Chapter 21 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 21.1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus the Vṛndāvana forest was filled with transparent autumnal waters and cooled by breezes perfumed with the fragrance of lotus flowers growing in the clear lakes. The infallible Lord, accompanied by His cows and cowherd boyfriends, entered that Vṛndāvana forest.
Essence. The autumn-clear Vṛndāvana forest, cooled by lotus-fragrant breezes, receives Kṛṣṇa with His cows and friends. The Lord enters the cleared, fragrant world — purification of environment is the welcome a pastime requires.
BG 21.2
The lakes, rivers and hills of Vṛndāvana resounded with the sounds of maddened bees and flocks of birds moving about the flowering trees. In the company of the cowherd boys and Balarāma, Madhupati [Śrī Kṛṣṇa] entered that forest, and while herding the cows He began to vibrate His flute.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa enters the forest playing His flute, blending the sound with the songs of multicolored birds. The Lord does not silence the existing music to play His own — He weaves into it.
BG 21.3
When the young ladies in the cowherd village of Vraja heard the song of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, which arouses the influence of Cupid, some of them privately began describing Kṛṣṇa’s qualities to their intimate friends.
Essence. Hearing the flute, the young women of Vraja privately begin describing Kṛṣṇa's qualities to intimate friends. Some experiences of the Lord want to be spoken — but only to a particular friend who can hold them.
BG 21.4
The cowherd girls began to speak about Kṛṣṇa, but when they remembered His activities, O King, the power of Cupid disturbed their minds, and thus they could not speak.
Essence. Remembering Kṛṣṇa's activities, the gopīs are so overwhelmed by Cupid's influence that words fail. Real recollection sometimes silences rather than enables speech — overwhelm is part of the response.
BG 21.5
Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karṇikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.
Essence. Peacock-feather ornament, blue karṇikāra flowers, yellow garment, Vaijayantī garland — Kṛṣṇa enters the forest as the greatest dancer, filling His flute with His lips' nectar. Every detail of His form is itself meditation material.
BG 21.6
O King, when the young ladies in Vraja heard the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, which captivates the minds of all living beings, they all embraced one another and began describing it.
Essence. Hearing the flute, the gopīs embrace each other and exclaim. Shared ecstatic experience is not solitary — when one says it, the others realize they feel it too, and the embrace is mutual recognition.
BG 21.7
The cowherd girls said: O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.
Essence. 'Those eyes that see Nanda's sons' faces are certainly fortunate; for those who have eyes, no greater object of vision.' The gopīs reframe the purpose of vision itself — eyes were given for seeing Him, not for everything else.
BG 21.8
Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma shine like the best of dancers on a dramatic stage, decorated with feathers, flowers, sprouts, buds — sometimes They sing. The Lord's presence is theatrical, multisensory, and includes His voice as one more decoration.
BG 21.9
My dear gopīs, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips independently and leave only a taste for us gopīs, for whom that nectar is actually meant! The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.
Essence. What did the flute do to enjoy Kṛṣṇa's lip-nectar directly? Even the bamboo's parent trees cry tears of joy, and the river-mother's lotus stand like hair on her body. The Lord's tool receives mercy beyond comprehension — the family of the tool rejoices.
BG 21.10
O friend, Vṛndāvana is spreading the glory of the earth, having obtained the treasure of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī. The peacocks dance madly when they hear Govinda’s flute, and when other creatures see them from the hilltops, they all become stunned.
Essence. Vṛndāvana spreads the earth's glory by possessing Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. Peacocks dance madly to His flute; other creatures see them from hilltops and are stunned. Real worship triggers chains of awe — others freeze watching the dancers.
BG 21.11
Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda’s son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection.
Essence. Deer — both bucks and doe — approach Kṛṣṇa with looks of love. The males rejoice that their mates adore Him; in His company, family love includes shared devotion. Affection toward the Lord can be a relationship's center, not its rival.
BG 21.12
Kṛṣṇa’s beauty and character create a festival for all women. Indeed, when the demigods’ wives flying in airplanes with their husbands catch sight of Him and hear His resonant flute-song, their hearts are shaken by Cupid, and they become so bewildered that the flowers fall out of their hair and their belts loosen.
Essence. Even demigods' wives in airplanes are so shaken by Cupid on hearing the flute that their flowers fall and belts loosen. The Lord's beauty reaches every level of cosmos; no orbit is immune to Him.
BG 21.13
Using their upraised ears as vessels, the cows are drinking the nectar of the flute-song flowing out of Kṛṣṇa’s mouth. The calves, their mouths full of milk from their mothers’ moist nipples, stand still as they take Govinda within themselves through their tear-filled eyes and embrace Him within their hearts.
Essence. Cows use ears as cups to drink the flute-nectar; calves stand still, milk in their mouths, taking Govinda in through tear-filled eyes. Every act, even nursing, pauses for the Lord. The most ordinary tasks bow to His music.
BG 21.14
O mother, in this forest all the birds have risen onto the beautiful branches of the trees to see Kṛṣṇa. With closed eyes they are simply listening in silence to the sweet vibrations of His flute, and they are not attracted by any other sound. Surely these birds are on the same level as great sages.
Essence. Birds rise to beautiful branches and listen with closed eyes — silent, motionless, unattracted by other sound, like great sages. Real listening makes one resemble the sages without trying.
BG 21.15
When the rivers hear the flute-song of Kṛṣṇa, their minds begin to desire Him, and thus the flow of their currents is broken and their waters are agitated, moving around in whirlpools. Then with the arms of their waves the rivers embrace Murāri’s lotus feet and, holding on to them, present offerings of lotus flowers.
Essence. Rivers hearing the flute become agitated, whirl into eddies, and with wave-arms embrace His lotus feet, offering lotuses. Even moving systems pause and pivot toward Him. Currents redirect for love.
BG 21.16
In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend.
Essence. Out of love, the cloud rises above Kṛṣṇa, expanding itself into a flower-droplet umbrella for His sake. The Lord's friends offer shelter from natural conditions; love builds its own service-architecture.
BG 21.17
The aborigine women of the Vṛndāvana area become disturbed by lust when they see the grass marked with reddish kuṅkuma powder. Endowed with the color of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, this powder originally decorated the breasts of His beloveds, and when the aborigine women smear it on their faces and breasts, they feel fully satisfied and give up all their anxiety.
Essence. Aborigine women, seeing grass dusted with kuṅkuma from the gopīs' breasts and Kṛṣṇa's feet, smear it on their own faces and breasts, and feel fully satisfied. Even the dust of devotee-pastimes is enough to feed those who arrive later.
BG 21.18
Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.
Essence. Govardhana Hill is the best devotee — supplying water, soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers, vegetables to Kṛṣṇa and friends. Touched by Their feet, the hill is jubilant. The greatest devotion is full-service infrastructure for the Lord's daily life.
BG 21.19
My dear friends, as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows’ rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma walk with binding-ropes on Their shoulders or heads to tie cows at milking — and the flute stuns moving creatures while trees tremble. Even small working tools of the Lord become decorations; even labor implements glow.
BG 21.20
Thus narrating to one another the playful pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He wandered about in the Vṛndāvana forest, the gopīs became fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
Essence. Telling each other His pastimes, the gopīs become fully absorbed in Him. No method of worship surpasses the gopīs' constant remembrance — Kṛṣṇa-consciousness is, finally, remaining thought-of.