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Chapter 12: from The Killing of the Demon Aghâsura

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'One day the Lord decided to have a picnic in the forest. Rising early He blew His horn nicely to wake up His comrades and the calves. Then they departed from Vraja driving their groups of calves in front of them.

 (2) It offered a most attractive sight to see them all happy and beautifully together as they walked out in His company with their prods, horns, flutes and the many calves each of them had. All together they numbered over a thousand.

(3) With Krishna's personal calves added to them they could not be counted anymore. Immersed in their children's games, the boys had a good time in different places [in the forest].

(4) Even though they were already adorned with gems, shells, gold and pearls, they also used fruits, green leaves, bunches of beautiful flowers, peacock feathers and coloured minerals to decorate themselves.

(5) They snatched away each other's belongings and threw them at a distance when it was discovered. Others threw them further away, but then again they were returned with a laugh.

(6) When Krishna walked away to admire the beauty of the forest, they enjoyed it to say 'me first, me first' while they touched Him.

(7-11) Some blew their flutes, some vibrated their horns, some hummed along with the bumblebees and others imitated the cuckoos. Some ran after the shadows of the birds, some walked elegantly with the swans or sat with the ducks just as silent or danced with the peacocks. They searched for young monkeys and hopped along with them between the trees as they were skipping from tree to tree. They jumped together with the frogs, getting wet in the water, they laughed at their shadows and mocked their own echoes.

This way they enjoyed the merit of their previous lives in friendship with Him who is the Supreme Divinity for those who are entangled in mâyâ, He who is the spiritual happiness for those transcendentalists who accept it to be of service

(12) Yogis skilled in self-control do not even after many lives of doing penance achieve the dust of His lotus feet. How fortunate then are the inhabitants of Vraja for whom He became the object of their vision by personally being present?