Shloka 5
Gopī-gīta in Separation: The Flute’s Call and Vraja’s Ecstatic Response
हन्त चित्रमबला: शृणुतेदं हारहास उरसि स्थिरविद्युत् । नन्दसूनुरयमार्तजनानां नर्मदो यर्हि कूजितवेणु: ॥ ४ ॥ वृन्दशो व्रजवृषा मृगगावो वेणुवाद्यहृतचेतस आरात् । दन्तदष्टकवला धृतकर्णा निद्रिता लिखितचित्रमिवासन् ॥ ५ ॥
hanta citram abalāḥ śṛṇutedaṁ hāra-hāsa urasi sthira-vidyut nanda-sūnur ayam ārta-janānāṁ narma-do yarhi kūjita-veṇuḥ
O girls, how wondrous—listen! This son of Nanda, who delights the distressed, bears upon His chest a steady brilliance like lightning and a smile that gleams like a jeweled necklace. When He makes His flute sing, the bulls, deer, and cows of Vraja—standing in groups far away—are captivated by the sound. They stop chewing, hold the mouthful between their teeth, lift their ears, and, stunned, appear as if asleep or like figures painted in a picture.
The word sthira-vidyut, “steady lightning,” refers to the goddess of fortune, who resides on the chest of the Supreme Lord. When the animals of Vṛndāvana hear the sound of the flute, they become stunned in ecstasy, and thus they stop chewing their food and cannot swallow it. The gopīs, in separation from Kṛṣṇa, marvel at the extraordinary effect of the Lord’s flute-playing.
FAQs
In this verse the gopīs describe Kṛṣṇa’s flute as so sweet and compelling that it stirs their hearts and even makes their ornaments tremble—showing how divine sound draws the mind into loving remembrance.
They recognize that Kṛṣṇa relieves the inner pain of separation and worldly sorrow; His flute-song becomes a mercy that turns distress into delight through devotion.
Regularly hear and chant Kṛṣṇa’s names and līlās; sacred sound (śravaṇa–kīrtana) can steady the mind and transform anxiety into devotion-centered joy.