31-42 Sakhīs - Reflection of Rādhā Kṛṣṇa’s Prema

31 But when Madhumaṅgal sees the smiling Sakhīs bubbling in the intoxication of Rādhā's glories, he quickly escorts Kṛṣṇa to the front. Aho! Kṛṣṇa's 'Śyāma-aṅga Kānti merges with Rādhā's golden effulgence-and the whole forest turns emerald-green!

32Then Madhu ecstatically declares: "Aha Sakhīs! Just behold the wonderful combination of Rādhā Govinda's luster! Their bodily colors have merged to escape Kandarpa Rāja's affliction!"

Ṭīkā: Batu is intolerant of the Sakhīs' pride, so he tries to smother their haughty smiles with Kṛṣṇa's effulgence! But neither party wins-it's a draw! Rādhā's golden Kānti and Kṛṣṇa's Śyāma Kānti merge and everything turn emerald, green! Then Batu cuts a light-hearted joke: "O Sakhī! Look! Today Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have conceived of a plan to fool Cupid. They've turned green to become unrecognizable! So now Kandarpa won't be able to torture our Yugala Kiśora!" Thus, everyone continues along while enjoying the forest's beauty.

33 Kavīśhwarī Tuṅgavidyā smiles and says, "Oh, I think that we are the reflection of Rādhā Kṛṣṇa's Prema! Look! Their divine qualities have decorated all of us!"

34 Then the vana-pālikā (maintainer of the forest) Śrī Vṛnda, waves her hand to say something, but a flute-sound is heard! Apparently, a sudden gust of wind entered the Vaṁśī she conceals to produce the sound.

35 As the noise astonishes everyone- Kuṇḍalatā and the Sakhīs approach Vṛnda-and find Kṛṣṇa's flute! "Oh, Vṛnda is the Vaṁśī-caurī- the flute thief!" everyone exclaims. Then she is escorted before Kṛṣṇa.

36 Rādhikā says: "O Sakhī Kuṇḍalate! Just see how your cousin unduly troubled us after hiding his flute with Vṛnda! And if you don't believe me-just ask Vṛnda where she got it! But inform her that if she doesn't tell the truth, she'll be punished!"

Ṭīkā: Sucaturā (very clever) Rādhikā knows that Vṛnda will admit that she gave her the flute. So before Vṛnda gets the chance to speak, Rādhā places the blame on Kṛṣṇa.

37 Vṛnda replies: "O Vrinde! The old she-monkey, Kakkhatī, forcefully snatched the Vaṁśī from Śaibyā's hand. Then she gave it to me when I was hiding with Nāndīmukhī in the Kuñja!"

Ṭīkā: Vṛnda is also cleverness personified. She considers: "If I tell the truth, a new Prema-kandala (love quarrel) will start. Then it will be hard to sort things out once the arguing commences!" Thus Vṛnda presents a story that matches Lalitā's white lie when she said that Kṛṣṇa's flute was stolen by Śaibyā at Kusuma Sarovara. But Vṛnda then adds a little spicing of her own: "When I saw Śaibyā escaping with the flute, I instructed Kakkhatī to recover it. O Kṛṣṇa! I kept the Vaṁśī only because I wanted to return it to you!"

38 Kuṇḍalatā places the flute in Kṛṣṇa's hand....and after bearing its separation, his happiness returns. Thus Kṛṣṇa begins to play it.

39 The Veṇu's sweet call awakens erotic desires within every woman's mind. Although their chastity may be compared to a bamboo shoot, Kṛṣṇa's Veṇu acts like the Ghūṇa insect, which converts it to sawdust! The Veṇu moves the non-moving objects and stuns the mobile creatures-even the six seasons appear at once, and the three worlds become drenched in the blissful shower of nectar!

Ṭīkā: When the Ghūṇa insect, a kind of termite, bores into a piece of bamboo, it eats the whole inside portion, but leaves the outside of the bamboo be fresh and unmarred. Similarly, when Muralī Manohara's enchanting flute-song enters the Gopīs' ears, it devastates their mind and hearts with the uncontrollable urge to meet him! Externally, however, they remain as beautiful, or even more beautiful, as the love for Kṛṣṇa transforms their every feature.

40 Kṛṣṇa's Muralī dhvani acts like Kandarpa's arrows to madden even the most patient of chaste women! And what to speak of women-even men lose their composure! But this shouldn't seem amazing, because Kṛṣṇa is the very form of Cupid himself!

41 Even the mountains melt upon hearing Kṛṣṇa's Veṇu-dhvani! As the birds and the deer see the mountain turn to liquid and streaming in all directions, they rush to drink this amṛta! But when they themselves hear the flute's vibration they become stunned and unable to drink!

42 Aho! As the Vaṁśī-dhvani drifts over the Sarovars, the water solidifies to become hard as stone! Thus the feet of the swans get stuck, so they are unable to mate with the geese. The swans cannot eat the lotus stems, nor can they feed them to their beloved geese-this is another wonder!