Devanagari
देवदत्तामिमां वीणां स्वरब्रह्मविभूषिताम् ।
मूर्च्छयित्वा हरिकथां गायमानश्चराम्यहम् ॥ ३२ ॥
Verse text
deva-dattām imāṁ vīṇāṁ
svara-brahma-vibhūṣitām
mūrcchayitvā hari-kathāṁ
gāyamānaś carāmy aham
Synonyms
deva
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
;
dattām
—
gifted by
;
imām
—
this
;
vīṇām
—
a musical stringed instrument
;
svara
—
singing meter
;
brahma
—
transcendental
;
vibhūṣitām
—
decorated with
;
mūrcchayitvā
—
vibrating
;
hari
—
kathām — transcendental message
;
gāyamānaḥ
—
singing constantly
;
carāmi
—
do move
;
aham
—
I .
Translation
And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vīṇā, which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Playing mūrcchanas and ālāpas on the vīṇa given by the Lord, using the seven sacred notes of the scale, I wander about singing the glories of the Lord.
Purport
The musical stringed instrument called the
vīṇā,
which was handed to Nārada by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is described in the
Liṅga Purāṇa,
and this is confirmed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. This transcendental instrument is identical with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Nārada because all of them are of the same transcendental category. Sound vibrated by the instrument cannot be material, and therefore the glories and pastimes which are broadcast by the instrument of Nārada are also transcendental, without a tinge of material inebriety. The seven singing meters, namely
ṣa
(
ṣaḍja
),
ṛ
(
ṛṣabha
),
gā
(
gāndhāra
),
ma
(
madhyama
),
pa
(
paṣcama
),
dha
(
dhaivata
) and
ni
(
niṣāda
), are also transcendental and specifically meant for transcendental songs. As a pure devotee of the Lord, Śrī Nāradadeva is always fulfilling his obligation to the Lord for His gift of the instrument, and thus he is always engaged in singing His transcendental glories and is therefore infallible in his exalted position. Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Nārada Muni, a self-realized soul in the material world should also properly use the sound meters, namely
ṣa, ṛ, gā, ma,
etc., in the service of the Lord by constantly singing the glories of the Lord, as confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gītā.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Nārada’s paraphernalia, not available to any other person in the material world, is also constantly with him at all times wherever he goes. That is explained in two verses. The vīṇa was given by Kṛṣṇa. This is narrated in the Liṅga Purāṇa. Svara refers to the seven notes of the scale. Because they manifest brahman (the Lord) they are called brahma (svara-brahma). Mūrcchayaitvā means that he played music filled with mūrcchana, ālāpa and other expressive modes.