KRSNA, BALARAMA, AND THEIR FRIENDS ENTER THE FOREST
One day Krsna decided to take His breakfast as a picnic in the forest. Having risen early in the morning, He blew His bugle made of horn and woke all the cowherd boys and calves with its beautiful sound. Then Krsna and the boys, keeping their respective herds of calves before them, proceeded from Vrajabhumi to the forest.
At that time hundreds and thousands of cowherd boys came out of their respective homes in Vrajabhumi and joined krsna, keeping before them their hundreds and thousands of herds of calves. The boys were very beautiful, and they were equipped with lunch bags, bugles, flutes, and sticks for controlling the calves.
Along with the cowherd boys and their own herds of calves, Krsna came out with an unlimited number of calves assembled. Then all the boys began to sport in the forest in a greatly playful spirit.
Although all these boys were already decorated by their mothers with ornaments of kaca, guñja, pearls, and gold, when they went into the forest they further decorated themselves with fruits, green leaves, bunches of flowers, peacock feathers, and soft minerals.
The cowherd boys used to steal one another’s lunch bags. When a boy discovered that his bag had been taken away, the other boys would throw it to some boys at a distance, and those boys would throw it still farther. When the proprietor of the bag became disappointed, the other boys would laugh, the proprietor would cry, and then the bag would be returned.
Sometimes Krsna would go to a somewhat distant place to see the beauty of the forest. Then all other boys would run to accompany Him, each one saying “I shall be the first to run and touch Krsna! I shall touch Krsna first!” In this way, they enjoyed life by repeatedly touching Krsna.
PAINTING BY DHRTI – DEVI DASI (1981)