Gāndharva / The flute

The enchantment of the veṇu (वेणु)

Six verses from Bhāgavata (भागवत) 10.21, the Veṇu (वेणु) Gītā (गीता), in the Sanskrit Documents text. The chapter has twenty verses. These six are the sounding and the stopping. The map, from the purāṇa side, is the Veṇu Gītā. The flute room is basuri. The practice rooms live outside this library, so this page cannot put a link back inside them.

Verse 9 says the flute drinks the nectar of Dāmodara (दामोदर)'s lip. The English sentence says that, and stops. It is not a method.

Bhāgavata (भागवत) 10.21.2

This sitting is Bhāgavata (भागवत) Purāṇa (पुराण) 10.21.2.

कुसुमितवनराजिशुष्मिभृङ्गद्विजकुलघुष्टसरःसरिन्महीध्रम् ।
मधुपतिरवगाह्य चारयन्गाः सहपशुपालबलश्चुकूज वेणुम् ॥ kusumitavanarājiśuṣmibhṛṅgadvijakulaghuṣṭasaraḥsarinmahīdhram |
madhupatiravagāhya cārayangāḥ sahapaśupālabalaścukūja veṇum ||

The line

The lord of spring, having entered the mountain whose lakes and rivers were loud with bees and birds among the flowering woods, and driving the cows with the cowherd host, sounded the flute.

नेपालीमा

वसन्तका स्वामी फूल फुलेका वनबीच भ्रमर र पक्षीले गुञ्जिएका ताल र नदी भएको पर्वतमा पसेर, गोठालाको समूहसँग गाई चराउँदै बाँसुरी बजाउनुभयो।

Where it sits

This is the sounding. The stopping is the later verses of the chapter. Play the flute in the basuri room.

Split: kusumitavanarājiśuṣmibhṛṅgadvijakulaghuṣṭasaraḥsarinmahīdhram (कुसुमितवनराजिशुष्मिभृङ्गद्विजकुलघुष्टसरःसरिन्महीध्रम्) + madhupatiḥ (मधुपतिः) + avagāhya (अवगाह्य) + cārayan (चारयन्) + gāḥ (गाः) + sahapaśupālabalaḥ (सहपशुपालबलः) + cukūja (चुकूज) + veṇum (वेणुम्)

गोप्यः किमाचरदयं कुशलं स्म वेणुर्दामोदराधरसुधामपि गोपिकानाम् ।
भुङ्क्ते स्वयं यदवशिष्टरसं ह्रदिन्यो हृष्यत्त्वचोऽश्रु मुमुचुस्तरवो यथार्यः ॥ gopyaḥ kimācaradayaṃ kuśalaṃ sma veṇurdāmodarādharasudhāmapi gopikānām |
bhuṅkte svayaṃ yadavaśiṣṭarasaṃ hradinyo hṛṣyattvaco 'śru mumucustaravo yathāryaḥ ||

The line

O gopyaḥ (गोप्यः), what good did this flute do? It itself drinks even the nectar of Dāmodara (दामोदर)'s lip, the nectar of the gopī (गोपी) women. At the rasa left over, the rivers thrilled in their skin, and the trees shed tears as the noble women do.

नेपालीमा

हे गोपीहो, यो बाँसुरीले के राम्रो गर्यो? यसले आफैँ दामोदरको ओठको अमृत, गोपीहरूको अमृत, पनि पिउँछ। बचेको रसमा नदीहरूको छाला पुलकित भयो, र रूखहरूले आर्याहरूझैँ आँसु झारे।

Where it sits

The words say the flute drinks the nectar of the lip. The sitting stops at that sentence. It does not teach a practice. The rivers and the trees are the first suspension: feeling, and tears, instead of their ordinary state.

Split: gopyaḥ (गोप्यः) + kim (किम्) + ācarat (आचरत्) + ayam (अयम्) + kuśalam (कुशलम्) + sma (स्म) + veṇuḥ (वेणुः) + dāmodarādharasudhām (दामोदराधरसुधाम्) + api (अपि) + gopikānām (गोपिकानाम्) + bhuṅkte (भुङ्क्ते) + svayam (स्वयम्) + yat (यत्) + avaśiṣṭarasam (अवशिष्टरसम्) + hradinyaḥ (ह्रदिन्यः) + hṛṣyattvacaḥ (हृष्यत्त्वचः) + aśru (अश्रु) + mumucuḥ (मुमुचुः) + taravaḥ (तरवः) + yathā (यथा) + āryāḥ (आर्याः)

वृन्दावनं सखि भुवो वितनोति कीर्तिं यद्देवकीसुतपदाम्बुजलब्धलक्ष्मि ।
गोविन्दवेणुमनु मत्तमयूरनृत्यं प्रेक्ष्याद्रिसान्ववरतान्यसमस्तसत्त्वम् ॥ vṛndāvanaṃ sakhi bhuvo vitanoti kīrtiṃ yaddevakīsutapadāmbujalabdhalakṣmi |
govindaveṇumanu mattamayūranṛtyaṃ prekṣyādrisānvavaratānyasamastasattvam ||

The line

Friend, Vṛndāvana (वृन्दावन) spreads the earth's fame, because its splendor is gained from the lotus feet of Devakī (देवकी)'s son. Having seen the dance of peacocks mad after Govinda's flute, every other creature on the mountain slopes stopped.

नेपालीमा

सखि, वृन्दावनले पृथ्वीको कीर्ति फैलाउँछ, किनकि देवकीपुत्रको पदकमलबाट यसको लक्ष्मी मिलेको छ। गोविन्दको बाँसुरीले मत्त भएका मयूरको नाच देखेर पर्वतको काखमा अरू सबै जीव रोकिए।

Where it sits

The peacock that utters ṣaḍja (षड्ज) on the note page is here a dancer that stops the other creatures. The flute room is basuri.

Split: vṛndāvanam (वृन्दावनम्) + sakhi (सखि) + bhuvaḥ (भुवः) + vitanoti (वितनोति) + kīrtim (कीर्तिम्) + yat (यत्) + devakīsutapadāmbujalabdhalakṣmi (देवकीसुतपदाम्बुजलब्धलक्ष्मि) + govindaveṇumanu (गोविन्दवेणुमनु) + mattamayūranṛtyam (मत्तमयूरनृत्यम्) + prekṣya (प्रेक्ष्य) + adrisānu (अद्रिसानु) + avarata (अवरत) + anyasamastasattvam (अन्यसमस्तसत्त्वम्)

गावश्च कृष्णमुखनिर्गतवेणुगीतपीयूषमुत्तभितकर्णपुटैः पिबन्त्यः ।
शावाः स्नुतस्तनपयःकवलाः स्म तस्थुर्गोविन्दमात्मनि दृशाश्रुकलाः स्पृशन्त्यः ॥ gāvaśca kṛṣṇamukhanirgataveṇugītapīyūṣamuttabhitakarṇapuṭaiḥ pibantyaḥ |
śāvāḥ snutastanapayaḥkavalāḥ sma tasthurgovindamātmani dṛśāśrukalāḥ spṛśantyaḥ ||

The line

And the cows, drinking with raised ear hollows the nectar of the flute song that came out of Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण)'s mouth, stood still, the calves with mouthfuls of milk from the flowing teat, touching Govinda in themselves with a drop of tears in the eye.

नेपालीमा

कृष्णको मुखबाट निस्केको बाँसुरी गीतको अमृत उठेका कानले पिउँदै गाईहरू उभिए। बाछाहरू पनि चुहिएको थुनको दूधको ग्रास लिएर, आँखाको आँसुको कणसहित, आफैँभित्र गोविन्दलाई छुँदै उभिए।

Where it sits

The cows that low ṛṣabha (ऋषभ) in the śikṣā (शिक्षा) stand still here. The verse says they drink the song. It does not give a method of listening.

Split: gāvaḥ (गावः) + ca (च) + kṛṣṇamukhanirgataveṇugītapīyūṣam (कृष्णमुखनिर्गतवेणुगीतपीयूषम्) + uttabhitakarṇapuṭaiḥ (उत्तभितकर्णपुटैः) + pibantyaḥ (पिबन्त्यः) + śāvāḥ (शावाः) + snutastanapayaḥkavalāḥ (स्नुतस्तनपयःकवलाः) + sma (स्म) + tasthuḥ (तस्थुः) + govindam (गोविन्दम्) + ātmani (आत्मनि) + dṛśāśrukalāḥ (दृशाश्रुकलाः) + spṛśantyaḥ (स्पृशन्त्यः)

प्रायो बताम्ब विहगा मुनयो वनेऽस्मिन् कृष्णेक्षितं तदुदितं कलवेणुगीतम् ।
आरुह्य ये द्रुमभुजान् रुचिरप्रवालान् शृण्वन्ति मीलितदृशो विगतान्यवाचः ॥ prāyo batāmba vihagā munayo vane 'smin kṛṣṇekṣitaṃ taduditaṃ kalaveṇugītam |
āruhya ye drumabhujān rucirapravālān śṛṇvanti mīlitadṛśo vigatānyavācaḥ ||

The line

Ah, mother, the birds in this forest are almost sages. They climb the branches with beautiful new leaves and, eyes closed, their other words gone, hear that sweet flute song which Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) has looked at and brought forth.

नेपालीमा

आमा, यो वनका चरा लगभग मुनि हुन्। राम्रा पालुवा भएका हाँगा चढेर, आँखा चिम्लेर, अरू वचन हराएर, कृष्णले हेर्नुभएको र निकाल्नुभएको त्यो मीठो बाँसुरी गीत सुन्छन्।

Where it sits

Silence of the birds is the suspension. The krauñca (क्रौञ्च) and the peacock of the śikṣā (शिक्षा) are cries. Here the birds have given up other words.

Split: prāyaḥ (प्रायः) + bata (बत) + amba (अम्ब) + vihagāḥ (विहगाः) + munayaḥ (मुनयः) + vane (वने) + asmin (अस्मिन्) + kṛṣṇekṣitam (कृष्णेक्षितम्) + tat (तत्) + uditam (उदितम्) + kalaveṇugītam (कलवेणुगीतम्) + āruhya (आरुह्य) + ye (ये) + drumabhujān (द्रुमभुजान्) + rucirapravālān (रुचिरप्रवालान्) + śṛṇvanti (शृण्वन्ति) + mīlitadṛśaḥ (मीलितदृशः) + vigatānyavācaḥ (विगतान्यवाचः)

गा गोपकैरनुवनं नयतोरुदार वेणुस्वनैः कलपदैस्तनुभृत्सु सख्यः ।
अस्पन्दनं गतिमतां पुलकस्तरूणां निर्योगपाशकृतलक्षणयोर्विचित्रम् ॥ gā gopakairanuvanaṃ nayatorudāra veṇusvanaiḥ kalapadaistanubhṛtsu sakhyaḥ |
aspandanaṃ gatimatāṃ pulakastarūṇāṃ niryogapāśakṛtalakṣaṇayorvicitram ||

The line

Friends, it is a wonder: the stillness of those who move, and the thrill of the trees, of the two who lead the cows with the cowherds from wood to wood, the two whose mark is made by the niryoga noose, by the noble sounds of the flute and by the sweet steps.

नेपालीमा

सखिहो, अचम्म हो। गोठालासँग वनवनमा गाई लैजाने ती दुईका, निर्योगको पासाले चिन्ह बनाइएका ती दुईका, बाँसुरीको उदार स्वर र मीठा पाइलाले हिँड्नेहरू निश्चल हुन्छन् र रूखहरू पुलकित हुन्छन्।

Where it sits

This is the cosmic suspension in one verse: motion stops, and the trees thrill. niryogapāśa (निर्योगपाश) is the words of the line, a noose called niryoga. Commentators take it as the herder's tether. The sitting gives the words and that reading, and it does not turn the tether into a practice. The flute is basuri.

Split: gāḥ (गाः) + gopakaiḥ (गोपकैः) + anuvanam (अनुवनम्) + nayatoḥ (नयतोः) + udāra (उदार) + veṇusvanaiḥ (वेणुस्वनैः) + kalapadaiḥ (कलपदैः) + tanubhṛtsu (तनुभृत्सु) + sakhyaḥ (सख्यः) + aspandanam (अस्पन्दनम्) + gatimatām (गतिमताम्) + pulakaḥ (पुलकः) + tarūṇām (तरूणाम्) + niryogapāśakṛtalakṣaṇayoḥ (निर्योगपाशकृतलक्षणयोः) + vicitram (विचित्रम्)