Who can describe the glory of Lord Krishna, Lord of the yogis and the soul of the universe? Lord Krishna was the highest incarnation of the great Vishnu. He was the Poorna Avatara. He had all the sixteen kalas or rays of the Lord. He was a noble scion of the illustrious Yadava dynasty. He was the world-teacher. He was the lover of all. His enchanting form, with flute in hand, holds the heart of India captive in chains even today.
Lord Krishna is an embodiment of love and mercy. He is styled as one who steals butter, because he used to stealthily eat the butter in the houses of the gopis because of his extreme love for them. This stealing of butter was a sort of sport or lila when he was a boy to instil delight in the hearts of the gopis who were his devotees. The gopis were eagerly expecting Krishna to come and eat their butter. Krishna really steals or captivates the hearts of his devotees, makes them forget the world, draws their minds towards his blessed feet, and makes them enjoy everlasting peace and bliss.
The flute is the symbol of the pranava, Om. The love that the gopis bore towards Krishna was a divine love, the union of souls. It is the blending of the individual soul with the supreme soul. The sound of his divine flute thrilled their hearts and stirred their souls. They lost all control over themselves. The world was nothing to them. They felt irresistibly drawn towards Sri Krishna. They had neither shame nor fear in leaving their homes. The soul awakened in them. Their mind was not of this world. Their husbands and brothers stopped them in vain. Who can resist the torrent of divine love for the Lord?
Krishna preached prem, divine love, through his flute. Radha asked Krishna, “O my dear! Why do you love the flute more than me?” Sri Krishna said, “This flute is very dear to me. It has emptied itself of egoism. It has made its inner hollow quite void and I can bring out any kind of tune, raga or ragini, to my pleasure. If you behave towards me in exactly the same manner as this flute, if you remove your egoism completely and surrender perfectly, then I shall also love you in the same manner as I love this flute.”
This body is also the flute of Lord Krishna in the macrocosm. If you can destroy your egoism and surrender yourself totally, he will play on this body-flute and bring out melodious tunes. Your will will become merged in his will. He will work unhampered through your body, mind and indriyas. You can then rest very peacefully without cares, worries or anxieties.
Lord Krishna is still roaming about in the gullies of Vrindavan giving darshan to his sincere bhaktas. You can find him if you really want him. He is waiting with outstretched hands to embrace you with his warm love in his sweet bosom as he did with Mira, Surdas and others in days of yore. Purify your mind. Hear once more the flute of the Bansiwala, his immortal song of the Gita, and allow him to play on your body-flute. Do not lose this rare opportunity.