Gopī-gīta in Separation: The Flute’s Call and Vraja’s Ecstatic Response
विविधगोपचरणेषु विदग्धो वेणुवाद्य उरुधा निजशिक्षा: । तव सुत: सति यदाधरबिम्बे दत्तवेणुरनयत् स्वरजाती: ॥ १४ ॥ सवनशस्तदुपधार्य सुरेशा: शक्रशर्वपरमेष्ठिपुरोगा: । कवय आनतकन्धरचित्ता: कश्मलं ययुरनिश्चिततत्त्वा: ॥ १५ ॥
vividha-gopa-caraṇeṣu vidagdho veṇu-vādya urudhā nija-śikṣāḥ tava sutaḥ sati yadādhara-bimbe datta-veṇur anayat svara-jātīḥ
敬虔なる母ヤショーダよ。あなたの御子は牧童のあらゆる技芸に通じ、自らの修練によって笛の奏で方に多くの新しい妙技を生み出された。ビンバの実のように紅い御唇に笛を当て、音階の諸音をさまざまな旋律として流し出されるとき、梵天・シヴァ・インドラら天界の主たちでさえ、その響きを聞いて惑いに沈む。最も博学な権威でありながら、その音楽の真髄を定め得ず、ゆえに頭と心を垂れて礼拝する。
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.
In Venu-gita, the gopīs describe how Krishna places the flute on His bimba-like lips and produces enchanting notes that captivate all beings and intensify devotion.
They address another Vraja woman (a gopī) in affectionate village-style speech, referring to Krishna as “your son,” while actually glorifying Him as the supreme enchanter of Vraja.
Cultivate attentive hearing (śravaṇam): just as the gopīs’ hearts are drawn by Krishna’s flute, regularly hearing and chanting about Krishna can re-center the mind away from distraction and toward devotion.