Text 206] Talks Between the Lord and Ramananda Raya 217

ness is to induce both of Them to approach one another. Their fourth business is
to surrender unto Krsna, the fifth is to create a jovial atmosphere, the sixth to give
Them assurance to enjoy Their pastimes, the seventh to dress and decorate both
hero and heroine, the eighth to show expertise in expressing Their desires, the
ninth to conceal the faults of the heroine, the tenth to cheat their respective hus-
bands and relatives, the eleventh to educate, the twelfth to enable both hero and
heroine to meet at the proper time, the thirteenth to fan both hero and heroine,
the fourteenth to sometimes reproach the hero and heroine, the fifteenth to set
conversations in motion, and the sixteenth to protect the heroine by various
means.

Some material sahajiyaés who cannot actually understand the pastimes of Radha
and Krsna manufacture their own life-styles without referring to authority. Such
sahajiyas are called sakhi-bheki, and sometimes they are called gaura-nagari. They
believe that the material body, which is fit to be eaten by jackals and dogs, is en-
joyable for Krsna. Consequently they artificially decorate the material body to at-
tract Krsna, thinking themselves sakhis. However, Krsna is never attracted by the
artificial grooming of the material body. As far as Srimati Radharani and Her gopis
are concerned, their bodies, homes, dresses, ornaments, endeavors and activities
are all spiritual. All of these are meant to satisfy the spiritual senses of Krsna. In-
deed, they are so pleasing and endearing to Krsna that He is subjugated by the in-
fluence of Srimati Radharani and Her friends. They have nothing to do with any-
thing mundane within the fourteen planetary systems of the universe. Although
Krsna is attractive to everyone, He is nonetheless attracted by the gopis and
Srimati Radharani.

One should not be misled by mental concoctions, supposing his material
body to be perfect and deeming oneself a sakhi. This is something like
ahangrahopasana, that is, a Mayavadi’s worship of his own body as the Supreme.
Stila Jiva Gosvamt has cautioned mundaners to abstain from such conceptions. He
also warns that thinking oneself one of the associates of the Supreme without
following in the footsteps of the gopis is as offensive as thinking oneself the
Supreme. Such thinking is an aparadha. One has to practice living in Vrndavana by
hearing about the talks of the gopis with Krsna. However, one should not consider
himself a gopi, for this is offensive.

TEXT 206
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