VERSE 18:

sakhī vargaika jīvātu smita kairava korakā
sneha phullī-kṛta svīya gaṇā govinda vallabhā

The lily-bud of Her smile is the only life-support of Her girlfriends
and causes them to blossom with love for Her. She is Govinda’s beloved.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

The nectar of Rādhikā’s smile is not ordinary, as Govinda Līlāmṛta (11.88) proclaims:

harer guṇāli vara kalpa-vallyo rādhā hṛd ārāmam anu praphullāh
lasanti yā yāh kusumāni tāsām smita cchalāt kintu bahih skhalanti

“The nice desire-vine of Hari’s qualities blooms up in the garden of Rādhā’s heart.
Do its flowers now come out in the form of Her smile?”

This smile causes Her friends to blossom. Love, of which Śrīmatī Rādhārānī is the presiding goddess, is known in different successive stages as prema, prīti, pranaya and sneha, and sneha is that love which causes the heart to melt. No wonder that the friends of She whose heart melts of love start to blossom when they are touched by Her!

She is Govinda Vallabhā, the lover who is dearer to Govinda than His own life.
Without Her Govinda, who is known as rasa ghana vigraha, the embodiment of deep rasa, is very upset. Śrīmatī tells Her sakhīs during rasodgāra (recollection of amorous pastimes):

nija parasaṅga, svapane nā kore, āne nā pātaye kāna
diṭhe diṭhe rahe, nimikha nā bohe, nirakhe majhu vayāna

“He doesn’t even dream about Himself anymore and He doesn’t listen to anything else! He just stares at My face without blinking!”

soi! ki nā se, bandhura pirīti, kirīti kohite kohibo ki
se sab carite, koto uṭhe cite, parāṇa nichani di

“O sakhi! What can I say about the glories of My friend’s love? My heart is ornamented when the remembrance of His activities rises in it!”

khene khene tanu, pulake ākula, tileka nā chāḍe saṅga
hāsira miśāle, rasera ālāpa, amiyā sināya aṅga

“At every moment My body was agitated by goose pimples and I could not leave Him for even a moment. My body was showered with the nectar of His smile mixed with the rasa of His talks!”

eto kori more, kore āgoraye, rañjaye veśa viśeṣa.
jñāna dāsa kohe, dhani dhani seho, yāheto pirīti leśa

“While doing this He took Me on His lap and began to dress and ornament Me in a special way. Jñāna dāsa says: ‘O fortunate girl! That is just a drop of (what I can describe of) His love!”