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260 Sachin Ketkarmarried girl in love with Krishna, refers to her in-laws she isevoking a typical or rather stereotyped situation where the in-lawsare keeping an eye on their daughter-in-law's activities. Allegoricallythey connote the norms and the dictates of the mundane world,which interfere with devotional activities and thus are detrimental inBhakti.Similarly, gopi or Radha addresses her female companion assakhi, which literally means female friend. However, the use ofwords like female friend or girl friend would not be appropriate inEnglish. Hence, the word friend had to be used. Yet, the word sakhihas special connotation in certain Vaishnava sects. The ideal devoteewould be like sakhi to the Lord, His girl friend. This significationcannot be rendered into English.Certain references to the Indian eroticism, especially thereference to Kamashastra or the lore of eroticism, appear awkwardin translation. For instance, there is a reference to woman-on-mancoital position called vipreeta rati or literally `intercourse in contraryway’ that is, woman on the top position, in one of Narsinh’s poems.As using the phrase like `the contrary way' would appear awkwardand even incomprehensible, I have used, ` I rolled over him in ourlove play' in order to suggest the playful element in the wholebusiness.This is how I bewitched him, friend,I rolled over him in our love play!`No, no!' cried he as he tried to flee,And he cried out for his mother!Associated with eroticism is the conventional notion of whatconstitutes a woman's beauty in the Indian tradition. For instance, inthe following poem: