Ankle Bells - The Sound of Divine Beauty and Material Illusion
The Vedic scriptures provide incredibly detailed descriptions of the spiritual world and the opulent culture of ancient times. Among the many beautiful ornaments described, ankle bells hold a unique place. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the melodious tinkling of ankle bells is not just a sign of material wealth; it is a profound element of Kṛṣṇa's sweet pastimes. However, depending on the consciousness of the hearer, this same sound can act as a dangerous catalyst for material illusion.
The Ornaments of the Supreme Lord
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of all beauty and opulence. When He reveals His form to pure devotees or demigods, He is always flawlessly decorated. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord's lotus feet are adorned with golden ankle bells, which, along with His other divine ornaments, infinitely increase His natural, captivating beauty.
- He wore bangles on His wrists, armlets on His arms, a helmet on His head, a belt on His waist, a sacred thread across His chest, and ankle bells decorating His lotus feet.
- Lord Brahma and Lord Siva saw the belt on the Lord's waist, the bangles on His arms, the necklace on His chest, and the ankle bells on His legs.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is superbly adorned with a pearl necklace, a crown and pairs of armlets, bracelets and anklets.
- His glittering earrings, shining helmet, bangles, garland, ankle bells, waist belt and various other bodily ornaments combine with conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower to increase the natural beauty of the Kaustubha pearl on His chest.
The Sweetness of Kṛṣṇa's Childhood
In the supreme spiritual realm of Vṛndāvana, the Absolute Truth plays the role of an innocent child to exchange intimate love with His devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda recounts the deeply endearing pastime where baby Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, mesmerized by the musical sound of ankle bells, would mistakenly crawl after the village women, thinking they were following their own mothers.
- When Krsna and Balarama were crawling about Vrajabhumi, They were enchanted by the sound of ankle bells. Thus They sometimes followed other people, who would enjoy the crawling of Krsna and Balarama.
- Very much pleased by the sound of other people's ankle bells, They (Krsna and Balarama) used to follow them as if going to Their mothers, but when They saw that these were other people, They became afraid and returned to Their real mothers - Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.22.
- Upon hearing this (the sound of ankle bells), Krsna and Balarama could understand that these were not Their mothers They were following, and They would return to Their actual mothers.
- Jagannatha Misra said, "This is a very wonderful incident. Why is there a sound of ankle bells from the bare feet of my child?"
The Opulence of the Lord's Queens
In the majestic city of Dvārakā, the opulence surpasses even that of the heavenly planets. Śrīla Prabhupāda vividly describes the Lord's Queens, such as Rukmiṇī, whose graceful movements were accompanied by the soft ringing of jeweled ankle bells. This transcendental sound constantly filled the palaces, reflecting the supreme fortune of those directly serving the Lord.
- Expecting Krsna to take her away at any moment, she (Rukmini) proceeded slowly toward her home. Her legs moved just like a full-grown swan, and her ankle bells tinkled mildly.
- Her (Rukmini's) legs were decorated with jeweled ankle bells, which rang very softly between the pleats of her sari. Rukmini's raised breasts were smeared with kunkuma and saffron.
- When the queens, with their heavy breasts and thin waists, moved within the palace and their ankle bells rang very melodiously with their movement, the whole palace appeared more opulent than the heavenly kingdom.
- The ladies of the palace, who were blessed with beautiful teeth and the most wonderfully beautiful faces, walked here and there in the palace, their ankle bells tinkling melodiously, and saw their own beautiful reflections in the gems.
The Allurement of Material Illusion
While ankle bells in the spiritual world evoke pure devotion, in the material world, they are a powerful instrument of māyā (illusion). Śrīla Prabhupāda cites several histories to prove that the mind is incredibly restless. Even advanced practitioners of mystic yoga, like Prince Āgnīdhra, were hopelessly distracted and deviated from their austerities simply by hearing the enchanting sound of a woman's ankle bells.
- Although Agnidhra, the son of Priyavrata, was practicing mystic yoga and trying to control his senses, the tinkling sound of Purvacitti's ankle bells disturbed his practice. Yoga indriya-samyamah: actual yoga practice means controlling the senses.
- The practice of mystic yoga is not sufficiently strong to control the senses. Another example is Prince Agnidhra, whose attention was drawn to the movements of Purvacitti, the Apsara, simply because he heard the tinkling of her ankle bells.
- The Gandharva Visvavasu was bewildered by her (Devahuti's) beauty and by hearing the sound of her ankle bangles, and being captivated by the sound and beauty, he fell down (from his airplane).
- In the case of Satadruti, however, she was so beautiful that she attracted the whole universe at her marriage ceremony. Indeed, she attracted all the learned and exalted demigods simply by the tinkling of her ankle bells.
Conclusion
The contrasting descriptions of ankle bells highlight a fundamental philosophical truth: the senses are active and will always seek engagement. Attempting to artificially repress them through mechanical yoga ultimately fails when confronted by the allurements of material nature. By consciously redirecting our senses to the transcendental beauty and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, we are naturally protected from illusion and elevated to the realm of pure, spiritual ecstasy.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Ankle Bells. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.