rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto
gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ
yogeśvareṇa kṛṣṇena
tāsāḿ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ
praviṣṭena gṛhītānāḿ
kaṇṭhe sva-nikaṭaḿ striyaḥ
yaḿ manyeran nabhas tāvad
vimāna-śata-sańkulam
divaukasāḿ sa-dārāṇām
autsukyāpahṛtātmanām
rasa -- of the rasa dance; utsavah -- the festivity; sampravrittah -- commenced; gopi-mandala -- by the circle of gopis; manditah -- decorated; yoga -- of mystic power; isvarena -- by the supreme controller; krishnena -- Lord Krishna; tasam -- of them; madhye -- within the midst; dvayoh dvayoh -- between each pair; pravishtena -- present; grihitanam -- who were held; kanthe -- by the necks; sva-nikatam -- next to themselves; striyah -- the women; yam -- whom; manyeran -- considered; nabhah -- the sky; tavat -- at that time; vimana -- of airplanes; sata -- with hundreds; sankulam -- crowded; diva -- of the heavenly planets; okasam -- belonging to the inhabitants; sa -- accompanied; daranam -- by their wives; autsukya -- by eagerness; apahrita -- carried away; atmanam -- their minds.
The festive rasa dance commenced, with the gopis arrayed in a circle. Lord Krishna expanded Himself and entered between each pair of gopis, and as that master of mystic power placed His arms around their necks, each girl thought He was standing next to her alone. The demigods and their wives were overwhelmed with eagerness to witness the rasa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes.
Srila Bilvamangala Thakura has written the following verse about the rasa dance:
anganam anganam antara madhavo
madhavam madhavam cantarenanganah
ittham akalpite mandale madhya-gah
sanjagau venuna devaki-nandanah
"Lord Madhava was situated between each pair of gopis, and a gopi was situated between each pair of His manifestations. And Sri Krishna, the son of Devaki also appeared in the middle of the circle, playing upon His flute and singing."
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out that the gopis, maddened by love, were unable to understand that Sri Krishna had expanded Himself so He could personally dance with each of them. Each gopi saw one manifestation of Krishna. The demigods and their wives, however, could see all His different manifestations as they watched the rasa dance from their airplanes, and thus they were completely astonished.
