Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.12
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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vanitā-utsava
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a festival for all women
Vanitā (woman, lit. 'one who is desired') + utsava (festival). Kṛṣṇa is named here as the very utsava of feminine love. In Gauḍīya rasa-theory, the supreme upādāna-vibhāva (foundational cause) of mādhurya is Kṛṣṇa Himself in His Vraja-form.
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devyaḥ
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the wives of the demigods
Even the heavenly devīs — at the top of the saṁsāric hierarchy — are agitated. Gauḍīyas use this to argue that Vraja-mādhurya is above svarga; demigod status is no immunity, and in fact births the desire to descend and become a gopī (cf. SB 10.47.58).
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kvaṇita-veṇu
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the vibrated flute
Kvaṇita (made to ring, from √kvaṇ — twang) + veṇu. A different verb than cukūja in v.2 — here the flute is being struck into resonance, an aural lightning that crosses the sky to the vimānas.
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vivikta-gītam
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clear song
Vivikta — distinct, lucid, set-apart. The flute-song is articulate, not noise: each note carries discernible mādhurya. Gauḍīyas read viviktatva as the property of Bhagavān's voice that allows even non-Sanskrit-knowing hearts to receive it.
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smara-nunna-sārāḥ
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their hearts agitated by Cupid
Smara (Cupid) + nunna (struck) + sāra (essence, heart). Smara here is the awakened mādhurya-bhāva, not mundane lust. The fact that the devīs' husbands are beside them and the flute still moves their hearts marks Kṛṣṇa as parakīya-rasa's centre — the all-attractive.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments: “[This verse indicates] that the transcendental sound of the flute of Kṛṣṇa extended to all corners of the universe. Also, it is significant that the gopīs knew about the different kinds of airplanes flying in the sky.” In fact, even while sitting on the laps of their demigod husbands, the demigoddesses became agitated by hearing the sounds of Kṛṣṇa’s flute. Thus the gopīs thought that they themselves should not be blamed for their ecstatic conjugal attraction for Kṛṣṇa, who after all was a cowherd boy from their own village and thus a natural object of their love. If even demigoddesses became mad after Kṛṣṇa, how could poor, earthly cowherd girls from Kṛṣṇa’s own village avoid having their hearts completely conquered by His loving glances and the sounds of His flute? The gopīs also considered that the demigods, although noting their wives’ attraction to Kṛṣṇa, did not become envious. The demigods are actually very refined in culture and intelligence, and therefore when flying in their airplanes they regularly take their wives along to see Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs thought, “Our husbands, on the other hand, are envious. Therefore even the inferior deer are better off than we, and the demigoddesses are also very fortunate, whereas we poor human beings in an intermediate position are most unfortunate.”
"Since we are ordinary gopis and Krsna is a gopa, our attraction for him is not so improper, for even the wives of the devatas become attracted to the gopa Krsna, though he is appearing among the human species. How astonishing that is." "Seeing the form and qualities of Krsna (rupa sila) the heavenly women become blissful (vanita utsava). Their hearts overcome with desire (smara nunna sara), the faint (mumuhuh) falling from the laps of their husbands riding in the sky in airplanes (vimana gatayah)." The symptoms of their bewilderment is described. "The flowers fell from their hair, and the hair became undone. Their belts loosened (vinivya)." These are the symptoms of mottayita. When through thoughts or news of the beloved , the heart becomes absorbed in the beloved and desire appears, it is called mottayita. "The intelligent devatas, understanding the condition of their wives, did not rebuke them, but rather thinking themselves most fortunate, brought their wives to Vrndavana to see Krsna. But our husbands become violent. Thus the low born deer and the high born wives of the devatas are fortunate, but we, in the middle position as humans, are most unfortunate."
What to speak of the glories of those who live in Vṛndāvana near Kṛṣṇa, how can one describe the good fortune of those flying in the sky? They see Kṛṣṇa, he who attracts the heart, with a form and natural qualities giving joy to women, suitable to cause anurāga in them. They hear a song with pure rāga (vivkta), or indicating mādhurya-rasa, sounded by his flute. They came suddenly in their airplanes with their husbands since they were not suitable for direct association with Kṛṣṇa. They were constantly afflicted with desire for him by seeing him, since it is mentioned that they saw his form. Their enchantment was further enhanced by hearing the song of his flute. Or, whenever they saw him at that time they became bewildered. Seeing and hearing were both causes of bewilderment. The actual order should be first hearing and then seeing. When this happens, they are not able to descend from their airplanes and approach Kṛṣṇa, because of their bewilderment. This is the anubhava called moṭtāyita. kānta-smaraṇavārtado hṛdi tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ prākaṭyam abhilāśasya moṭṭāyitam udīryate Moṭṭāyita refers to the appearance of desire in the heart from the arousal of the sthāyi-bhāva, from remembering or hearing about the beloved. We are most unfortunate for not having seen the astonishing ocean of all auspiciousness, who bewilders the foolish female deer and the most intelligent wives of devatās. Or, we are most unfortunate for not seeing him as he wanders in the forest, whereas they are fortunate.
- Where am I treating my current orbit as exempt from the Lord's pull?
- What recent 'loosening' in my composure might be His sound, not a problem?
Even the wives of demigods, riding their bright vimānas across the sky beside their own husbands, lose hair-flowers and waist-strings when Govinda's flute climbs into their hearing. Mādhurya does not check rank. The flute travels upward as easily as it travels through Vraja's dust.
My note
Source: vedabase.io