Sometimes using slings(ksepanayatraih) they would throw (ksipatam) amalaki and bel fruit to a far distance. Sometimes they would kick each other with their bangled feet. Sometimes covering themselves with blankets, they pretended they were bulls, and making bull sounds they would fight each other. They would also imitate other animals like swans and peacocks.

After mentioning the boys, Śukadeva describes their playing in two verses. Sometimes, or in some places, as was suitable, they performed these actions. Thus they played the flute at convenient places, when they were of proper age. They threw bilva and āmalaki fruits to a great distance using slinging. They danced, using their feet equipped with ankle bells. Acting like bulls they roared loudly along with other boys dressed like cows and bulls, arranged in herds. Just as normal boys they wandered about. This shows that they were absorbed in their childhood pastimes. Their main goal was to wander about and play using their flutes and other equipment. Herding the calves was secondary. Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes their dress: barihi-patra kṛtāpīḍau vanya- puṣpāvataṁsakau gopa-veṇu krṭatodyau patra-vādyakṛta-svanau kākapakṣa-dharau bālau kumārāv iva pāvakī hasatau ca ramantau ca ceratus tan mahadvanam kvacid dhasantav anyo nyaṁ krīḍamānau tathāparaiḥ gopa-bāḷaiḥ samaṁ vatsāṁś cārayantau viceratuḥ The two boys had peacock feathers in the crowns decorated with wild flowers. They played their cowherd flutes and made music using leaves. Their hair was in the kāka-pakṣa style. Shining like sons of the fire god, laughing and enjoying they wandered in the large forest. Sometimes the two laughed and played by themselves .With other cowherd boys wandered about herding the calves. parṇa-vādyaṁ śṛuti-sukhaṁ vādayantau varānanau śuśubhate vana-gatau triśīrṣāv iva pannagau mayurāṅgaja-karṇau tau pallavāpīḍa-dhāriṇau vana-mālākuloraskau druma-potāv ivodgātau aravinda-krṭāpīḍau rajju-yajṣopavītinau saśikya-tumba-karakau gopa-veṇu-pravādakau kvacid dhasantav anyonyaṁ krīḍamānau kvacit kvacit parṇa-śayyāsu saṁsuptau kvacin nidrāntaraiśiṇau evaṁ vatsān palāyantau śobhayantau mahāvanam caṁcūryantau ramantau sma kiśorāv iva caṣcalau The two with beautiful faces played music using leaves, pleasing to hear. They wore three braids as they went into the forest. They had peacock feathers in their ears and new shoots in their crowns. They had garlands over the chests and appeared like young trees. They had lotus flowers in their hair and ropes and sacred threads over their shoulders. They carried bundles on strings and gourds water pots. They played flutes and sometimes laughed and played with each other. They lay down on leaf beds and desired to sleep. In this way they herded the calves in Mahāvana. They wandered about playfully enjoying like boys of kaiśora age. This describes their activities on the first day of herding the calves but they did the same on other days also.