Shloka 9
The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute
Veṇu-gīta
गोप्य: किमाचरदयं कुशलं स्म वेणु- र्दामोदराधरसुधामपि गोपिकानाम् । भुङ्क्ते स्वयं यदवशिष्टरसं ह्रदिन्यो हृष्यत्त्वचोऽश्रु मुमुचुस्तरवो यथार्या: ॥ ९ ॥
gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopikānām bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo hṛṣyat-tvaco ’śru mumucus taravo yathāryaḥ
O gopīs, welche fromme Tat hat diese Flöte vollbracht, dass sie ganz für sich den Nektar von Dāmodaras Lippen kostet und uns nur den Restgeschmack lässt—obwohl dieser Nektar doch den gopīs gehört! Die Vorfahren der Flöte, die Bambusbäume, vergießen Freudentränen; und der Mutterfluss, an dessen Ufer der Bambus geboren wurde, jubelt so sehr, dass seine Lotosblüten wie aufgerichtete Körperhaare dastehen.
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Antya-līlā 16.140).
FAQs
In 10.21.9 the gopīs marvel that the flute must have earned great merit, because it gets to taste the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips—an intimacy the gopīs long for—highlighting their intense, exclusive love (mādhurya-bhakti).
They describe nature tasting Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness and responding with bodily thrill and tears, showing that Kṛṣṇa’s presence awakens devotion even in the natural world of Vraja, and that such symptoms resemble those of saintly devotees.
Cultivate attentive hearing and remembrance of Kṛṣṇa (like the flute’s closeness through service), and notice how sincere devotion softens the heart—expressed as humility, longing for God, and heartfelt emotion rather than mere ritual.