How lucky are the deer!

How lucky are the deer!

न भीतिरन्तर्न दृशश्चलत्वं नास्था तृणे नोत्सुकताऽपि शाबे।

रूपेण दामोदर मोहितास्ते तिष्ठन्त्यमी काष्ठकृता इवैणाः॥

श्रीकृष्णविलासकाव्ये ५-३३

na bhītirantarna dṛśaścalatvaṁ nāsthā tṛṇe notsukatā'pi śābe|

rūpeṇa dāmodara mohitāste tiṣṭhantyamī kāṣṭhakṛtā ivaiṇāḥ||

śrīkṛṣṇavilāsakāvye 5-33

That attractive cowherd Krishna, in the company of his friends, was leading the cows of Gokulam for grazing in the forest.. Simply dazzled by the beauty of the son of Nanda, herds of deer, who are very timid by nature, simply forget everything and stand like logs bereft of any movement.

Balarama is just telling his younger brother,

“ Look lovely Damodara, the deer are standing there motionless in front of you, without the mind to take their eyes off you, like logs of wood, being enthralled by your heavenly form.

The deer are very timid by nature and would prefer to bolt on seing humans but on seeing you, they have forgotten their inherent fear and stand motionless devouring your beauty...

The beautiful eyes of the deer would darting hither and thither by habit, but they have just fixed themselve on your form..

Though they are voracious eaters by nature, they have simply forgotten the grass growing in front of them.

Though habitually possessive about their small ones, they are neglecting their little ones on seeing you.

In His heavenly presence, even beings bereft of the sixth sense and discrimination, simply forget themselves.. How lucky are the deer!