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?
