Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 16.149
The Gopīs Long for the Flute’s Fortune
“The gopīs considered, ‘The flute is completely unfit for his position. We want to know what kind of austerities the flute executed, so that we may also perform the same austerities. Although the flute is unfit, he is drinking the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Seeing this, we qualified gopīs are dying of unhappiness. Therefore, we must consider the austerities the flute underwent in his past life.’”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs consider the flute completely unfit for his position, yet he drinks the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips.
- Considering themselves qualified, the gopīs feel such unhappiness at this sight that they describe themselves as dying.
- They want to discover what austerities the flute performed in his past life so that they may perform the same austerities.
Try this today
Read the verse slowly and identify the words that most clearly express the gopīs’ longing for Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
What does the gopīs’ desire to follow the flute’s austerities reveal about their longing for Kṛṣṇa?
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.