The Autumn And The Flute
- a poem -
by Srila Sanatana Goswami

the flute beeing kissed by Krishnas lips


 

Ah! What an enchantment, Sri Krishna sports in the woods of Vraja!
Where fully set in the autumn with its phenomenal pregnancy,
Crystal clear waters with blooming lotuses and their fragrance,
And after the rains, waters regained their transparency,
Like ascetics with their purity free from all desires,
Shining with pure lustre becoming fully composed. (1)

The ocean is calm and quite likes the tranquil mind of a yogi,
Free from turbulence of piercing desires of worldliness,
The lakes, streams and mountains are resonant
With sweet warbling of birds and humming of bees,
The trees are enriched with foliage, blossoms and fruits
And the earth looks green with its enshrined beauty of sprouting wealth. (2)

Ah! The cloudless sky looks charming with bluish spectrum of its hue,
When peacocks rejoice dancing with their feathers spreading,
People dismiss their anguish at the appearance of the autumn,
But what a wonder and alluring characteristic of the gopis,
Their minds become turbulent with passionate loving devotion
To fold the lord into their bosom with singular poignancy. (3)

When breeze blows soothing and carrying fragrance of the blossom,
Sri Krishna luxuriant in the splendour of autumnal beauty,
Standing in triple-bent-posture under Vamsi-vat on the Yamuna bank,
With his dancing eye-brows and left cheek incline towards left Arm
Hails his dexterity of dulcet amusing on his most favourite flute
Kissing it with his lips and putting his delicate fingers into its holes. (4)

Lo, the mysterious all-attracting sound of his flute,
Left no Cupid-heart of the Gopis untouched in alluring dance
Enraptured as they were with passionate loving sentiment
Having been lured away by him they sallied forth,
From all sides to reach Him like flood-water sweeping over everything
What a witty connoisseur our beloved Lord is! (5)

Soon Sri Krishna kisses the flute with his blissful lips
Gopis who were feeding their sisters babies with boiled milk
Left the baby on the ground weeping and ran to Him,
Still others who were attending to their personal bedecking
Ran to Him having their minds lured by the muse of the flute,
Forgetful of their skirts that got loosened and unsettled. (6)

               Krishnas flute is calling the gopis

The moon with his retinue feels amazed at the muse of the flute
With the result he become standstill with its progress arrested
Ah, when autumnal full-moon-lit beaming upon the water-lily
The Gopis with their cupidity join hands with Sri Krishna their only spouse
Intoxicatingly enjoy in merry-go-round with Him in a Rasa-dance
But as it were, they think as if in a second long night is past! (7)

Even the great munis at their absorbed meditation
When nothing of the world enters into their minds
The melody of the flute pierces through their transparent hearts
And makes them enchanted with the ecstatic rapture
Lo, its make sentient-beings become motionless being absorbed
Nay, the non-sentient-beings reciprocate it with loving sentiment. (8)

Hearing the dulcet music of the flute poured forth by Sri Hari
The rivers have their rapid flow arrested
Show their love for Krishna by exposed eddies
Clasp both the feet of Him with the arms of their waves
As such to fold them in their embrace,
And offering lotuses as a symbol of their heart. (9)

The cows stand motionless with joyful tears in their eyes
Drinking with the cup of their ears the nectarine song of the flute
The calves too stop sucking the udders of their mother cows,
The deer perform their worship through their loving glances on Him
The birds with their unwinking eyes behold Sri Krishna as a muni does
Nay, clouds appear over His head to allay the suffering of hot sun. (10)

What a magic influence, hearing the song of the flute
Lord Brahma, Shiva, Indra and others listening to it
Become infatuated by the sound and unable to penetrate into its subtleties
Fall into confusion in their realization, although learned as they are
Whether the muse of the flute or the perceived reality of their souls eye
Is the presiding deity of their unstinched unstinted heart? (11)

Which the Lord through his own narration could not solve
Nay, neither through the Vedas, Upanishads nor through Puranas
The esoteric aspect of His all-attractive characteristic
Got unfolded with its all-charm by this mysterious flute
To it got unique honour to enjoy to its hearts content
The nectar that flows from the lips of Lord of love-transcendent. (12)

Sri Radha says: "Lo Lalita, Bo sakhis, what is it?
How this flute can enjoy our monopoly right?
What meritorious act has this flute performed?
By virtue of which it freely enjoys the Nektar
Flowing from the lips of my Beloved Sri Krishna
Whose dexterity alone enlivens us". (13)

Lo, even the lowest creature of Vraja is no other than a sage
Who hears the dulcet music of the flute poured forth by Sri Hari
Nay, the mountain gets melted at the alluring sound,
Ah! Should we have two wings of a parrot to fly into the woods
And having consecrated with the holy dust of the gopis feet
Be fortunate indeed, to drink the nectarine songs of his flute! (14)