Flute

 

As a devotee progresses on her path, she starts experiencing the grace of God in one form or another. This invisible divine grace is the melodious sound of the Flute. Devotees experience the melodies depending on their particular beliefs. It is not impossible for a dedicated devotee to hear Sri Krishna's flute or murali. Anyone worshipping with the sentiments of Gopis or Radha can experience this. Sri jayadev, Namdev, Sri Narsinha Mehta, Sri Chaitnya Mahaprabhu and Meerabai are such saints to be graced thus.

Even the insentient Nature becomes full of vitality due to the melodies of His flute. A gopi, while cooking for her family, request Krishna thus:

मुरहर ! रंधन समये मा कुरु मुरलीरवं मधुरम् ।
निरसँ मेघो रस्तां कर्षानुरप्येति कर्षतरताम ॥

Hey Murare! Please do not play your flute when I am cooking because as soon as the melodies flow, these dried sticks in my clay oven get wet with emotions and the flame goes out and I cannot cook.

In fact, without flute the whole splendour of Braj is nullified. Even Veda Vyas felt the need to assign a separate chapter called 'Venu Geet' in his Srimad Bhagvat to stress the glories of Krishna's Flute. In some twenty incantations, Veda Vyas has narrated the extraordinary effect of murali or bansi - the flute. Gopis express their sentiments about the flute thus:

गोप्यः किमाचरदयं कुशलंसमवेणुं -
दामोरदाराधर सुधामपि गोपिकानाम् ।
भुँड्कते स्वयं यदवशिष्ट रसं। . .. Srimad Bhagvat (10|21|9)

O friend! I wonder what good deeds have this flute done to freely savour the divine nectar of Damodar's lips by being attached to them. And it drinks all the nectar, leaving nothing behind!

And again: गोविन्द वेणु मनुमत मयूर नृत्यं । प्रेक्श्यादृसत्त्व परतान्य समस्त स्तवम् ॥  The deer are dancing rapturously listening to Govind's flute. Seeing them dancing the rest of creatures in the mountains are becoming listless with sheer bliss.

Those who were sitting beside their husbands and the nymphs flying above in their planes when listen to the extraordinary melodies of the flute, become exultant with love and lose self-control and the flowers from their hair fall on the ground and they become completely unaware of their dresses.

The cows listen to the flute by raising their ears as if they are collecting this nectar in a container and by taking Govind from their eyes into their hearts are shedding tears of happiness. Thus they forget grazing the grass. Likewise the calves listening to the flute with the containers of their ears forget sucking the udders, the milk starts flowing out of their mouths.

Listening to the Lord's flute, the rivers get passionate and stop flowing. They scoop up lotus flowers with their waves to offer to Govind's feet and thus embrace Him.  During the Raas Leela the influence of flute is indescribable. The pure melodies of flute overwhelming Vrindavan, penetrates the heavens, delighting the musicians there, it amazes the Prajapati, the Brahma himself. It delights the nagas, the sheshnagas and other kings of the serpents, trembling snake's thousands hoods, the music from the flute pervades the skies.

Listening to the music, gopis leave all their household duties behind and run towards Krishna. They become so pitiable due to their enchantment. They forget about their bodies, mind, speech, and do not complete what they are about to do. In fact, just by mere listening to the flute makes one give up all the cares and concerns of this material world. To redress this, one gopi says to another:

सुनती हो कहा भज जाहु घरै ,
बिध जाओगी नैनन के बानन में ।
यह बंशी निवाज भरी विष सों ,
बगरावत है विष प्रानन में ॥
अबहीं सुधि भूली हो भोरी भटू ,
भँवरो जब मीठीसी तानन में ॥
कुलकान जो आपनि राख चहो,
दै रहो आँगुरी दोउ कानन में ॥

Is there any limit to the extraordinary fortune of this flute? The sight of Sri Krishna is so literally unobtainable for us gopis, this flute enjoys the delicate touch of Shyam Sundar and daily drinks the nectar of his lips. They cannot endure  the glories of this proprietor of Shyam's love and attention.

Sri Radha says:

मोरपखा सिर ऊपर राखी हों,
गुणज की माल गरै पहिरौगी ।
ओढ़ी पीताम्बर ले लकुटि बन,
गोधन ग्वालन संग फिरौगी ।।
भाव तो सोई मेरो 'रसखान' सो,
तेरे कहे सब स्वांग करौगी ।
पै या मुरली मुरली धरकी,
अधरान धरी अधरा न धरौंगी ॥

This last line 'adhran dhari adhra na dhrungi' sums up the envy gopis have for the flute's closeness to Krishna.

Gopis withdraw from the world and relatives as soon as they hear the music of Govind's flute and become anxious to see Him. All the doubts, fear, shame and hesitation melt away with one note. There is no desire in their hearts, either of sense-gratification or of self-satisfaction. Their hearts are pure. Thus they attain Sri Krishna' love, leaving those close human bonds which are very difficult to give up.

The sound of Sri Krishna's flute is indicative of the supremacy of music and its pervasive presence. It can also be said that sound pervades all the visible and invisible activities of origin, sustenance and involution of our cosmos and  are controlled by the sound too. Therefore, sound is music.

Song, musical instrument, and dance are the essential parts of Maharaas or cosmic dance. Music presides over this show. Maharaas happens daily on the cosmic plane. It may seem different from the viewpoint of a knower or jnani.

Meera has written many poems on 'banshi' or flute. For Meera, eternal beloved of Krishna, brajbhav is her soul and flute is her life. The sound of flute flowed in her veins and her ears only heard the flute.

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1.

The sanvara of Braj has won my heart
by playing on his flute.
The green stick erupted from a rock
If I had known I would have
broken it.
This flute is only little in size
but has become invaluable
when Krishna played it.
I went to worship the Peepul tree
for the well-being of my family
worshipping to Peepul
I got Hari
got two birds with a stone.

2.

Maharaj played his flute
on the banks of Yamuna
Maharaj played
Ghanshyam played!
I was sound asleep on my bed
I woke up suddenly
and came running to Gopal
gave up son, husband, mother and sister-in-law
to love just you
In the bowers of Vrindavan
gopis go about running.
O the God of love (raas bihari)
let us play Raas
Meera, the servant of Shyam
is endearing to all the saints.
Why delay, we are ready to go.

3.

Giridhar's bansi is so sweet.
For you I have planted saffron
flowers in the garden, my Lord.
For you I have got a palace built
with sixty-four windows.
Radha looks through those windows
looking out for Giridhari below.
For you I have made the bed
you are man, I the wife
Let us play chess, my Lord
you be the board, I the dice.
If my Lord gets hungry
I be the delectable food
If my Lord feels thirsty
I will bring a glass of Ganga
Meera's lord is Giridhar Nagar
I surrender to your feet.

3.

The sweet notes of the flute
have pierced my heart
I was carrying out the chores
and ran listening to your flute
O friend, I have forgotten to eat
and drink
and haven't slept for days
Meera's immersed in the ways
of Krishna day and night.

4.

the sounds of flute
o friend, have stolen my heart.
It played in Gokul
played in Vrindavan
and in Mathura city.
You are the lad of Nand baba
I am Vrishbhan's daughter
I will cut down all the bamboos
of Madhuban
there won't be any flute any more.
Meera's Lord is Giridhar Nagar
I adore your lotus feet.

5.

O sweetheart, I saw Ghanshyam, thus!
Playing melodious Kalyan.
I stood transfixed and so
the cows stood.
He wove such a magic
I forgot my work
When the tunes reached my ears
I lost consciousness
He stole my all
the giver of pain of separation
Meerabai found her love
by devoting her life to Giridhar
Focussing on the path
I lost my body and found Him.