VMA 1.28 : I will raise my ears to hear the sweet flute sounds

November 07, 2018

tais taiḥ kiṁ naḥ parama-paramā-nanda-sāmrājya-bhogaiḥ

kiṁ vā yogaiḥ para-pada-kṛtaiḥ kiṁ parair vābhiyogaiḥ |

vāsenaiva prasannam akhilā-nanda-sārātisāraṁ

vṛndāraṇye madhura-muralī-nādam ākarṇayiṣye ||

What need have we for all those pleasures
of the empire of supreme, supreme bliss?
And what need have we of the yoga paths
that lead to the supreme destination,
or any other philosophical argument?

Here in Vrindavan, I will raise my ears
to hear the sweet flute sounds,
the essence of the essences of all the varieties of bliss,
which will play, pleased with me simply for residing here. (1.28)

Commentary

Another "what need have we" verse, indicating the continuity of mood between this one and VMA 1.25. Prabodhananda continues to meditate on Krishna's flute. Krishna's flute sound in Vrindavan's background noise. Just like ether pervades all the other elements and sound is its tan-mātra. One hears Vrindavan before one can see it. In the morning darkness two hours before sunrise, the Vrindavan sounds awaken as people rise and begin their daily glorification of the Divine Couple. Radha and Krishna's names reverberate constantly in the ether, so that even the silence in Vrindavan is the Divine Couple's name, the kāma-bija and Krishna's flute sound in unmanifest presence.

A total of 58 verses in Rupa Goswami's collection Padyāvalī mention the flute or glorify it in some way (veṇu 14, vaṁśī 13, muralī 31). Of these, 25 are generic descriptions of Krishna that include the flute. Another 33 are more specific in describing the relation of the flute to the lilas. Here is a selection of some of those:

The following verse by Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya from the point of view of a sādhaka speaks of the attractiveness of the flute (ākarṣaṇa) :

jñātaṁ kāṇabhujaṁ mataṁ paricitaivānvīkṣikī śikṣitā

mīmāṁsā viditaiva sāṅkhya-saraṇir yoge vitīrṇā matiḥ |

vedāntāḥ pariśīlitāḥ sarabhasaṁ kiṁ tu sphuran-mādhurī-

dhārā kācana nandasūnu-muralī mac-cittam ākarṣati ||

I know the philosophy of Kaṇāda (Vaiśeṣika) and become familiar with Nyāya, I have learned the Mīmāṁsā, understood the path of Sāṅkhya and graduated in the study of Yoga. I have cultivated my knowledge of the Vedānta systems and yet, some rush of sweet sound escaping the son of Nanda’s flute is forcibly attracting my mind. (Padyāvalī 99)

Rupa's own verse in a more madhura vein has the words mohana-mantra, or enchanting spell:

tarale na kuru vilambaṁ

kumbhaṁ saṁsmṛtya mandiraṁ yāhi |

yāvan na mohana-mantraṁ

śaṁsati kaṁsadviṣo vaṁśī ||

O fickle one! Don’t delay,
Remember your water jug and go home,
before the flute of Kamsa’s enemy
begins casting its spell of fascination.
(Padyāvalī 307)

bhrū-valli-tāṇḍava-kalā-madhurānana-śrīḥ

kaṅkelli-koraka-karambita-karṇa-pūraḥ |

ko’yaṁ navīna-nikaṣopala-tulya-veṣo

vaṁśī-raveṇa sakhi mām avaśīkaroti ||

Who is this whose beautiful sweet face displays the art of tempestuous dancing of the eyebrow vine? Whose ears are decorated with flower clusters from the ashoka tree? And whose dress is the golden color of the streak left on a touchstone? He has made me helpless with the sound of his flute. (158)

guru-jana-gañjanam ayaśo

gṛha-pati-caritaṁ ca dāruṇaṁ kim api |

vismārayati samastaṁ

śiva śiva muralī murārāteḥ ||

Criticism from my elders,
my bad reputation,
my husband treating me badly –
whatever problems I have are immediately forgotten,
O Lord O Lord, when
the enemy of Mura blows his flute. (172)

Krishna's power and the power of love over the gopis is thus symbolized by the flute, which leads to the gopis' repeated efforts to steal it.