Radha and her friends gathered in a flowering grove. Krishna was with them amid conversation and jokes. Lalita met Him with her sharp wit. Vishakha listened to their playful exchange. No one expected the little flute to take center stage. Krishna was so absorbed that He did not notice it. The flute slipped from His hand. Before it reached the ground, Radha caught it. She hid it among the folds of her clothing. Thus began the search told in the tenth chapter.
Vishakha went on teasing Krishna. The friends brought the names of stars into their words. Each turned His attention toward another. Radha stood close by and kept the secret. Krishna still did not know where the flute was. Their conversation moved faster than His eyes. Lalita pretended to be stern. The others concealed their smiles. Even a small movement could give them away. But the game called for a little more patience.
At last Krishna reached for His flute. It was no longer where He usually carried it. He looked astonished and turned to Kundalata. Her glance hinted that Radha knew something. Radha noticed the signal. Without many words she passed the flute to Tulasi. Tulasi hid it behind the other friends. Krishna looked from one to another. Smiles and fresh hints were His answers. His search had become their shared game.
As Krishna approached, Tulasi gave a sign. The flute passed into Rupa Manjari's hands. She kept it only for a moment. Her glance told Lalita to take it next. Lalita already had another joke ready. Then the flute reached Kundalata as well. Kundalata quietly passed it back to Radha. Every friend spoke as though she knew nothing. The quiet handoffs outpaced His questions. Even the flute itself became part of the joke.
Lalita called it an ordinary piece of bamboo. She teased the holes in the wooden reed. Krishna would not accept that judgment. To Him the sound of the flute was precious. The friends knew how that sound called to them. They remembered its melodies throughout Vraja. Their teasing was therefore full of affection. No one wanted the music silenced forever. They only wanted Krishna to seek them attentively. In this game the bamboo was no ordinary thing.
Vishakha suggested that the search needed a helper. Whoever found the flute would receive a reward. Krishna spoke of a flower garland and ornaments. Kundalata offered to mediate. They all began talking like seasoned investigators. They asked who had last seen the flute. Each answer raised yet another question. Radha listened without revealing its hiding place. Krishna understood the playful tone well. The reward gave rise to more witty remarks.
Kundalata again drew attention to Radha. She noticed a dark ornament on her face. In jest she called it a clue to the missing flute. The friends smiled at her imaginary investigation. Radha quietly passed the flute to Tulasi again. Lalita stood near her. Krishna tried to follow every sign. Yet each friend had her own interpretation. The truth kept coming close and slipping away. So the conversation lasted longer than a simple search.
While the others laughed, Radha stepped away. She entered a nearby flower bower. Her ornaments sounded softly among the vines. Meanwhile Tulasi kept the flute concealed. She carried it to Vrinda in a neighboring grove. Vrinda received it and guarded it carefully. She marveled that a bamboo reed had created such play. Without the flute, everyone spoke of it. Its music was absent, but its memory remained. That little contrast brought them fresh delight.
Krishna noticed that Radha was no longer with them. He asked Lalita where she had hidden. One friend said perhaps she had gone home. Another named an entirely different path. The answers were still part of the game. Kundalata indicated the grove with her eyes. Krishna understood her silent hint. The path led toward the bower among the vines. The friends remained outside with their smiles. The search had taken a new direction.
Vrinda guarded the flute in the neighboring grove. Radha was in the flower bower among the vines. Krishna entered after Kundalata's silent hint. The friends closed its doors of woven vines. Lalita and Vishakha remained laughing outside. The flute's song had fallen silent for a while. But its sound lived on in their thoughts. The search had drawn everyone into a new game. No one hurried to reveal their little secret. Vrinda kept the bamboo safe for another moment.