302 The Nectar of Devotion

mediately began to massage His legs.’ Such are the activities of
Krsna’s friends out on the pasturing grounds.

The more confidential friends are called priya-sakhas and are al-
most Krsna’s age. Because of their very confidential friendship, their
behavior is only on the basis of pure friendship. Other friends’ be-
havior is on the ground of paternal love or servitude, but the basic
principle of the confidential friends is simply friendship on an equal
level. Some confidential friends are as follows: Sridama, Sudama,
Dama, Vasudama, Kinkini, Stokakrsna, Amsu, Bhadrasena, Vilasina,
Pundarika, Vitanka and Kalavinka. By their various activities in dif-
ferent pastimes, all of these friends used to give transcendental pleas-
ure to Krsna.

The behavior of these confidential friends is described by a friend
of Radharani, who told Radharani: “My dear graceful Radharani,
Your intimate friend, Krsna, is also served by His intimate boy
friends. Some of them cut jokes with Him in mild voices and please
Him very much by this.” For example, Krsna had one brahmana
friend whose name was Madhumangala. This boy would joke by
playing the part of a greedy brahmana. Whenever the friends ate, he
would cat more than all others, especially laddus, of which he was
very fond. Then after eating more laddus than anyone else, Madhu-
mangala would still not be satisfied, and he would say to Krsna, “If
You give me one more laddu, then I shall be pleased to give You my
blessings so that Your friend Radharani will be very much pleased
with You.” The brahmanas are supposed to give blessings to the
vaisyas (farming and merchant caste), and Krsna presented Himself
as the son of Maharaj Nanda, a vaisya; so the brahmana boy was
right in giving blessings to Krsna. Thus Krsna was very pleased by
His friend’s blessings, and He would supply him with more and more
laddus.

Sometimes a confidential friend would come before Krsna and
embrace Him with great affection and love. Another friend would
then come up from the rear and cover Krsna’s eyes with his hands.
Krsna would always feel very happy by such dealings with His confi-
dential friends.

Out of all these confidential friends, Sridama is considered to be
