anucaraiḥ samanuvarṇita-vīrya
Ädi-pÅ«ruá¹£a ivÄcala-bhÅ«tiḥ
vana-caro giri-taá¹eá¹£u carantÄ«r
veṇunÄhvayati gÄḥ sa yadÄ hi
vana-latÄs tarava Ätmani viṣṇuá¹
vyañjayantya iva puá¹£pa-phalÄá¸hyÄḥ
praṇata-bhÄra-viá¹apÄ madhu-dhÄrÄḥ
prema-hṛṣá¹a-tanavo vavṛṣuḥ sma
darÅ›anÄ«ya-tilako vana-mÄlÄ-
divya-gandha-tulasī-madhu-mattaiḥ
ali-kulair alaghu gÄ«tÄm abhÄ«á¹£á¹am
Ädriyan yarhi sandhita-veṇuḥ
sarasi sÄrasa-haá¹sa-vihaá¹…gÄÅ›
cÄru-gÄ«tÄ-há¹›ta-cetasa etya
harim upÄsata te yata-cittÄ
hanta mÄ«lita-dṛśo dhá¹›ta-maunÄḥ
anucaraiḥ - by His companions; samanuvarṇita - being elaborately described; vÄ«ryaḥ - whose prowess; Ädi-pÅ«ruá¹£aḥ - the original Personality of Godhead; iva - as if; acala - unchanging; bhÅ«tiḥ - whose opulences; vana - in the forest; caraḥ - moving about; giri - of the mountains; taá¹esu - on the sides; carantīḥ - who are grazing; veṇunÄ - with His flute; Ähvayati - calls; gÄḥ - the cows; saḥ - He; yadÄ - when; hi - indeed; vana-latÄḥ - the forest creepers; taravaḥ - and the trees; Ätmani - within themselves; viṣṇum - the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu; vyañjayantyaḥ - revealing; iva - as if; puá¹£pa - with flowers; phala - and fruits; Äá¸hyÄḥ - richly endowed; praṇata - bowed down; bhÄra - because of the weight; viá¹apÄḥ - whose branches; madhu - of sweet sap; dhÄrÄḥ - torrents; prema - out of ecstatic love; hṛṣá¹a - hairs standing on end; tanavaḥ - on whose bodies (trunks); vavṛṣuḥ sma - they have rained down; darÅ›anÄ«ya - of persons who are attractive to see; tilakaḥ - the most excellent; vana-mÄlÄ - upon His garland made of forest flowers; divya - divine; gandha - whose fragrance; tulasÄ« - of the tulasÄ« flowers; madhu - by the honeylike sweetness; mattaiḥ - intoxicated; ali - of bees; kulaiḥ - by the swarms; alaghu - strong; gÄ«tam - the singing; abhÄ«á¹£á¹am - desirable; Ädriyan - thankfully acknowledging; yarhi - when; sandhita - placed; veṇuḥ - His flute; sarasi - in the lake; sÄrasa - the cranes; haá¹sa - swans; vihaá¹…gÄḥ - and other birds; cÄru - charming; gÄ«ta - by the song (of His flute); há¹›ta - taken away; cetasaḥ - whose minds; etya - coming forward; harim - Lord Kṛṣṇa; upÄsata - worship; te - they; yata - under control; cittÄḥ - whose minds; hanta - ah; mÄ«lita - closed; dṛśaḥ - their eyes; dhá¹›ta - maintaining; maunÄḥ - silence.
Kṛṣṇa moves about the forest in the company of His friends, who vividly chant the glories of His magnificent deeds. He thus appears just like the Supreme Personality of Godhead exhibiting His inexhaustible opulences. When the cows wander onto the mountainsides and Kṛṣṇa calls out to them with the sound of His flute, the trees and creepers in the forest respond by becoming so luxuriant with fruits and flowers that they seem to be manifesting Lord Viṣṇu within their hearts. As their branches bend low with the weight, the filaments on their trunks and vines stand erect out of the ecstasy of love of God, and both the trees and the creepers pour down a rain of sweet sap.
Maddened by the divine, honeylike aroma of the tulasī flowers on the garland Kṛṣṇa wears, swarms of bees sing loudly for Him, and that most beautiful of all persons thankfully acknowledges and acclaims their song by taking His flute to His lips and playing it. The charming flute-song then steals away the minds of the cranes, swans and other lake-dwelling birds. Indeed they approach Kṛṣṇa, close their eyes and, maintaining strict silence, worship Him by fixing their consciousness upon Him in deep meditation.
ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura has made several illuminating comments on these verses. He gives the analogy that just as when householder Vaiṣṇavas hear a saá¹…kÄ«rtana party approaching they become ecstatic and offer obeisances, so the trees and creepers in Vá¹›ndÄvana became ecstatic when they heard Kṛṣṇa’s flute and bowed low with their branches and vines. The word darÅ›anÄ«ya-tilaka in text 10 indicates not only that the Lord is “the most excellent (to see),†but also that He decorated Himself with attractive reddish tilaka taken from the mineral-rich earth of Vá¹›ndÄvana forest.
ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« also points out that tulasÄ«, although exalted in many ways, is not normally considered an especially fragrant plant. However, early in the morning tulasÄ« emits a transcendental fragrance that ordinary people cannot perceive but that transcendental personalities fully appreciate. The bees who are privileged to swarm about the flower garlands worn by the Supreme Personality of Godhead certainly appreciate this fragrance, and ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« quotes from the BhÄgavatam (3.15.19) to the effect that the most fragrant plants in Vaikuṇá¹ha also appreciate the special qualifications of TulasÄ«-devÄ«.
The word sandhita-veṇuḥ in text 10 indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa placed His flute firmly upon His lips. And the melody emanating from that flute is certainly the most enchanting of sounds, as the gopīs describe in this chapter.
