This verse describes how they drank the beauty of Krsna. With wide eyes they saw him, with tongues they tasted, with widened nostrils they smelled and with open arms they embraced. They began to speak about what they had seen (breaking the bow) and heard (such as lifting govardhana) without chronological order. His form was attractive as his blackish color mixed with red blood, and with the elephant tusk in his hand. He was attractive with qualities like courage. He was sweet with his smiling glances. He showed confidence in breaking the bow without hesitation. Having seen or heard these things, they tried to remember them (smarita iva), though they were not qualified, and talked about them.

These two verses are taken together. The word tau (the two boys) should be added as the object of the verse. The people seemed to drink them with their two wide open eyes. The dual case is used for the eyes to indicate that each person used his two eyes to drink. They seemed to lick the two boys with their tongues when they began describing the boys’ sweetness using their tongues. They seemed to be trying to smell them, with greed to obtain their fragrance from far off, by their nostrils which began breathing heavily and opened widely on facing the two boys. They seemed to embrace the boys with their arms when they moved their arms around in order to see their forms. Arms is used in the plural since when they moved their arms quickly, they appeared to be many rather than two per person. Desire for these actions developed among the qualified spectators, and thus they carried out actions resembling drinking, licking, smelling and embracing. Yathā-dṛṣṭam and yathāśrutam are avyayī-bhāvas (indeclinable compounds). First the word yathā should be discussed. It indicates qualification, successive actions, restriction, and similarity. An example of restriction is yathā balam: according to his strength. An example of qualification is yathā dānam: donation according to qualification. It indicates similarity like the word saha or sa as in savīṇam dhvanati: it sounded like a vīṇa. They had seen him break the bow. That much was the limit. They had heard that he lifted Govardhana. That much they had heard. According to that they spoke. This indicates qualification. Though limitation and qualification are different, here the meaning finally becomes qualification. Or similarity may be expressed by “They spoke about them similar to what they had heard and seen.” Or, they were qualified to see events such as breaking the bow according to what they had heard—that Kṛṣṇa was a portion of Nārāyaṇa and nothing more than that. Previously they had doubted, and now the confirmed this by seeing him personally. They remembered his form as Bhagavān, with qualities like his unequalled beauty, his sweetness or natural attractiveness of form and qualities which were now somewhat uncovered, and their unlimited nature (prāgalbhya). Previously they had doubted whether the two had these qualities and form or not. Having seen and heard about them, they would now not forget. They perceived them directly (smaritā iva). Or, though they remembered the qualities and form of the two always, now on seeing their form and qualities directly they were most astonished. The two seemed to be new objects of remembrance (smaritā iva). The words of astonishment are described in the following verses according to Śrīdhara Svāmī.

They drank them with their eyes. Absorbed in seeing them, they did nothing else. They seemed to drink, since drinking their forms was actually impossible. They licked him (kissed him) or touched him, tasting him with their tongues. They embraced him firmly with their many arms (instead of two arms). They developed four arms because of the sweetness, or many people had many arms. They became absorbed in him using their knowledge senses. This indicates their intense love for the boys. Seeing him in front, they used their eyes, tongues and noses. They did not use their ears to hear him. Or speaking about him (ucuḥ) indicates kīrtana. The four are in order of increasing importance (ending with embracing). Smelling is superior to tasting, since in smelling one can relish all his limbs and garland at once. Vai means well known or clear. Because of fear of Kaṁsa for a long time they did not remember. By seeing their forms, they remembered their greatness. They remembered their beauty (rūpa) and qualities. Sweetness and bravery are included in their beauty and qualities but are mentioned separately because of their outstanding nature. Actually living in Mathurā they never forgot the two boys, but now they had similarity to remembrance. Pragalbhyam can also mean absence of fear or having all skills. Thus they described their beauty, qualities, skills and greatness.