KRSNA AND THE COWHERD BOYS PLAY IN THE FOREST
During the day, Krsna and his friends would frolic in the forest of Vrndavana.When Krsna would go ahead to a distant place to see some specific scenery, the boys would run to catch up to Him and be the first to touch Him. So there would be a great competition. One would say, “I will go there and touch Krsna,” and another would say, “Oh you cannot go. I’ll touch Krsna first.”
Some of the boys would play on their flutes or vibrate bugles made of buffalo horn. Others would gladly follow the peacocks and imitate the sounds of the cuckoo. As the birds flew in the sky, the boys would run after the birds’ shadows on the ground and try to follow their exact courses. Some boys would go to the monkeys and silently sit dows by them, and some would catch the tails of the monkeys and tease them, and when the monkeys would jump into a tree, the boys would follow. When a monkey would show its face and teeth, a boy would imitate and show his teeth to the monkey. Some of the boys would play with the frogs on the bank of the Yamuna, and when the frogs would become frightened and jump into the water, the boys would dive in after them. When the boys would come out of the water and see their own reflections, they would make caricatures and laugh. They would also go to an empty well and make loud sounds, and when the echo would come back, they would call it ill names and laugh.
PAINTING BY JADURANI – DEVI DASI (1985)