Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.12.7-11
Who is speaking and story frame
केचिद्वेणून्वादयन्तो ध्मान्त: शृङ्गाणि केचन ।
केचिद्भृङ्गै: प्रगायन्त: कूजन्त: कोकिलै: परे ॥ ७ ॥
विच्छायाभि: प्रधावन्तो गच्छन्त: साधु हंसकै: ।
बकैरुपविशन्तश्च नृत्यन्तश्च कलापिभि: ॥ ८ ॥
विकर्षन्त: कीशबालानारोहन्तश्च तैर्द्रुमान् ।
विकुर्वन्तश्च तै: साकं प्लवन्तश्च पलाशिषु ॥ ९ ॥
साकं भेकैर्विलङ्घन्त: सरित: स्रवसम्प्लुता: ।
विहसन्त: प्रतिच्छाया: शपन्तश्च प्रतिस्वनान् ॥ १० ॥
इत्थं सतां ब्रह्मसुखानुभूत्या
दास्यं गतानां परदैवतेन ।
मायाश्रितानां नरदारकेण
साकं विजह्रु: कृतपुण्यपुञ्जा: ॥ ११ ॥
kecid veṇūn vādayanto
dhmāntaḥ śṛṅgāṇi kecana
kecid bhṛṅgaiḥ pragāyantaḥ
kūjantaḥ kokilaiḥ pare
vicchāyābhiḥ pradhāvanto
gacchantaḥ sādhu-haṁsakaiḥ
bakair upaviśantaś ca
nṛtyantaś ca kalāpibhiḥ
vikarṣantaḥ kīśa-bālān
ārohantaś ca tair drumān
vikurvantaś ca taiḥ sākaṁ
plavantaś ca palāśiṣu
sākaṁ bhekair vilaṅghantaḥ
saritaḥ srava-samplutāḥ
vihasantaḥ praticchāyāḥ
śapantaś ca pratisvanān
itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā
dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena
māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa
sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ
All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds’ shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks. Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes. In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?
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