Devanagari
गा गोपकैरनुवनं नयतोरुदार-
वेणुस्वनै: कलपदैस्तनुभृत्सु सख्य: ।
अस्पन्दनं गतिमतां पुलकस्तरुणां
निर्योगपाशकृतलक्षणयोर्विचित्रम् ॥ १९ ॥
Verse text
gā gopakair anu-vanaṁ nayator udāra
veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaṁ gati-matāṁ pulakas taruṇāṁ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram
Synonyms
gāḥ
—
the cows
;
gopakaiḥ
—
with the cowherd boys
;
anu
—
vanam — to each forest
;
nayatoḥ
—
leading
;
udāra
—
very liberal
;
veṇu
—
svanaiḥ — by the vibrations of the Lord’s flute
;
kala
—
padaiḥ — having sweet tones
;
tanubhṛtsu
—
among the living entities
;
sakhyaḥ
—
O friends
;
aspandanam
—
the lack of movement
;
gati
—
matām — of those living entities that can move
;
pulakaḥ
—
the ecstatic jubilation
;
taruṇam
—
of the otherwise nonmoving trees
;
niryoga
—
pāśa — the ropes for binding the rear legs of the cows
;
kṛta
—
lakṣaṇayoḥ — of those two (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma), who are characterized by
;
vicitram
—
wonderful .
Translation
My dear friends, as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows’ rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear friends, as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows' rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful.
KB 10.21.19
Another gopī said, “Everything appears wonderful when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma travel in the forest of Vṛndāvana playing Their flutes and making intimate friendship with all kinds of moving and nonmoving living creatures. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma play on Their transcendental flutes, the moving creatures become stunned and stop their activities, and the nonmoving living creatures, like trees and plants, begin to shiver with ecstasy. These are the wonderful reactions to the vibration of the transcendental flutes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.”
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma carried binding ropes on Their shoulders and in Their hands, just like ordinary cowherd boys. While milking cows, cowherd boys bind the cows' hind legs with a small rope. This rope almost always hangs from the shoulders of cowherd boys, and it was not absent from the shoulders of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. In spite of Their being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, They played exactly like cowherd boys, and therefore everything became wonderful and attractive.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would sometimes wear Their cowherding ropes on Their heads and sometimes carry them on Their shoulders, and thus They were beautifully decorated with all the equipment of cowherd boys.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that the ropes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are made of yellow cloth and have clusters of pearls at both ends. Sometimes They wear these ropes around Their turbans, and the ropes thus become wonderful decorations.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"We should not delay in attempting to meet this flute player, for in herding the cows he can go far away." With this intention they speak this verse.
To indicate that they were in the mood of serving, the ka is added to gopa. Thus the word indicates that the cowherd boys were protecting (gopayanti) Krsna with love. Another indication of the word is that they went with Krsna every morning. Mother Yasoda brought them together for this purpose. While Krsna played the flute they wandered from forest to forest, herding the cows. This produced a very wonderful scene. What was so wonderful? When those who move about in bodies hear that flute sound, they become motionless. The trees in having their hairs stand on end adopt the quality of moving beings. Niyoga is a type of noose used to restrain the calve at milking time. By that rope Krsna and Balarama attained special beauty (krta laksanoh). The rope, bound with pearls and flowers in two directions in their yellow silk turbans, signified them as cowherd boys. This was attractive to the viewer.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
What can be said about the glory of Govardhana, aptly named his best servant. But most fortune are all the moving and non-moving beings there. Since he must travel far because of the unlimited number of cows, he gives joy to all the living beings over a wide area. He goes from forest to forest because of differences between the various groves. The gopīs feel most unfortunate, being cheated of seeing him. The suffix ka on gopakaiḥ indicates giving them mercy since the boys are objects of his mercy, being part of Kṛṣṇa’s family. The word gopa also indicates that they protect Kṛṣṇa from places where there is fear and sorrow. But we gopīs are not qualified to perform such service. The two boys wander at their leisure from forest to forest (nayatoḥ), but we do not have that fortune. That flute is generous (udāra), giving the highest joy to them all. That flute sound is special, producing soft, sweet tones (kala-padaiḥ). Kala means a soft, unclear, sweet sound according to the dictionary. The sound is attractive because of its sweetness. Because of its softness, it seems to be sending some hidden message. Being filled with many emotions, it becomes most excellent. Or that sound becomes mixed with the footsteps (padaiḥ) which make sounds because of ankle bells. This indicates that they remember his pastimes. The plural is used for respect. All those who have bodies (tanu-bhṛteṣu) fall under his control. O friends, you know this. Motion stops in things that have the ability to move such as rivers which have a constant tendency by their nature. What to speak of us who have come far into the forest. The trees have their hairs standing on end though they have no hairs, by developing sprouts. Producing sprouts and having them stand up occur simultaneously. This also indicates shivering, another symptom of ecstasy. Thus the moving and non-moving things develop opposite qualities. Since the cows have gentle natures, it is unsuitable to tie them up. These ropes are called niryoga. At the time of milking, the rope is used to tie the restless cow’s leg of the cow. The two boys have these ropes which make them look beautiful. Kṛta-lakṣaṇau means endowed with good qualities according to Amara-koṣa. Thus the rope refers to two pieces of cloth decorated with flower clusters and pearls. This is placed on top of a turban on his head. Though his cowherd dress is attractive to all, it is especially attractive to the young gopīs. It is most attractive to all people to have clothing and other items similar to those of one’s own locality, caste and age. This was most enchanting and astonishing (vicitram) to all the gopīs. This adjective can be applied suitably to many elements in the verse.
The verse may be taken to indicate their complete absorption in Kṛṣṇa as previously. O friends! Very clearly on the pretext of herding the cows he wanders in the forest with his friends and brother and appears like a cheater. The description as a cheater is completed by the rope, used for binding the feet, suitable to a cheater. These two boys have the ropes. The others assist them, protecting their stolen goods. The two boys herd the cows from forest to forest. By the excellent (udāra) sound of the flute, all moving things become motionless, and motionless things have their hairs stand on end. He is a powerful flute player with attractive, invisible notes like a bewitching mantra. He is thus the chief cheater. The others follow him. Therefore, like us, you should not hear his flute filled with a bewitching spell. Otherwise your minds will be bound up by the two binding ropes. In this way they express their sorrow at being completely bewildered.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
What can be said about the glory of Govardhana, aptly named his best servant. But most fortunate are all the moving and non-moving beings there. The suffix ka on gopakaiḥ indicates affection. Gopaka also means one who protects or one who becomes happy as a cowherd. They go to all the forests (anuvanam) in the Mathurā area with loud sound of the flute, or the sound which gives bliss to all (udāra), having sweet phrases (kala-padaiḥ). Or they go with soft, sweet sounding steps of their lotus feet (kala-padaiḥ) because of their ankle bells. Moving creatures become stunned like plants. All the non-moving entities like trees horripulate, and shiver like moving creatures. They show opposite qualities. This is amazing. Or the moving creatures becoming stunned and the trees horripulating is amazing. All living beings have developed special prema. Carrying the ropes is part of the astonishing dress, a cause of being stunned. It is said that even trees can see a little. This is mentioned in Mahābhārata with tasmāt paśyanti pādapāḥ: therefore the trees see.
Or not only do they become stunned. Others show transformations of prema such as horripulating. Among the living beings (tanu-bhṛtsu) the two boys have symptoms (lakṣaṇayoḥ)—such as tears and fainting-- produced by the bonds (paśa) of prema from which there arises constant meeting, or from which impersonal yoga has been excluded (niryoga). When the living beings exchange their qualities they show many symptoms of prema.
Or the two boys on seeing the animals being stunned stop and proceed on the path because of manifesting prema because of bonds arising from constant meeting with those moving creatures.
The two are mentioned because the gopīs are shy to directly indicate Kṛṣṇa. Oh! The moving and nonmoving entities are fortunate. They see him with his sweet cowherd dress and ropes. We rarely see him. How unfortunate we are!