Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 39
Gokula’s Wonder, Kṛṣṇa’s Bhakta-vaśyatā, the Move to Vṛndāvana, and the Slaying of Vatsāsura and Bakāsura
क्वचिद्वादयतो वेणुं क्षेपणै: क्षिपत: क्वचित् । क्वचित्पादै: किङ्किणीभि: क्वचित्कृत्रिमगोवृषै: ॥ ३९ ॥ वृषायमाणौ नर्दन्तौ युयुधाते परस्परम् । अनुकृत्य रुतैर्जन्तूंश्चेरतु: प्राकृतौ यथा ॥ ४० ॥
kvacid vādayato veṇuṁ kṣepaṇaiḥ kṣipataḥ kvacit kvacit pādaiḥ kiṅkiṇībhiḥ kvacit kṛtrima-go-vṛṣaiḥ
Sometimes Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would play on Their flutes, sometimes They would throw ropes and stones devised for getting fruits from the trees, sometimes They would throw only stones, and sometimes, Their ankle bells tinkling, They would play football with fruits like bael and āmalakī. Sometimes They would cover Themselves with blankets and imitate cows and bulls and fight with one another, roaring loudly, and sometimes They would imitate the voices of the animals. In this way They enjoyed sporting, exactly like two ordinary human children.
Vṛndāvana is full of peacocks. Kūjat-kokila-haṁsa-sārasa-gaṇākīrṇe mayūrākule . The Vṛndāvana forest is always full of cuckoos, ducks, swans, peacocks, cranes and also monkeys, bulls and cows. So Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma used to imitate the sounds of these animals and enjoy sporting.
FAQs
In Canto 10, Chapter 11, Śukadeva describes Kṛṣṇa and the cowherd boys joyfully playing—flute-playing, playful throwing of objects, and imitating cows and bulls—revealing the sweetness of Bhagavān’s humanlike līlā.
Because their lives centered on cowherding in Vraja; their play naturally mirrored their daily service and affection for the cows, making Kṛṣṇa’s līlā intimate, simple, and deeply lovable.
This verse encourages devotees to remember Kṛṣṇa with warmth and intimacy—bringing devotion into ordinary life through simple remembrance, joyful worship, and childlike sincerity.