Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 16.129
The Gopīs Silently Tolerate the Flute
“This flute is nothing but a dry stick of bamboo, but it becomes our master and insults us in so many ways that it forces us into a predicament. What can we do but tolerate it? The mother of a thief cannot cry loudly for justice when the thief is punished. Therefore we simply remain silent.
What the purport teaches
- Although the flute is merely a dry bamboo stick, the gopīs describe it as their master.
- Its many insults place them in a predicament, and they ask what they can do except tolerate it.
- They compare themselves to a thief’s mother, who cannot loudly demand justice when her child is punished. Thus they remain silent.
Try this today
Summarize in one sentence the contrast between the flute’s simple material and its power over the gopīs.
Ask yourself
How does the comparison with a thief’s mother explain the gopīs’ silence?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.