Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 21
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Next chapter, Twenty-one: "Attracting the Gopīs by Flute."
In this way, when the autumn season was so beautifully current, when the waters in the lakes and the rivers became as clear as crystal and was full with fragrant lotus flower, the air was breezing so nicely, at that time Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by the cowherds boy, entered the forest of Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa was very much pleased by the atmosphere of the forest where all flowers were blooming and the bees and drones were humming very jubilantly and the birds, the trees and plants were looking all very happy, at that time Kṛṣṇa, while tending the cows, accompanied by Śrī Balarāma and the cowherds boys, began to vibrate His transcendental flute.
The gopīs in Vṛndāvana, immediately after hearing the vibration of the flute of Kṛṣṇa, remembered Him and began to talk amongst themselves how nicely Kṛṣṇa was blowing upon His flute. While the gopīs were describing about the sweet vibration of Kṛṣṇa's flute amongst themselves, at that time they also remembered the pastimes with Kṛṣṇa, and thus their minds became disturbed and they were unable to describe completely about the beautiful vibration of the flute. The gopīs, while discussing about the transcendental vibration of the flute of Kṛṣṇa, they remembered also how Kṛṣṇa was dressed and how He was playing the flute.
They remembered that Kṛṣṇa first of all was decorated on His head by the peacock feather, and He..., He was just like a dancing actor, with blue flowers pushed on the top of His ear. The garment was glowing just like yellow gold, and He was garlanded with a vaijayantī necklace. Being dressed in such attractive way, Kṛṣṇa was filling up the holes of His flute by the nectar emanating from His lips, and thus He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana, which is always glorified by the footprints of Kṛṣṇa and His companions, the cowherds boys.
In this fashion Kṛṣṇa began to play on His flute, as He is very much expert in such singing of the flute. The gopīs thus being captivated by the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa's flute, which was not only attractive to the gopīs but it was so to all living creatures, and thus they began to describe the beauty and sweetness of Kṛṣṇa's flute as follows. One of the gopīs addressed her friends and said that "The highest perfection of eyes is to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in that fashion, entering the forest and playing Their respective flute and tending the cows along with cowherds boys."
In other words, persons who are constantly engaged in seeing Kṛṣṇa internally and externally by thinking of Them as playing the flutes entering the Vṛndāvana forest, tending the cows along with cowherds boys, and always engaged in such transcendental meditation have really attained the perfection of having these senses. Meditation and samādhi (trance) means absorption of all the activities of the senses on a particular object, and the gopīs indicate that this is the perfection of all meditation and samādhi, and this is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that anyone who is always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa within himself is the topmost of all yogīs.
Another gopī expressed her opinion that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, while tending the cows along with the cowherds boy and dressed in glowing garments, yellow color and blue color respectively, carrying in Their hands new twigs of mango tree, peacock feathers, a bunch of flowers, dressed with garland of lotus flower, sometimes singing very sweetly amongst His friends, and all of them appeared just like actors going to play on a dramatic stage. They addressed other friends how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was looking so beautiful.
Another gopī said, "My dear friends, we cannot think of the flute made of bamboo rod. What sort of pious activities might have executed, so much so that it is now enjoying the nectarean of the lips of Kṛṣṇa, which is practically the property of us, the gopīs.” The idea is that Kṛṣṇa sometimes kisses the gopīs; therefore the transcendental nectarean out of His lips is available only to the gopīs. But the flute, which is nothing but a bamboo rod, how it was possible that the flute is always engaged in the matter of enjoying the nectarean from the lips of Kṛṣṇa? Because the flute is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord, the mother of the flute and the father of the flute are also so happy in their appreciation.
The waters in the lake and in the rivers are considered to be the mother of the trees because the trees live simply by drinking water. So the waters in the lake and the river of Vṛndāvana were full with growing lotus flower in a happy mood, because the waters are thinking how their child, the bamboo rod, is enjoying the nectarean of Kṛṣṇa's lips. Similarly, the trees or the bamboo trees which were standing by the bank of the river and the lakes, they were also happy to see that their descendant is so engaged in the service of the Lord, exactly like persons who are advanced in transcendental knowledge take pleasure when some of their descendant is engaged in the service of the Lord. The trees, being overwhelmed with such joy, were pouring incessantly drops of honey emanating from the beehives hanging on the branches.
Kṛṣṇa, tape number 23. Kṛṣṇa, tape number 23.
Another gopī began to address her other friends and say, "My dear friends, our Vṛndāvana is proclaiming the glories of this earth planet because this planet is glorified by the lotus foot mark of the son of Devakī. Besides that, when Govinda plays on His flute, the peacocks immediately becomes mad just after hearing the roaring sound of the new cloud. When all the animals and trees and plants see such dancing of the peacock, all of them, either on the top of the Govardhana Hill or in the valley, everyone becomes stand still because they are hearing the transcendental sound of the flute with great attention. We think this advantage of our planet is not possible to be available in any other planet."
By this assertion of the gopīs, it appears that the gopīs, although were village cowherds women and girls, they had sufficient geographical knowledge, and such is the effect of Vedic civilization. People in general would learn the highest truths of the Vedas simply by hearing from authoritative sources.
Another gopī said, "My dear friends, just see the deers, although they are dumb animals, how they have approached the son of Mahārāja Nanda, Kṛṣṇa, while He is so nicely dressed. Not only they are attracted by the dress of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, but as soon as they heard the playing of the flutes by Them, immediately, along with their husband, they offer respectful obeisances unto the Lord by looking on Him with great affection." The gopīs were envious of the position of the deers because the deers were able to offer their service to Kṛṣṇa along with their husbands, whereas the gopīs thought themselves that they were not so fortunate because whenever they want to go to Kṛṣṇa, their husbands are not very happy.
Another gopī said, "My dear friends, Kṛṣṇa is so nicely dressed that He appears to be impetus of various kinds of ceremonies by the womenfolk. Because even the wives of the denizens of heaven, just after hearing the transcendental sound of the flute, different attractive tunes, although they are traveling in the air on their different airplanes and enjoying the company of their husbands, still, just after hearing the sound of Kṛṣṇa's flute, immediately they become perturbed and their bunch of hair become loosened and their tight belt becomes slackened." This means the transcendental sound of the flute of Kṛṣṇa reached in all corners of the universe, and also another significance is found that the gopīs knew about different kinds of airplanes flying in the sky.
Another gopī said to his (her) friends, "My dear friends, the cows also are so much charmed that as soon as they hear the transcendental sound of the flute of Kṛṣṇa, it appeared to them just like pouring of nectar. And in order to catch the liquid nectar of the sound of flute, they immediately spread their long ears just to receive the nectar. And so far their calves were concerned, the calves just pushed the nipples of their mother in the mouth but could not suck the milk. They remained struck with devotion, and from their eyes the tears were gliding down, manifesting vividly how they were embracing Kṛṣṇa heart to heart." All these indicate that even the cows and calves in Vṛndāvana knew how to cry for Kṛṣṇa and embrace Him heart to heart. Actually, Kṛṣṇa consciousness perfection can be culminated in shedding tears from the eyes.
Another younger gopī addressed his (her) mother and said, "My dear mother, the birds, who are all looking exactly to Kṛṣṇa playing on His flute, they are sitting very attentively on the branches and twigs of different trees, and from their feature it appears that they have forgotten everything but are engaged only in the matter of hearing Kṛṣṇa's flute. All this proves that these birds are not ordinary birds. They are great sages and devotees. Just to hear Kṛṣṇa's flute they have appeared in the Vṛndāvana forest as birds." Great sages and scholars are interested in the Vedic knowledge, but the essence of Vedic knowledge is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaṁ (BG 15.15), that through the knowledge of all Vedas, Kṛṣṇa has to be understood.
So from the behavior of these birds, it appears that they are great scholars in Vedic knowledge and they have taken to Kṛṣṇa's transcendental vibration of the flute, rejecting all other branches of Vedic knowledge. “Even the river Yamunā, being too much desirous to embrace the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa after hearing the transcendental vibration of His flute, has broken her fierceful waves, but she is flowing very nicely with lotus flowers in her hands of waves just to present Mukunda her feeling presentation of lotus flower.”
In the autumn season, the scorching heat of sunshine is sometimes untolerable; therefore, the autumn clouds on the sky is very much sympathetic on Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Their cowherds boys friends, while They are engaged in blowing Their flutes, acting as umbrella on Their head just to make friendship with Kṛṣṇa. The dissatisfied aborigine girls also became fully satisfied when they smeared over their face and breast the dust of Vṛndāvana, which was cause reddish on account of touch of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. The idea is that the aborigine girls who have got very good touch so far their breast is concerned, and they are also very much lusty. So when their lovers squeezed their breast, they were not very much satisfied. But when they came out in the midst of the forest, they saw that while Kṛṣṇa was walking, some of the leaves and creepers of Vṛndāvana had become reddish on account of the kuṅkuma powder which fell from the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa is held by the gopīs on their breast, which is also smeared with kuṅkuma powder. But when Kṛṣṇa travels in the Vṛndāvana forest with Baladevajī and His cowherds boys friends, such reddish powder fall also on the ground of the Vṛndāvana forest. So these lusty aborigine girls, while looking towards Kṛṣṇa playing His flute, they saw also the reddish kuṅkuma on the ground and immediately took them and smeared over their face and breast, and thus they became fully satisfied, although they were not satisfied when their lovers touched their breast. In other words, all material lusty desires can be immediately satisfied if one comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Another gopī began to eulogize the unique position of the Govardhana Hill. She said, "How much fortunate is this Govardhana Hill, because it is enjoying the association of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who are very much accustomed to walk on the hill. And thus Govardhana is always in touch with the lotus feet of the Lords. And because Govardhana Hill is feeling so much obliged to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, therefore it is supplying as its presentation to the Lords different kinds of fruits, roots and herbs, as well as very pleasing crystal water from its lakes."
The best presentation offered by Govardhana Hill is to the cows and calves: its newly grown green grasses. In other words, Govardhana Hill knows how to please the Lords by pleasing Their most beloved associates, the cows and the cowherds boys.
Next paragraph.
Another gopī said that "Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, thus traveling in the forest of Vṛndāvana as well as playing with Their flutes, making their friendship so intensified with all kinds of living creatures, both moving and not moving, but everything appears to be very wonderful." When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma play on Their flute, the moving living creatures became stunted and stop their activity, whereas the nonmoving living creatures like trees and plants, they began to shiver out of ecstasy. In other words, the moving creatures become immovable, whereas the immoving creatures become movable. Such is the wonderful reaction of the vibration of transcendental flutes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
While all creatures become moved in this way, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma outwardly appears to be cowherds boy by taking the binding rope of the cows on Their shoulder and head. The cowherds boys, while milking from the cows, they bind the hind legs with a small rope. This rope almost always hangs on the shoulder of the cowherds boy. This symbolic representation of cowherds boy was also not absent in the personality of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. In other words, in spite of Their being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still, They played exactly like cowherds boys, and therefore everything became so wonderful and attractive.
While Kṛṣṇa was engaged in tending the cows in the forest of Vṛndāvana or on the hill of Govardhana, the gopīs in the village were always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa by discussing different affairs in the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. This is the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: somehow or other if one remains always in the thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, the vivid examples of which are always present in the behavior of the gopīs. Therefore Lord Caitanya recommended that nobody can worship the Lord by any worshipable method which is better than the method invented by the gopīs. The gopīs were not born in very high family of the brāhmaṇas or kṣatriyas. They were born in the families of the vaiśyas; that also not of very big mercantile communities but village cowherds men. They are not very much educated, although they had all sorts of knowledge by hearing from the brāhmaṇas, the authority of Vedic knowledge. But their only business was to remain always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-first Chapter, Kṛṣṇa, in the matter of "Attracting the Gopīs by the Vibration of Kṛṣṇa's Flute."