SB 10.18.14 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

क्‍वचिद्ब‍िल्वै: क्‍वचित्कुम्भै: क्‍वचामलकमुष्टिभि: । अस्पृश्यनेत्रबन्धाद्यै: क्‍वचिन्मृगखगेहया ॥ १४ ॥

Verse text

kvacid bilvaiḥ kvacit kumbhaiḥ kvacāmalaka-muṣṭibhiḥ aspṛśya-netra-bandhādyaiḥ kvacin mṛga-khagehayā

Synonyms

kvacit — sometimes ; bilvaiḥ — with bilva fruits ; kvacit — sometimes ; kumbhaiḥ — with kumbha fruits ; kvaca — and sometimes ; āmalaka — muṣṭibhiḥ — with palmfuls of āmalaka fruits ; aspṛśya — with games such as tṛying to touch one another ; netra — bandha — trying to identify another when one is blindfolded ; ādyaiḥ — and so on ; kvacit — sometimes ; mṛga — like animals ; khaga — and birds ; īhayā — acting .

Translation

Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of āmalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of āmalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds. KB 10.18.14 The boys played at catching ball with fruits such as bael and āmalaka. They played blindman’s buff, challenging and touching one another. Sometimes they imitated the forest deer and various kinds of birds.

Purport

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that the word ādyaiḥ, “by other such sports,” indicates such games as chasing one another and building bridges. Another pastime would occur at noon, while Lord Kṛṣṇa was taking rest. Nearby, the young cowherd girls would be passing by, singing, and Kṛṣṇa’s boyfriends would pretend to inquire from them about the price of milk. Then the boys would steal yogurt and other items from them and run away. Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their friends would also play games in which they would cross the river in boats. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura further explains that the boys would play with fruits by throwing a few in the air and then throwing others to try to hit them. The word netra-bandha indicates a game in which one boy would approach a blindfolded boy from behind and place his palms over the blindfolded boy’s eyes. Then, simply by the feel of his palms, the blindfolded boy would have to guess who the other boy was. In all such games the boys put up stakes for the winner, such as flutes or walking sticks. Sometimes the boys would imitate the various fighting methods of the forest animals, and at other times they would chirp like birds.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

They threw bilva fruits, kumbha fruits and amalaki at each other. They trying to touch each other and avoiding being touched. They approached each other from behind unnoticed, trying to put their hands over the other boys’ eyes. If they succeeded in doing so they won. The prize was a flute or stick. They imitated various animals and the cries of various birds and beasts.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Other pastimes are summarized in three verses. They wandered in the forest (verse 16), performing these various activities.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Ādyaiḥ represents other play such as building dams in the rivers, hiding from each other, throwing dice and having cock fight. Then at noon time, when it was time for the Lord to rest, they would block the young girls who had come close by on the pretext of taking milk products to sell and steal yogurt from them. They would also cross the Yamunā in boats.