Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus the Vrindāvana forest was filled with transparent autumnal waters and cooled by breezes perfumed with the fragrance of lotus flowers growing in the clear lakes. The infallible Lord, accompanied by His cows and cowherd boyfriends, entered that Vrindāvana forest.
The lakes, rivers and hills of Vrindāvana resounded with the sounds of maddened bees and flocks of birds moving about the flowering trees. In the company of the cowherd boys and Balarāma, Madhupati [Śrī Krishna] entered that forest, and while herding the cows He began to vibrate His flute.
As suggested by the words cukūja venum, Lord Krishna skillfully blended the sound of His flute with the lovely sounds of Vrindāvana’s multicolored birds. Thus an irresistible, heavenly vibration was created.
When the young ladies in the cowherd village of Vraja heard the song of Krishna’s flute, which arouses the influence of Cupid, some of them privately began describing Krishna’s qualities to their intimate friends.
The cowherd girls began to speak about Krishna, but when they remembered His activities, O King, the power of Cupid disturbed their minds, and thus they could not speak.
Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karnikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Krishna exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vrindāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.
The gopīs remembered all the transcendental qualities of Krishna mentioned in this verse. Krishna’s artful way of dressing and the beautiful blue flowers placed over His ears excited the gopīs’ romantic desires, and as He poured the nectar of His lips into His flute, they simply lost themselves in ecstatic love for Him.
O King, when the young ladies in Vraja heard the sound of Krishna’s flute, which captivates the minds of all living beings, they all embraced one another and began describing it.
The word iti here indicates that after becoming speechless by remembering Krishna, the cowherd damsels then regained their composure and were thus able to ecstatically describe the sound of Krishna’s flute. As a few gopīs began to exclaim, and the other gopīs realized that they shared the same ecstatic love within their hearts, all of them started embracing one another, overwhelmed with conjugal love for young Krishna.
The cowherd girls said: O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vrindāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmrita (Ādi-līlā 4.155).
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura has commented as follows: “The gopīs meant to say, ‘O friends, if you simply remain in the shackles of family life in this material world, what will you ever get to see? The creator has granted us these eyes, so let us see the most wonderful thing there is to see, Krishna.’”
The gopīs were aware that their mothers or other elder persons might hear their romantic words and disapprove, and thus they said, akshanvatām phalam: “To see Krishna is the goal for all persons and not simply ourselves.” In other words, the gopīs indicated that since Krishna is the supreme object of love for everyone, why couldn’t they also love Him in spiritual ecstasy?
According to the ācāryas, a different gopī spoke this and each of the following verses (through text 19).
Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Krishna and Balarāma shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing.
The gopīs continue singing their ecstatic song as they remember the pastimes of Lord Krishna. The gopīs wanted to go to the forest where Krishna was performing His pastimes and, while remaining concealed, peer through the leaves of the creepers and see the wonder of Krishna and Balarāma dancing and singing with Their boyfriends. This was their desire, but because they could not go, they sang this song in ecstatic love.
My dear gopīs, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Krishna’s lips independently and leave only a taste for us gopīs, for whom that nectar is actually meant! The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmrita (Antya-līlā 16.140).
In the guise of releasing flowing sap, the bamboo trees are actually crying tears of ecstasy upon seeing their child become an exalted devotee-flute of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krishna.
Sanātana Gosvāmī gives an alternate explanation: The trees are crying because they are unhappy at not being able to play with Krishna themselves. One may object that the trees in Vrindāvana should not lament for that which is impossible for them to obtain, just as a beggar certainly doesn’t lament because he is forbidden to meet the king. But the trees are actually just like intelligent persons who suffer when they cannot obtain the goal of life. Thus the trees are crying because they cannot get the nectar of Krishna’s lips.
O friend, Vrindāvana is spreading the glory of the earth, having obtained the treasure of the lotus feet of Krishna, the son of Devakī. The peacocks dance madly when they hear Govinda’s flute, and when other creatures see them from the hilltops, they all become stunned.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that because activities such as those described in this verse do not occur in any other world, the earth is unique. In fact, the earth’s glories are being spread by wonderful Vrindāvana because it is the place of Krishna’s pastimes.
The name Devakī also refers to mother Yaśodā, as stated in the Brihad-vishnu Purāna:
“The wife of Nanda had two names, Yaśodā and also Devakī. Therefore it was natural that she [the wife of Nanda] develop friendship with Devakī, the wife of Śauri [Vasudeva].”
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains krishna-līlā as follows: “In Vrindāvana, the peacocks request Krishna, ‘Govinda, please make us dance.’ Thus Krishna plays His flute, and they surround Him in a circle and dance in time with the rhythm of His melody. And while standing in the midst of their dancing, He also sings and dances. Then those peacocks, who are fully satisfied with His musical performance, out of gratitude offer for His pleasure their own divine feathers. In the usual manner of musical performers, Krishna gladly accepts these presentations and places a feather upon the turban atop His head. Gentle animals such as deer and doves greatly relish the transcendental entertainment presented by Krishna, and to get a good view they flock to the peaks of hills. Then, as they watch the breathtaking program, they become stunned in ecstasy.”
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī comments that because in Vrindāvana Krishna goes barefoot and can thus directly mark the earth with the symbols of His lotus feet, that transcendental land is even more glorious than Vaikuntha, where Vishnu wears slippers.
Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda’s son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmrita (Madhya-līlā 17.36).
According to the ācāryas, the gopīs were thinking as follows: “The female deer can approach Krishna along with their husbands because Krishna is the ultimate object of affection for the male deer. Because of their affection for Krishna, they are encouraged by seeing their wives attracted to Him and thus consider their household lives fortunate. Indeed, they become joyful upon seeing how their wives are searching after Krishna, and, following along, they urge their wives to go to the Lord. On the other hand, our husbands are jealous of Krishna, and because of their lack of devotion to Him they cannot even stand to smell His fragrance. Therefore what is the use of our lives?”
Krishna’s beauty and character create a festival for all women. Indeed, when the demigods’ wives flying in airplanes with their husbands catch sight of Him and hear His resonant flute-song, their hearts are shaken by Cupid, and they become so bewildered that the flowers fall out of their hair and their belts loosen.
In Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments: “[This verse indicates] that the transcendental sound of the flute of Krishna extended to all corners of the universe. Also, it is significant that the gopīs knew about the different kinds of airplanes flying in the sky.”
In fact, even while sitting on the laps of their demigod husbands, the demigoddesses became agitated by hearing the sounds of Krishna’s flute. Thus the gopīs thought that they themselves should not be blamed for their ecstatic conjugal attraction for Krishna, who after all was a cowherd boy from their own village and thus a natural object of their love. If even demigoddesses became mad after Krishna, how could poor, earthly cowherd girls from Krishna’s own village avoid having their hearts completely conquered by His loving glances and the sounds of His flute?
The gopīs also considered that the demigods, although noting their wives’ attraction to Krishna, did not become envious. The demigods are actually very refined in culture and intelligence, and therefore when flying in their airplanes they regularly take their wives along to see Krishna. The gopīs thought, “Our husbands, on the other hand, are envious. Therefore even the inferior deer are better off than we, and the demigoddesses are also very fortunate, whereas we poor human beings in an intermediate position are most unfortunate.”
Using their upraised ears as vessels, the cows are drinking the nectar of the flute-song flowing out of Krishna’s mouth. The calves, their mouths full of milk from their mothers’ moist nipples, stand still as they take Govinda within themselves through their tear-filled eyes and embrace Him within their hearts.
O mother, in this forest all the birds have risen onto the beautiful branches of the trees to see Krishna. With closed eyes they are simply listening in silence to the sweet vibrations of His flute, and they are not attracted by any other sound. Surely these birds are on the same level as great sages.
The birds resemble sages because they live in the forest, keep their eyes closed, observe silence and remain motionless. Significantly, it is stated here that even great sages become maddened by the sound of Krishna’s flute, which is a completely spiritual vibration.
The word rucira-pravālān indicates that even the branches of the trees are transformed in ecstasy when struck by the vibration of Krishna’s flute-song. Indra, Brahmā, Śiva and Vishnu, being primordial gods, travel throughout the universe and have extensive knowledge of the science of music, and yet even these great personalities have never heard or composed music like that which emanates from Krishna’s flute. Indeed, the birds are so moved by the blissful sound that in their ecstasy they close their eyes and cling to the branches to avoid falling off the trees.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains that the gopīs would sometimes address each other as amba, “mother.”
When the rivers hear the flute-song of Krishna, their minds begin to desire Him, and thus the flow of their currents is broken and their waters are agitated, moving around in whirlpools. Then with the arms of their waves the rivers embrace Murāri’s lotus feet and, holding on to them, present offerings of lotus flowers.
Even such sacred bodies of water as the Yamunā and the Mānasa-gangā are enchanted by the flute-song, and thus they are disturbed by conjugal attraction for young Krishna. The gopīs are implying that since many different types of living beings are overwhelmed by conjugal love for Krishna, why should the gopīs be criticized for their intense desire to serve Krishna in the conjugal relationship?
In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Krishna is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend.
Śrīla Prabhupāda states in his Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “The scorching heat of the autumn sunshine was sometimes intolerable, and therefore the clouds in the sky appeared in sympathy above Krishna and Balarāma and Their boyfriends while They engaged in blowing Their flutes. The clouds served as a soothing umbrella over Their heads just to make friendship with Krishna.”
The aborigine women of the Vrindāvana area become disturbed by lust when they see the grass marked with reddish kunkuma powder. Endowed with the color of Krishna’s lotus feet, this powder originally decorated the breasts of His beloveds, and when the aborigine women smear it on their faces and breasts, they feel fully satisfied and give up all their anxiety.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this verse as follows: “The wanton aborigine girls also became fully satisfied when they smeared their faces and breasts with the dust of Vrindāvana, which was reddish from the touch of Krishna’s lotus feet. The aborigine girls had very full breasts, and they were also very lusty, but when their lovers felt their breasts, they were not very satisfied. When they came out into the midst of the forest, they saw that while Krishna was walking, some of the leaves and creepers of Vrindāvana had turned reddish from the kunkuma powder which fell from His lotus feet. His lotus feet were held by the gopis on their breasts, which were also smeared with kunkuma powder, but when Krishna travelled in the Vrindāvana forest with Balarāma and His boy friends, the reddish powder fell on the ground. So the lusty aborigine girls, while looking toward Krishna playing His flute, saw the reddish kunkuma on the ground and immediately took it and smeared it over their faces and breasts. In this way they became fully satisfied, although they were not satisfied when their lovers touched their breasts. All material lusty desires can be immediately satisfied if one comes in contact with Krishna consciousness.”
Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Krishna and Balarāma, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Krishna and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmrita (Madhya 18.34).
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains the opulence of Govardhana Hill as follows: Pānīya refers to the fragrant, cool water from the Govardhana waterfalls, which Krishna and Balarāma drink and use to wash Their feet and mouths. Govardhana also offers other beverages, such as honey, mango juice and pīlu juice. Sūyavasa indicates dūrvā grass, used to make the religious offering of arghya. Govardhana also has grass that is fragrant, soft and conducive to the strong growth of cows and increased production of milk. Thus this grass is used for feeding the transcendental herds. Kandara refers to the caves where Krishna, Balarāma and Their friends play, sit and lie down. These caves give pleasure when the weather is too hot or too cold, or when it is raining. Govardhana also features soft roots for eating, jewels for ornamenting the body, flat places for sitting, and lamps and mirrors in the form of smooth stones, glistening water and other natural substances.
My dear friends, as Krishna and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows’ rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Krishna plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful.
Krishna and Balarāma would sometimes wear Their cowherding ropes on Their heads and sometimes carry them on Their shoulders, and thus They were beautifully decorated with all the equipment of cowherd boys.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains that the ropes of Krishna and Balarāma are made of yellow cloth and have clusters of pearls at both ends. Sometimes They wear these ropes around Their turbans, and the ropes thus become wonderful decorations.
Thus narrating to one another the playful pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He wandered about in the Vrindāvana forest, the gopīs became fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “This is the perfect example of Krishna consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Krishna. The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the gopīs; therefore Lord Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method that is better than the method of the gopīs. The gopīs were not born in very high brāhmana or kshatriya families; they were born in the families of vaiśyas, and not in big mercantile communities but in the families of cowherd men. They were not very well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the brāhmanas, the authorities of Vedic knowledge. The gopīs’ only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna.”