In dealing with them, I will produce opposite effects. Though the intimate words of the bashful gopis are hidden by natural pride, I will reverse things and hear those words. Just as the parts of the body of a woman, hidden by her clothing become objects of great admiration and attraction, so the woman’s eagerness, being hidden by her external pride, also becomes attractive. Those experienced in relationships understand this.. But nothing is manifest. However, the male lover sometimes desires to the see the body of the woman in uncovered state, and similarly he also desires to hear her words of eagerness, which are usually hidden by external pride. But he does not desire to see or hear these intimate things in front of even his intimate friends what to speak of others. Thus at that time, Krsna was not in association of his cowherd friends.

Seeing the moon and feeling his love aroused, he went to the forest, and seeing it tinged with the rays of the moon, he went to the bank of the Yamunā in that forest, still famous today as Rāsaulī village. There he began to play a song using his attractive flute. This verse describes the particular teachings of the flute that appeared on this night, as on others. He had become lethargic for association of all these women who were the most exalted women, in order to give special instructions on his flute for attaining Rādhā, the dearest among them. Seeing a likeness of her face in the moon, he wondered if it was her, and by remembering her at that time, then sang on his flute. In wondering if the moon were Rādhā, some details are given to show the similarity. Kumut means kumuda (night lotus) according to Viśva-prakāśa. The moon was like a lotus, or lotuses bloomed when the moon rose. The adjectives describe the moon, though the moon is not directly mentioned. This is similar to a phrase like ayam udayati mudrā-bhaṣjanaḥ padminīnām: it (the sun) rises, breaking the locks of the closed lotuses. (Sat-ukti-karṇāmṛtam compiled by Śrīdhara dāsa) Concerning her face, kumut means “giving joy to the earth” since Rādhā is the supreme woman. The moon is complete with sixteen digits (akhaṇda-maṇḍalam). In relation to Rādhā it means “having all elements of her face arranged in proper proportions.” The moon was red like a ball of kuṁkuma. Rādhā’s face was flushed with the reddish tinge of kuṁkuma. The time was suitable for enjoyment. Then the place is shown as suitable for enjoyment. The forest is described. The forest was tinged only slightly by the first faint rays of the moon. Some versions have short gobhi for metrical reasons. The forest was also an uddīpana for love. Kṛṣṇa sang on his flute (not mentioned but understood) in sweet, quiet notes (kalam). Later in the chapter this will be understood when it is said: kā stry aṅga te kala-padāyata-veṇu-gīta- sammohitārya-caritān na calet tri-lokyām Dear Kṛṣṇa, what woman in all the three worlds wouldn’t deviate from religious behavior when bewildered by the sweet, drawn-out melody of your flute? SB 10.29.40 The sweetness attracted the women and softness made each of them think the flute was calling them personally by name. He played the flute so that it was attractive to those who had the appropriate love (vāma-dṛśām manoharam). This means he played a special rāga to incite only mādhurya-rasa. And the next verse explains that the song increased passion (anaṅga-vardhanam). This was called madhyamādi-rāga. It is said concerning the different māyura-rāgas: madhymādir ma-grahānto madhyama-grāma-rāgajaḥ ayaṁ sāyaṁ tu gātavyaḥ śṛṅgāre ṛdhavaritaḥ Madhyādi-rāga arises from the madhyama-grama employing the fourth note at the end, devoid of the second and sixth notes. This rāga should be sung in the evening for mādhurya-rasa. Ma means the fourth note. Ṛdha means the second and sixth notes. Graha means note of the scale (svara). Previously it was said: iti veṇu-ravaṁ rājan sarva-bhūta-manoharam śrutvā vraja-striyaḥ sarvā varṇayantyo ‘bhirebhire 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. SB 10.21.6 Because of the flute’s general message the gopīs were simply bewildered according to their nature. But now, they became attracted because of the special rasa in the notes. There are special varieties of the flute. ardhāṅgulāntaronmānaṁ tārādi-vivarāṣṭakam | tataḥ sārdhāṅgulād yatra mukha-randhraṁ tathāṅgulam ||368|| śiro vedāṅgulaṁ pucchaṁ try-aṅgulaṁ sā tu vaṁśikā | nava-randhrā smṛtā sapta-daśāṅgula-mitā budhaiḥ ||369|| The vaṁsikā is seventeen fingers long with nine holes (12.75 inches). Eight holes for playing notes are half a finger in diameter and spaced half a finger apart. A hole for blowing is placed one and a half fingers from the eighth hole and is one finger in diameter. There are four fingers space remaining at the head of the flute and three fingers space remaining at the end of the flute. BRS 2.1.368-369 daśāṅgulāntarā syāc cet sā tāra-mukha-randhrayoḥ | mahānandeti vyākhyātā tathā saṁmohinīti ca ||370|| bhavet sūryāntarā sā cet tata ākarṣiṇī matā | ānandinī tadā vaṁśī bhaved indrāntarā yadi ||371|| When space between the mouth hole and the first hole for notes is ten fingers, the vaṁśī is called mahānanda (great delight) and sammohinī (the bewitcher). If the space is twelve fingers, the vaṁśi is called ākarṣiṇī (the attractor). If the space is fourteen fingers, the vaṁśī is called ānandinī (bliss-giver). BRS 2.1.370-371 gopānāṁ vallabhā seyaṁ vaṁśulīti ca viśrutā | kramān maṇimayī haimī vaiṇavīti tridhā ca sā ||372|| The ānandinī is a favorite with the cowherd people and is also called vaṁśulī. The vaṁśīs are respectively made of jewels, gold, and bamboo. BRS 2.1.372 At this time Kṛṣṇa played the flute called akarṣiṇī made of gold. He also played a particular song. Vāma-dṛśām mahoharam (attracting the women with beautiful eyes) indicates that women, looking at him with crooked glances, became attracted through all their senses because their minds, the root of all their senses, became attracted. And esoterically even the kāma-bīja is indicated by the combination vāma-ḍṛśaḥ with kalam. This represents the first three letters of kāma-bīja (k-l-ī) . That bīja is described as manoharam—attractor of the mind. Since the deity of the mind is the moon, the meaning of manoharam is “endowed with the moon or candra-bindu.” The sound of the flute is naturally endowed with nāda (spiritual sound). Kalā tu māyā lavakā tu mūrtiḥ kala-kvanad venu-nināda-ramyaḥ: Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of the kāma-bijā (soft bewildering sound) when he pleasantly and softly plays the flute. (Krama-dīpika)

With the appearance of his special bhāva, he began playing his flute to attract the gopīs, as if using a mantra to bewitch them. Kumut means kumuda (night lotus) according to Viśva-prakāśa. He saw a group of blossoming lotuses (kumudvantam). The gopīs later say vṛdnāvane kumud-kunda-śaśāṅkaramya: does he, whose is the subject of attractive talks worshiped by all, recall those nights in the Vṛndāvana forest, lovely with lotus, jasmine and the bright moon? (SB 10.47.43) Or kumudvantam can mean he saw that everything on earth (ku) had become joyful (mud) because of the rising of the moon. He desired to enjoy because of remembering the face of Lakṣmī (ramānanābhām). “The face of the beloved is always decorated with kuṁkuma but the moon is white. How can they be compared?” The moon was red with fresh kuṁkuma. Kuṁkuma is an uddpīpana for love. The time was suitable for love. Now the suitability of the place is described. The forest everywhere was colored red or made suitable for anurāga with the gentle rays of the rising moon. Or the forest was smeared (aṣjitam) with the rays of the moon. This is also an uddīpana. He played a sweet song (kalam). Or he played softly (kalam) on his flute. kā stry aṅga te kala-padāyata-veṇu-gīta- sammohitārya-caritān na calet tri-lokyām trailokya-saubhagam idaṁ ca nirīkṣya rūpaṁ yad go-dvija-druma-mṛgāḥ pulakāny abibhran Dear Kṛṣṇa, what woman in all the three worlds wouldn’t deviate from religious behavior when bewildered by the sweet, drawn-out melody of your flute? Your beauty makes all three worlds auspicious. Even the cows, birds, trees and deer manifest the ecstatic symptom of bodily hair standing on end when they see your beautiful form. SB 10.29.40 The sound attracted the beautiful women (vāma-drśām) or the women with crooked glances. This is a general description of the gopīs, since they all had this nature. The sound was attractive because of the message it conveyed or because of its rāga and tāla. This was a special song since at other times the song did not cause the same response.