The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute
Veṇu-gīta
श्रीगोप्य ऊचु: अक्षण्वतां फलमिदं न परं विदाम: सख्य: पशूननु विवेशयतोर्वयस्यै: । वक्त्रं व्रजेशसुतयोरनवेणु जुष्टं यैर्वा निपीतमनुरक्तकटाक्षमोक्षम् ॥ ७ ॥
śrī-gopya ūcuḥ akṣaṇvatāṁ phalam idaṁ na paraṁ vidāmaḥ sakhyaḥ paśūn anuviveśayator vayasyaiḥ vaktraṁ vrajeśa-sutayor anaveṇu-juṣṭaṁ yair vā nipītam anurakta-kaṭākṣa-mokṣam
Die gopīs sprachen: Freundinnen, wir kennen keinen größeren Lohn für die Augen als dies: die schönen Gesichter der beiden Söhne Mahārāja Nandas zu sehen, wenn Sie, von Freunden umgeben und die Kühe vor sich hertreibend, in den Wald eintreten, die Flöte an die Lippen setzen und den Bewohnern Vṛndāvanas liebevolle Blicke schenken; wer das schaut, ist wahrlich begnadet.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Ādi-līlā 4.155).
Veṇu-gīta is the gopīs’ poetic glorification of Kṛṣṇa’s flute and His forest pastimes; here they declare that the greatest ‘fruit’ of having eyes is to behold Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, especially their faces adorned by the flute’s charm and their loving sidelong glances.
Because witnessing Their cowherding līlā—Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma going with friends and cows—reveals the sweetest form of divine intimacy, where even a glance from Them feels like the highest liberation and fulfillment.
Cultivate “darśana-bhāva”: seek Kṛṣṇa’s presence through attentive worship, hearing, and remembrance, valuing loving connection over mere attainment—seeing life as fulfilled when it becomes oriented toward beholding and serving the Divine.