Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c8.s3.23

c8.s3.23

Of the assistants (Sahāya) in love-affair, the Nāyaka has his usual Ceṭa (servant, e.g. Bhaṅgura, Bhṛṅgāra etc. in Vraja), Viṭa (courtier, e.g. Kaḍūra, Bhāratībandhu etc.), Pīṭhamarda (comrade, e.g. Śrīdāman) and Viḍūṣaka (buffoon, e.g. Madhumaṅgala in Rūpa Gosvāmin's Vidagdha-mādhava), to which is added a fifth, Priya-narma-sakhī (dear and intimate friend, e.g. Subala and Arjuna). The Sakhī or companion of the Nāyikā has already been mentioned above,¹ But her messengers of love (Dūtī) and the nature of the message take up an entire long section of the work. The classification of the Dūtī may be tabulated as follows: