Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.11
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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gāvaḥ
—
the cows
Go — the cow, sacred to Kṛṣṇa. Gauḍīya tradition: Kṛṣṇa is Gopāla, protector of cows; the cows in turn recognize Him as their own person. This verse shows the recognition flowing the other direction.
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krandamānāḥ
—
crying loudly
Present participle of √krand — to cry out. The cows' cry is itself a form of prayer; the Bhāgavatam dignifies non-human distress as a valid call to Bhagavān (cf. Gajendra).
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nyasta - īkṣaṇāḥ
—
(their) eyes fixed (on Kṛṣṇa)
Compound: nyasta (placed) + īkṣaṇāḥ (eyes). The cows have practiced one yoga — looking at Kṛṣṇa. Now in crisis, they continue the practice. The Gauḍīya rule: in danger, do not look away.
Because the water in their eyes had dried up from fear, they could not really weep. Thus they are described "as if weeping."
The animals, crying loudly in pain, as if weeping and uttering human words, while shedding tears, stood there. The cattle with the highest affection were stunned because of intense grief. Sometimes it is seen that because of intense poison, a living being, even though dead, remains upright. The atmanepada verb is poetic license. Not only the cattle, but the buffalos, deer and other animals also acted like this. Since they were more distant they came later, and thus are not mentioned.
- When was my last episode of silent, fixed grief, and did I let it become prayer?
- Whose silent staring devotion do I dismiss as inaction?
The cows freeze. They want to weep but they are too shocked. Their relationship with Kṛṣṇa has no theology in it — only the daily fact of His hand on their flank, His name in their ear. When that hand vanishes into a serpent's coil, the herd does not philosophize; it stops.
My note
Source: vedabase.io