Verse Text
svanena, yathā –
dūrād vidrāvayan nidrā-marālīr gopa-subhruvām |
sāraṅga-raṅgadaṁ reje veṇu-vārida-garjitam ||190||
Translation
By sound: Just as the rumbling of the clouds which gives joy to the peacocks causes the swans to fly away, so the sound of the flute broke the sleep of the gopīs.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
There is a very beautiful comparison made in this connection: “The lotus flower is sometimes surrounded by white swans, and sometimes it is surrounded by black wasps who are collecting its honey. When there is a thundering in the sky, the swans go away, but the black wasps stay to enjoy the lotus flowers.” The gopīs’ sleeping condition is compared to the white swans, and the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is compared to a black wasp. When Kṛṣṇa’s flute sounded, the white swans, which represent the sleeping condition of the gopīs, were immediately vanquished, and the black wasp sound of the flute began to enjoy the lotus flower of the gopīs’ beauty.