The next morning Shyama came to Radha. Radha became bashful as soon as She saw her. Her friend noticed the unusual change. With gentle teasing she asked why Radha lowered Her face. She mentioned Her tired appearance and changed manner. She asked whether a long-desired meeting had finally taken place. Radha covered Her face with the edge of Her garment. Then She began answering, marveling at Her own experience.
She said that She did not know how to describe what had happened. She could not clearly recount the path or Her arrival before Krishna. Nor could the meeting itself easily be put into words. She wondered whether it had been a dream, enchantment, or illusion. She could not simply name the feeling She had experienced. Shyama laughed and continued the playful exchange. She said that an art could not be mastered in a single lesson. If Radha wished to become skilled, She should visit the teacher again.
Radha replied that seeing Krishna from a distance would be enough. She suggested that Shyama herself study with Him instead. Her friend's learning would then bring Radha joy as well. Lalita took up the wordplay about teacher and pupil. She began reciting a verse that continued their jest. Just then Radha's sister-in-law arrived unexpectedly. Her stern expression startled the companions. Lalita immediately changed the concluding words of the verse she was reciting.
The new ending spoke of respectfully approaching a teacher. Hearing the recitation, the sister-in-law asked what Lalita was teaching. Lalita answered that they were discussing respect for teachers and elders. When asked to explain the verse, she interpreted it in that sense. The conversation then became a series of suspicions and swift replies. The sister-in-law said that the girls were attached to Shyama, meaning Krishna. Shyama accepted this as though it referred to herself. She answered that their affection for her had been known since childhood.
When the sister-in-law again hinted at Krishna, Shyama shifted the meanings. She turned one accusation into talk of the dark half of the lunar month. She redirected a phrase about Krishna's path toward an old name for fire. She recalled the night of Kaliya when the forest fire had appeared. The sister-in-law then called them devotees of the yellow-robed one. Shyama answered by pointing out their preference for blue and red clothing. When told that Hari had stolen their minds, she turned the word toward a deer. Thus she gave each allusion to Krishna a different, ordinary meaning.
At last the sister-in-law asked specifically about Radha's changed appearance. Shyama explained it as weariness from a vow of worship. In verse she described the deity as crowned with the crescent moon. But she also hinted that the initial syllable should be removed. Through this wordplay the expression could point to a peacock-feathered crown. When the sister-in-law asked where the deity was, Shyama answered that it was within the mind. She urged her to trust and not to be suspicious. Their answer retained its outward meaning of worship while its hidden sense recalled Krishna.