विना राधां कृष्णो न खलु सुखदः सा न सुखदा
विना कृष्णं द्वाभ्यामपि विनान्या न रसदाः ।
विना रात्रिं नेन्दुस्तमपि न विना साऽपि रुचिभाक्
विना ताभ्यां जृम्भां दधति कुमुदिन्योऽपि नरताम् ॥
vinā rādhāṁ kṛṣṇo na khalu sukhadaḥ sā na sukhadā
vinā kṛṣṇaṁ dvābhyām api vinānyā na sarasāḥ |
vinā rātriṁ nendus tam api na vinā sā’pi ruci-bhāk
vinā tābhyāṁ jṛmbhāṁ dadhati kumudinyo’pi na tarām ||
(Alaṅkāra-kaustubha: 8.193)
“Certainly, without Rādhā, Kṛṣṇa is not delightful, and she is not delightful without Kṛṣṇa. And alas, without both of them, others [i.e., the sakhīs] are not beautiful [alt., impassioned, lit., imbued with rasa]. Neither the moon without the night, nor it without that [i.e., nor the night without the moon] are resplendent. And without them both, white water lillies do not fully blossom.”