Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.35.2-3
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesMukunda’s Flute Amazes the Heavenly Ladies
“The gopīs said: When Mukunda vibrates the flute He has placed to His lips, stopping its holes with His tender fingers, He rests His left cheek on His left arm and makes His eyebrows dance. At that time the demigoddesses traveling in the sky with their husbands, the Siddhas, become amazed. As those ladies listen, they are embarrassed to find their minds yielding to the pursuit of lusty desires, and in their distress they are unaware that the belts of their garments are loosening.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that this chapter collects statements the gopīs made at various times in small groups throughout Vṛndāvana.
- The gopīs describe Mukunda resting His left cheek on His left arm, moving His eyebrows and playing His flute with tender fingers.
- The demigoddesses traveling with their husbands become amazed by the sound. Embarrassed by their awakened desires, they lose awareness of their loosening garments.
Try this today
Read the description of Mukunda’s posture slowly, then spend one minute remembering Him.
Ask yourself
Which detail of Mukunda’s flute-playing draws your attention most?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.