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21/ The Gopis Attracted by the Flute

Krsna was very pleased with the atmosphere of the forest where flowers
bloomed and bees and drones hummed very jubilantly. While the birds,
trees and branches were all looking very happy, Krsna, tending the cows,
accompanied by Sri Balarama and the cowherd boys, began to vibrate His
transcendental flute. After hearing the vibration of the flute of Krsna, the
gopis in Vrndavana remembered Him and began to talk amongst themselves
about how nicely Krsna was playing His flute. When the gopis were de-
scribing the sweet vibration of Krsna’s flute, they also remembered their
pastimes with Him; thus their minds became disturbed, and they were
unable to describe completely the beautiful vibrations. While discussing
the transcendental vibration, they remembered also how Krsna dressed,
decorated with a peacock feather on His head, just like a dancing actor,
and with blue flowers pushed over His ear. His garment glowed yellow-
gold, and He was garlanded with a vaijayanti necklace. Dressed in such an
attractive way, Krsna filled up the holes of His flute with the nectar
emanating from His lips. So they remembered Him, entering the forest of
Vrndavana, which is always glorified by the footprints of Krsna and His
companions.

Krsna was very expert in playing the flute, and the gopis were captivated
by the sound vibration, which was not only attractive to them, but to all
living creatures who heard it. One of the gopis told her friends, “The
highest perfection of the eyes is to see Krsna and Balarama entering the
forest and playing Their flutes and tending the cows with Their friends.”

Persons who are constantly engaged in the transcendental meditation of
seeing Krsna, internally and externally, by thinking of Him playing the
flute and entering the Vrndavana forest, have really attained the perfection
of samadhi. Samadhi (trance) means absorption of all the activities of the
senses on a particular object, and the gopis indicate that the pastimes of

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