Shloka 15

Gopī-gīta in Separation: The Flute’s Call and Vraja’s Ecstatic Response

Devanagari script

विविधगोपचरणेषु विदग्धो वेणुवाद्य उरुधा निजशिक्षा: । तव सुत: सति यदाधरबिम्बे दत्तवेणुरनयत् स्वरजाती: ॥ १४ ॥ सवनशस्तदुपधार्य सुरेशा: शक्रशर्वपरमेष्ठिपुरोगा: । कवय आनतकन्धरचित्ता: कश्मलं ययुरनिश्चिततत्त्वा: ॥ १५ ॥

Transliteration

vividha-gopa-caraṇeṣu vidagdho veṇu-vādya urudhā nija-śikṣāḥ tava sutaḥ sati yadādhara-bimbe datta-veṇur anayat svara-jātīḥ

Translation

Ô pieuse mère Yaśodā, ton fils, expert en tous les arts de la vie des gardiens de vaches, a inventé, par Son propre apprentissage, bien des manières nouvelles de jouer de la flûte. Lorsqu’Il porte la flûte à Ses lèvres rouges comme le fruit bimba et fait jaillir les notes de l’échelle en mélodies variées, Brahmā, Śiva, Indra et les autres grands devas en demeurent déconcertés. Bien qu’ils soient les autorités les plus savantes, ils ne peuvent saisir l’essence de cette musique ; alors ils inclinent la tête et le cœur en signe d’adoration.

Synonyms

• savanaśaḥ: time after time / at each occasion
• savanaśaḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: savanaśaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; distributive adverb 'at every sacrifice/each time'

• tat: that (sound)
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular, Neuter; refers to the flute-music

• upadhārya: having heard/attended to
• upadhārya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), 'having listened/considered'

• sureśāḥ: lords of the gods
• sureśāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sureśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural

• śakra-śarva-paramēṣṭhi-purogāḥ: with Indra, Śiva, and Brahmā at the forefront
• śakra-śarva-paramēṣṭhi-purogāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक) + śarva (प्रातिपदिक) + paramēṣṭhin (प्रातिपदिक) + purogā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; समास: द्वन्द्व (list) + bahuvrīhi-like sense with purogāḥ 'having as leaders'; overall adjective qualifying sureśāḥ

• kavayaḥ: sages/poets
• kavayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ānata-kandhara-cittāḥ: with bowed necks and absorbed minds
• ānata-kandhara-cittāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ānata (कृदन्त, √nam धातु) + kandhara (प्रातिपदिक) + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; समास: बहुव्रीहि 'those whose necks and minds are bowed'

• kaśmalam: bewilderment/perturbation
• kaśmalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• yayuḥ: went/entered into
• yayuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• an-aniścita-tattvāḥ: not knowing the truth/uncertain of reality
• an-aniścita-tattvāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an (नञ्) + aniścita (कृदन्त, √ni+√ci धातु) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; नञ्-बहुव्रीहि 'those whose true nature was not ascertained'

Purport

The words tava sutaḥ sati, “your son, O chaste lady,” clearly indicate that at this point mother Yaśodā is among the young gopīs as they earnestly describe Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, among the demigods led by Śakra (Lord Indra) were Upendra, Agni and Yamarāja, among those led by Śarva (Lord Śiva) were Kātyāyanī, Skanda and Gaṇeśa, and among those led by Parameṣṭhī (Lord Brahmā) were the four Kumāras and Nārada. Thus the best collective intelligence in the universe could not definitively analyze the enchanting musical arrangements of the Supreme Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Śakra)
• Śiva (Śarva)
• Brahmā (Parameṣṭhī)
• Celestial sages (Kavayaḥ)
• Kṛṣṇa (implied by the flute song)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the power of Krishna’s flute?

In Canto 10, Chapter 35, the Bhagavatam describes Kṛṣṇa’s flute-song as so spiritually potent that even Indra, Śiva, Brahmā, and the celestial sages become absorbed and bewildered, unable to fully grasp its transcendental essence.

Why are Indra, Shiva, and Brahma described as bewildered by Krishna’s flute in Canto 10?

Because Kṛṣṇa’s flute conveys a sweetness and truth that surpasses ordinary comprehension; even the greatest cosmic authorities cannot ‘measure’ the mystery of His intimate, rasa-filled līlā, and thus they enter astonishment (kaśmala).

Practical application of this verse in modern life?

It teaches reverent listening: regularly hearing sacred sound (kīrtana, nāma-japa, Bhāgavatam recitation) can draw the mind into humility and absorption, reminding us that divine reality is deeper than intellectual control.