Text 24
gīta-vāditra-ghoṣeṇa
brahma-ghoṣeṇa bhūyasā
abhyayāt sa hṛṣīkeśaṁ
prāṇāḥ prāṇam ivādṛtaḥ
gīta — of song; vāditra — and instrumental music; ghoṣeṇa — with the sound; brahma — of the Vedas; ghoṣeṇa — with the sound; bhūyasā — abundant; abhyayāt — went forth; saḥ — he; hṛṣīkeśam — to Lord Kṛṣṇa; prāṇāḥ — the senses; prāṇam — consciousness, or the air of life; iva — as; ādṛtaḥ — reverential.
As songs and musical instruments resounded along with the loud vibration of Vedic hymns, the King went forth with great reverence to meet Lord Hṛṣīkeśa, just as the senses go forth to meet the consciousness of life.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is here described as Hṛṣīkeśa, the Lord of the senses, and King Yudhiṣṭhira’s rushing to the Lord is compared to the senses eagerly joining the consciousness of life. Without consciousness, the senses are useless; indeed, the senses function through consciousness. Similarly, when the individual souls are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love of God, they enter into a useless and illusory struggle called material existence. Pure devotees like King Yudhiṣṭhira are never bereft of the Lord’s association, for they keep Him always within their heart, and yet they feel special ecstasy when they see the Lord after long separation, as described here.