śrī-śukaḥ uvāca - Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; krīḍā - in their playing; āsakteṣu - while they were completely absorbed; gopeṣu - the cowherd boys; tat-gāvaḥ - their cows; dūra-cāriṇīḥ - wandering far away; svairam - independently; carantyaḥ - grazing; viviśuḥ - they entered; tṛṇa - for grass; lobhena - out of greed; gahvaram - a dense forest.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While the cowherd boys were completely absorbed in playing, their cows wandered far away. They hungered for more grass, and with no one to watch them they entered a dense forest.