Texts 14-15
vividha-gopa-caraṇeṣu vidagdho
veṇu-vādya urudhā nija-śikṣāḥ
tava sutaḥ sati yadādhara-bimbe
datta-veṇur anayat svara-jātīḥ
savanaśas tad upadhārya sureśāḥ
śakra-śarva-parameṣṭhi-purogāḥ
kavaya ānata-kandhara-cittāḥ
kaśmalaṁ yayur aniścita-tattvāḥ
vividha — various; gopa — of cowherds; caraṇeṣu — in the activities; vidagdhaḥ — expert; veṇu — of the flute; vādye — in the matter of playing; urudhā — manifold; nija — of His own production; śikṣāḥ — whose teachings; tava — your; sutaḥ — son; sati — O pious lady (Yaśodā); yadā — when; adhara — upon His lips; bimbe — which are like red bimba fruits; datta — placing; veṇuḥ — His flute; anayat — He brought forth; svara — of musical sound; jātīḥ — the harmonic tones; savanaśaḥ — with a variety of low, high and middle pitches; tat — that; upadhārya — hearing; sura-īśāḥ — the principal demigods; śakra — Indra; śarva — Śiva; parameṣṭhi — and Brahmā; puraḥ-gāḥ — headed by; kavayaḥ — learned scholars; ānata — bowed; kandhara — their necks; cittāḥ — and minds; kaśmalam yayuḥ — they became bewildered; aniścita — unable to ascertain; tattvāḥ — its essence.
O pious mother Yaśodā, your son, who is expert in all the arts of herding cows, has invented many new styles of flute-playing. When He takes His flute to His bimba-red lips and sends forth the tones of the harmonic scale in variegated melodies, Brahmā, Śiva, Indra and other chief demigods become confused upon hearing the sound. Although they are the most learned authorities, they cannot ascertain the essence of that music, and thus they bow down their heads and hearts.
The words tava sutaḥ sati, “your son, O chaste lady,” clearly indicate that at this point mother Yaśodā is among the young gopīs as they earnestly describe Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, among the demigods led by Śakra (Lord Indra) were Upendra, Agni and Yamarāja, among those led by Śarva (Lord Śiva) were Kātyāyanī, Skanda and Gaṇeśa, and among those led by Parameṣṭhī (Lord Brahmā) were the four Kumāras and Nārada. Thus the best collective intelligence in the universe could not definitively analyze the enchanting musical arrangements of the Supreme Lord.