Text 22
vahanto vāhyamānāś ca
cārayantaś ca go-dhanam
bhāṇḍīrakaṁ nāma vaṭaṁ
jagmuḥ kṛṣṇa-purogamāḥ
vahantaḥ — carrying; vāhyamānāḥ — being carried; ca — and; cārayantaḥ — tending; ca — also; go-dhanam — the cows; bhāṇḍīrakam nāma — named Bhāṇḍīraka; vaṭam — to the banyan tree; jagmuḥ — they went; kṛṣṇa-puraḥ-gamāḥ — led by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Thus carrying and being carried by one another, and at the same time tending the cows, the boys followed Kṛṣṇa to a banyan tree known as Bhāṇḍīraka.
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from Śrī Harivaṁśa (Viṣṇu-parva 11.18-22), which describe the banyan tree:
dadarśa vipulodagra-
śākhinaṁ śākhināṁ varam
sthitaṁ dharaṇyāṁ meghābhaṁ
nibiḍaṁ dala-sañcayaiḥ
gaganārdhocchritākāraṁ
parvatābhoga-dhāriṇam
nīla-citrāṅga-varṇaiś ca
sevitaṁ bahubhiḥ khagaiḥ
phalaiḥ pravālaiś ca ghanaiḥ
sendracāpa-ghanopamam
bhavanākāra-viṭapaṁ
latā-puṣpa-sumaṇḍitam
viśāla-mūlāvanataṁ
pāvanāmbhoda-dhāriṇam
ādhipatyam ivānyeṣāṁ
tasya deśasya śākhinām
kurvāṇaṁ śubha-karmāṇaṁ
nirāvarṣam anātapam
nyagrodhaṁ parvatāgrābhaṁ
bhāṇḍīraṁ nāma nāmataḥ
“They saw that best of all trees, which had many long branches. With its dense covering of leaves, it resembled a cloud sitting on the earth. Indeed, its form was so large that it appeared like a mountain covering half the sky. Many birds with charming blue wings frequented that great tree, whose dense fruits and leaves made it seem like a cloud accompanied by a rainbow or like a house decorated with creepers and flowers. It spread its broad roots downward and carried upon itself the sanctified clouds. That banyan tree was like the lordly master of all other trees in that vicinity, as it performed the all-auspicious functions of warding off the rain and the heat of the sun. Such was the appearance of that nyagrodha tree known as Bhāṇḍīra, which seemed just like the peak of a great mountain.”