Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.18.14
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Variety of Cowherd Games
“Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of āmalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds.”
What the purport teaches
- The boys played with bilva, kumbha and āmalaka fruits. They sometimes tossed fruits into the air and threw others to try to hit them.
- Their games included chasing, building bridges and identifying a friend while blindfolded by the feel of his palms. Flutes or walking sticks could serve as stakes for the winner.
- Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their friends also crossed the river in boats. The boys sometimes imitated the fighting of forest animals or chirped like birds.
Try this today
Choose one game from this verse and reread its description as a small exercise in remembering Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Ask yourself
Which detail helps you most clearly remember the variety of these pastimes?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.