya papracchur gata-matsarāḥ ||
śrī-kṛṣṇa-patnya ūcuḥ |
yathā vayaṁ kṛṣṇa-patnyas tathā tvam api śobhane |
vayaṁ viraha-duḥkhārtās tvaṁ na kālindi tad vada ||
tac chrutvā smayamānā sā kālindī vākyam abravīt |
sāpatnyaṁ vīkṣya tat tāsāṁ karuṇāpara-mānasā ||
śrī-kālindy uvāca |
ātmārāmasya kṛṣṇasya dhruvam ātmāsti rādhikā |
tasyā dāsya-prabhāveṇa viraho’smān na saṁspṛśet ||
tasyā evāṁśa-vistārāḥ sarvāḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāyikāḥ |
nitya-sambhoga evāsti tasyāḥ sāmmukhya-yogataḥ ||
(Skanda Purāṇa: Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 2.8–12)
“Once, wives of Kṛṣṇa who were distressed in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa [and had come to Śrī Vṛndāvana] saw Kālindī [i.e., Yamunā Devī] delighted, and been covetous, inquired [from her]. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wives said, ‘As we are wives of Kṛṣṇa, so too are you, O splendid one. We are stricken with sorrow in separation, but you are not, O Kālindī. Please explain this.’ Hearing this [inquiry], observing their rivalry [towards her as a co-wife], and being of compassionate mind towards them, she, Kālindī, smiling, spoke this statement [to them]. Śrī Kālindī said, ‘Rādhikā is the eternal self (ātmā) of Kṛṣṇa, he whose joy is in the self [i.e., he who is known to be ātmārāma]. By the influence of service to her, separation [from Kṛṣṇa] cannot touch us. All of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mistresses (nāyikās) are extensions of a part of her alone. There is certainly perpetual union [with Kṛṣṇa] (nitya-sambhoga) as a result of being present before her [alt., as a result of her favor, or, as a result of attentive service to her].”