INTRODUCTION. 49 Krisna dear and none other’. Then he came before me and embraced me warmly and asked, “How fared you all in the Vrindå-groves during my absence?” At that very moment my sleep fled and I saw him no more. But the dream was so vivid that methought it real, and that Krisna, after seeing me, had gone to see other friends of ours. Thus did I ask you in the morning if you had seen him. Oh! How foolish was I to inquire thus! Sudāma—Fortunate are you no doubt. You were his dearest friend, thus graciously did he visit you if only in a dream; you have again tasted his sweet embrace. Happy are you. Come near us, we shall touch you. This will soothe us, yearning for a touch of him. If ever he be so kind as to come again to us, some of us will hold him by the hands, and others will fall at his lotus-feet and there remain, till he promises never to leave us and the Vrindå-groves. Shridãma–O brother Subala, say if for our familiar ways and slights he has left us! We never knew he was so great and showed him no respect. At the time of play we often quarrelled with him. Did he take all these slights to heart and therefore sever his connection with us f Oh! how often did we beat him in sport? We climbed on his shoulders as he did on ours. We took our food and gave him the remnants. The language we used to him was rude for we never suspected him to be so great. Ezif. The Scene—A room in Rādhā’s palace. Enter Rādhā and Lalitā, Bisākhā, Chitrā, Ranga Devi and other maids of Rādhā. Bisākhā—It may be that he is still in the Vrindå-groves. Often for the sake of fun, he does hide himself behind tall trees entwined with flowering creepers. Let us search through these groves, and perchance we may find him. (Here follows a conversation and Rādhā thinks that this may be quite probable, and, though weak and emaciated by her separation from Krisna, takes the lead, and they all go to search the groves.) The maids—Dear Rādhā, go not so fast, lessen your speed, faint and weak are you, and your limbs tremble as you walk. 7
