एकदा ते पशून्पालाश्चारयन्तोऽद्रिसानुषु । चक्रुर्निलायनक्रीडाश्चोरपालापदेशत: ॥ २६ ॥
ekadā te paśūn pālāś’ cārayanto ’dri-sānuṣu cakrur nilāyana-krīḍāś cora-pālāpadeśataḥ
- ekadā
- one day
- te
- they
- paśūn
- the animals
- pālāḥ
- the cowherd boys
- cārayantaḥ
- grazing
- adri
- of a mountain
- sānuṣu
- on the sides
- cakruḥ
- they enacted
- nilāyana
- of “stealing and hiding”
- krīḍāḥ
- games
- cora
- of thieves
- pāla
- and protectors
- apadeśataḥ
- playing the roles
One day the cowherd boys, while grazing their animals on the mountain slopes, played the game of stealing and hiding, acting out the roles of rival thieves and herders.