This song is sung by the young gopīs in a state called pūrva-rāga—they were immersed in love for Kṛṣṇa, but had not yet met Him directly. In this state, their desire to meet Him personally was very intense because they had only heard about Him and seen Him from afar. These gopīs express their deep love for Him on the pretext of describing the melodious sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute—His veṇu. Therefore this song is popularly known as Veṇu Gītā. (SB 10.21.7–19). We present Śrī Babaji’s translations below.

अक्षण्वतां फलमिदं न परं विदाम:
सख्य: पशूननु विवेशयतोर्वयस्यै:
वक्त्रं व्रजेशसुतयोरनवेणु जुष्टं
यैर्वा निपीतमनुरक्तकटाक्षमोक्षम्

akṣaṇvatāṁ phalam idaṁ na paraṁ vidāmaḥ
sakhyaḥ paśūn anuviveśayator vayasyaiḥ
vaktraṁ vrajeśa-sutayor anaveṇu-juṣṭaṁ
yair vā nipītam anurakta-kaṭākṣa-mokṣam

O friends, the two sons of Nanda enter the forest with cows in front of Them,
surrounded by Their playmates. They are holding flutes to Their mouths as
They glance lovingly on all the residents of Vṛṇdāvana. For those who have
eyes, nothing more beautiful can be seen.

चूतप्रवालबर्हस्तबकोत्पलाब्ज-
मालानुपृक्तपरिधानविचित्रवेशौ
मध्ये विरेजतुरलं पशुपालगोष्ठ्यां
रङ्गे यथा नटवरौ क्‍व च गायमानौ

cūta-pravāla-barha-stabakotpalābja
mālānupṛkta-paridhāna-vicitra-veśau
madhye virejatur alaṁ paśu-pāla-goṣṭhyāṁ
raṅge yathā naṭa-varau kvaca gāyamānau

Sometimes They sing amidst the assembled gopas, shining like two great actors
on a stage, adorned with blue and yellow garments and decorated with tender
mango leaves, peacock feathers, garlands of blue lotuses around Their necks,
and playfully holding lotuses in Their hands.

गोप्य: किमाचरदयं कुशलं स्म वेणु-
र्दामोदराधरसुधामपि गोपिकानाम्
भुङ्क्ते स्वयं यदवशिष्टरसं ह्रदिन्यो
हृष्यत्त्वचोऽश्रु मुमुचुस्तरवो यथार्या:

gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur
dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopīkānām
bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo
hṛṣyat-tvaco ’śru-mumucus taravo yathāryāḥ

O gopīs, the nectar-honey of Dāmodara’s lips is supposed to be our property.
What pious deeds did this flute perform in previous lives to gain the right to
freely and unrestrictedly enjoy it? Just as the elders of a family are delighted
to see the good fortune of their child, the lakes [grandparents of the bamboo
flute] express their joy by causing the flowers on their surfaces to blossom like
goosebumps, and the trees shed tears of joy by dropping streams of nectar from
their flowers.

वृन्दावनं सखि भुवो वितनोति कीर्तिं
यद् देवकीसुतपदाम्बुजलब्धलक्ष्मि
गोविन्दवेणुमनु मत्तमयूरनृत्यं
प्रेक्ष्याद्रिसान्ववरतान्यसमस्तसत्त्वम्

vṛndāvanaṁ sakhi bhuvo vitanoti kīṛtiṁ
yad devakī-suta-padāmbuja-labdha-lakṣmi
govinda-veṇum anu matta-mayūra-nṛtyaṁ
prekṣyādri-sānv-aparatānya-samasta-sattvam

O friend, Vṛṇdāvana magnifies the earth’s glory, because she has the fortune of
holding Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. The peacocks dance, enraptured by Kṛṣṇa’s flutesong,
and all the other creatures on the hilltops become stunned.

धन्या: स्म मूढगतयोऽपि हरिण्य एता
या नन्दनन्दनमुपात्तविचित्रवेशम्
आकर्ण्य वेणुरणितं सहकृष्णसारा:
पूजां दधुर्विरचितां प्रणयावलोकै:

dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-matayo ’pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaṁ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāṁ dadhur viracitāṁ praṇayāvalokaiḥ

Though they are simple animals, these female deer are so fortunate! When they
hear Kṛṣṇa’s flute-song, they and their mates welcome Him adoringly with
glances soaked in love.

कृष्णं निरीक्ष्य वनितोत्सवरूपशीलं
श्रुत्वा च तत्‍क्‍वणितवेणुविविक्तगीतम्
देव्यो विमानगतय: स्मरनुन्नसारा
भ्रश्यत्प्रसूनकबरा मुमुहुर्विनीव्य:

kṛṣṇaṁ nirīkṣya vanitotsava-rūpa-śīlaṁ
śrutvā ca tat-kvaṇita-veṇu-vicitra-gītam
devyo vimāna-gatayaḥ smara-nunna-sārā
bhraśyat-prasūna-kabarā mumuhur vinīvyaḥ

When they see Kṛṣṇa’s beauty and behavior, which charms the minds of all
women, and when they hear the unique melodies of His flute, the goddesses
flying in airships with their mates become full of passion. They stand there
infatuated, skirts loosening and flowers dropping from their disarrayed braids.

गावश्च कृष्णमुखनिर्गतवेणुगीत-
पीयूषमुत्तभितकर्णपुटै: पिबन्त्य:
शावा: स्‍नुतस्तनपय:कवला: स्म तस्थु-
र्गोविन्दमात्मनि द‍ृशाश्रुकला: स्पृशन्त्य:

gāvaś ca kṛṣṇa-mukha-nirgata-veṇu-gīta
pīyūṣam uttabhita-karṇa-puṭaiḥ pibantyaḥ
śāvāḥ snuta-stana-payaḥ-kavalāḥ sma tasthur
govindam ātmani dṛśāśru-kalāḥ spṛśantyaḥ

The cows use their uplifted ears as cups to drink the nectar of the flute-song
flowing from Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Their calves stand motionless forgetting to swallow
the milk or grass in their mouths, shedding tears of joy as they look at Kṛṣṇa
and embrace Him with their eyes.

प्रायो बताम्ब विहगा मुनयो वनेऽस्मिन्
कृष्णेक्षितं तदुदितं कलवेणुगीतम्
आरुह्य ये द्रुमभुजान् रुचिरप्रवालान्
श‍ृण्वन्ति मीलितद‍ृशो विगतान्यवाच:

prāyo batāmba vihagā munayo vane ’smin
kṛṣṇekṣitaṁ tad-uditaṁ kala-veṇu-gītam
āruhya ye druma-bhujān rucira-pravālān
śṛṇvantya mīlita-dṛśo vigatānya-vācaḥ

O Mother, most of the birds in this forest must be sages in disguise. See how
they sit with perfectly still posture on the branches of these verdant trees?
See how they gaze directly at Kṛṣṇa with unblinking eyes? See how they keep
perfect silence and focus on the enthralling notes of His flute?

नद्यस्तदा तदुपधार्य मुकुन्दगीत-
मावर्तलक्षितमनोभवभग्नवेगा:
आलिङ्गनस्थगितमूर्मिभुजैर्मुरारे-
र्गृह्णन्ति पादयुगलं कमलोपहारा: 

nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
āliṅgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhṇanti pāda-yugalaṁ kamalopahārāḥ

When the rivers hear the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, they stop flowing and form
churning whirlpools of amorous emotion. Those waves are like arms offering
lotus flowers to cover Kṛṣṇa’s feet and embrace them to the rivers’ breasts.

द‍ृष्ट्वातपे व्रजपशून् सह रामगोपै:
सञ्चारयन्तमनु वेणुमुदीरयन्तम्
प्रेमप्रवृद्ध उदित: कुसुमावलीभि:
सख्युर्व्यधात् स्ववपुषाम्बुद आतपत्रम् 

dṛṣṭvātape vraja-paśūn saha rāma-gopaiḥ
sañcārayantam anu veṇum udīrayantam
prema-pravṛddha uditaḥ kusumāvalībhiḥ
sakhyur vyadhāt sva-vapuṣāmbuda ātapatram

The clouds recognize Kṛṣṇa as one of their own [because He, like a cloud,
relieves people from suffering]. He plays His flute in the company of Balarāma
and the cowherd boys, walking behind the herds of cows. The clouds notice
the hot sun above and, out of their abounding love for Him, become like an
umbrella and send down a refreshing mist, like a shower of tiny flower petals.

पूर्णा: पुलिन्द्य उरुगायपदाब्जराग-
श्रीकुङ्कुमेन दयितास्तनमण्डितेन
तद्दर्शनस्मररुजस्तृणरूषितेन
लिम्पन्त्य आननकुचेषु जहुस्तदाधिम् 

pūrṇāḥ pulindya urugāya-padābja-rāga
śrī-kuṅkumena dayitā-stana-maṇḍitena
tad-darśana-smara-rujas tṛṇa-rūṣitena
limpantya ānana-kuceṣu jahus tad-ādhim

The indigenous women, smitten with pangs of love at the sight of Kṛṣṇa,
calm their burning desires by smearing their faces and breasts with kuṅkuma
powder that fell to the grass from the bosom of His beloved when She
embraced Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s reddish lotus feet.

हन्तायमद्रिरबला हरिदासवर्यो
यद् रामकृष्णचरणस्परशप्रमोद:
मानं तनोति सहगोगणयोस्तयोर्यत्
पानीयसूयवसकन्दरकन्दमूलै:

hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparaśa-pramodaḥ
mānaṁ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kandamūlaiḥ

O dear friends, this Govardhana Hill is the best among Kṛṣṇa’s servants. It
supplies Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, and Their calves, cows, and cowherd friends with all
necessities: drinking water, the softest of grass, caves, fruits, and flowers. In this
way, the Hill offers Him respect. Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and
Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.

गा गोपकैरनुवनं नयतोरुदार-
वेणुस्वनै: कलपदैस्तनुभृत्सु सख्य: ।
अस्पन्दनं गतिमतां पुलकस्तरुणां
निर्योगपाशकृतलक्षणयोर्विचित्रम्

gā gopakair anu-vanaṁ nayator udāra
veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaṁ gati-matāṁ pulakas taruṇāṁ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram

Carrying ropes around Their shoulders for tying the cows while milking them,
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma lead the cows from one forest to another in the company
of other cowherd boys. O friends, how wonderful it is! All living creatures,
mobile or not, overflow with delight when they hear the sweet sounds of the
beautiful notes of Their flutes.