Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 12
Paugaṇḍa Cowherding, Tālavana, the Slaying of Dhenukāsura, and Revival from Poisoned Yamunā Water
क्वचिद् गायति गायत्सु मदान्धालिष्वनुव्रतै: । उपगीयमानचरित: पथि सङ्कर्षणान्वित: ॥ १० ॥ अनुजल्पति जल्पन्तं कलवाक्यै: शुकं क्वचित् । क्वचित्सवल्गु कूजन्तमनुकूजति कोकिलम् । क्वचिच्च कालहंसानामनुकूजति कूजितम् । अभिनृत्यति नृत्यन्तं बर्हिणं हासयन् क्वचित् ॥ ११ ॥ मेघगम्भीरया वाचा नामभिर्दूरगान् पशून् । क्वचिदाह्वयति प्रीत्या गोगोपालमनोज्ञया ॥ १२ ॥
kvacid gāyati gāyatsu madāndhāliṣv anuvrataiḥ upagīyamāna-caritaḥ pathi saṅkarṣaṇānvitaḥ
Sometimes the honeybees in Vṛndāvana became so mad with ecstasy that they closed their eyes and began to sing. Lord Kṛṣṇa, moving along the forest path with His cowherd boyfriends and Baladeva, would then respond to the bees by imitating their singing while His friends sang about His pastimes. Sometimes Lord Kṛṣṇa would imitate the chattering of a parrot, sometimes, with a sweet voice, the call of a cuckoo, and sometimes the cooing of swans. Sometimes He vigorously imitated the dancing of a peacock, making His cowherd boyfriends laugh. Sometimes, with a voice as deep as the rumbling of clouds, He would call out with great affection the names of the animals who had wandered far from the herd, thus enchanting the cows and the cowherd boys.
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa would joke with His friends, saying, “Just look, this peacock does not know how to dance properly,” whereupon the Lord would vigorously imitate the peacock’s dancing, causing great laughter among His friends. The bees in Vṛndāvana would drink the sap of the forest flowers, and the combination of this nectar and the association of Śrī Kṛṣṇa made them mad with intoxication. Thus they closed their eyes in ecstasy and expressed their satisfaction by humming. And this humming was also expertly imitated by the Lord.
FAQs
This verse shows Kṛṣṇa’s intimate care for the cows—He knows them personally and calls them by name with affectionate, pleasing words, revealing His tender Vraja-mādhurya.
To convey the majestic sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s presence in Vṛndāvana—His voice carries far like thunderclouds, yet it is gentle and beloved by the cows and cowherds.
Cultivate affectionate, personal care in service—like Kṛṣṇa calling each cow by name—by treating people and responsibilities with mindful attention rather than impersonally.