Shloka 4
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
「ああ、なんと不思議—聞いて。苦しむ者に喜びを与えるナンダの御子は、胸に稲妻のように静まる光を宿し、宝の首飾りのように輝く微笑をたたえる。彼が鳴き渡る笛を吹くと、遠く群れ立つヴラジャの牡牛や鹿や雌牛は、その音に心を奪われる。口の草を噛むのを止め、食み草を歯に挟んだまま耳を立て、茫然として、眠っているか絵の中の姿のように見える。」
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
It describes Kṛṣṇa’s flute as irresistibly sweet and spiritually enlivening—so captivating that it stirs the hearts and even the ornaments of the Vraja women, bringing playful relief to those suffering in separation.
Because His flute-song is not merely music—it is Kṛṣṇa’s playful mercy that consoles and enchants the distressed lovers of Vraja, intensifying and sweetening their devotion even in separation.
By turning the mind toward Kṛṣṇa through śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (chanting), one can transform distress into devotion—letting remembrance of the Lord become the heart’s highest delight.