Today is the auspicious appearance day of Srimati Tungavidya devi. She is born on the same day as Lord Madhava. In Mayapur Dham Srimati Tungavidya was adorned in garlands and chandan.
Tungavidya is the fifth of the varistha gopis. Her complexion is the color of kunkuma and the fragrance of her body is like sandalwood mixed with camphor. Her dress is pandu-mandana (pale yellow). She is fifteen days younger than Srimati Radharani, and her age is 14 years, 2 months and 22 days. She wears white garments. Her parents are Puskara and Medha-devi and her husband is Balisa. On the western petal of Madana-sukhada Kunja lies the extremely beautiful crimson-colored Tungavidyanandada Kunja, where Sri Tungavidya Sakhi always resides. In gaura-lila she appears as Sri Vakresvara Pandita.
She loves Sri Krsna very much and, filled with eagerness for that prema, she exhibits the bhava known as vipralabdhatva. She is very devoted to her seva of dancing and singing, and is a celebrated music teacher who is expert at playing the vina and singing in the style known as marga. She has full faith in Krsna. She is very expert at arranging the meetings of the Divine Couple. She is learned in rasa-sastra (transcendental mellows), is learned in the eighteen branches of knowledge, in niti-sastra (morality), dancing, drama, literature and all other arts and sciences.
Being hot-tempered and expert at dissimulation, Tungavidya is one of the leaders of the gopis. Some of the sakhis in Tungavidya’s yutha are Manjumedha, Sumadhura, Sumadhya, Madhureksana, Tanu madhya, Madhusyanda, Gunacuda and Varangada. These gopis are the best of dancers. They are musicians expert at playing the mrdanga and singing in recital halls. They are especially engaged in fetching water from the streams in Vrndavana. Eight gopi messengers headed by Manjumedha-devi are especially expect at arranging political alliances (sandhi) the first of diplomatic maneuvers in the art of politics between Radha and Krsna.
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