| Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 33: The Rāsa Dance |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.33.3
rāsotsavah sampravritto
yogeśvarena krishnena
autsukyāpahritātmanām
SYNONYMS
rāsa — of the rāsa dance; utsavah — the festivity; sampravrittah — commenced; gopī-mandala — by the circle of gopīs; manditah — decorated; yoga — of mystic power; īśvarena — by the supreme controller; krishnena — Lord Krishna; tāsām — of them; madhye — within the midst; dvayoh dvayoh — between each pair; pravishtena — present; grihītānām — who were held; kanthe — by the necks; sva-nikatam — next to themselves; striyah — the women; yam — whom; manyeran — considered; nabhah — the sky; tāvat — at that time; vimāna — of airplanes; śata — with hundreds; sańkulam — crowded; diva — of the heavenly planets; okasām — belonging to the inhabitants; sa — accompanied; dārānām — by their wives; autsukya — by eagerness; apahrita — carried away; ātmanām — their minds.
TRANSLATION
The festive rāsa dance commenced, with the gopīs arrayed in a circle. Lord Krishna expanded Himself and entered between each pair of gopīs, 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 rāsa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes.
PURPORT
Śrīla Bilvamańgala Thākura has written the following verse about the rāsa dance:
ańganām ańganām antarā mādhavo
mādhavam mādhavam cāntarenāńganāh
ittham ākalpite mandale madhya-gah
sañjagau venunā devakī-nandanah
"Lord Mādhava was situated between each pair of gopīs, and a gopī was situated between each pair of His manifestations. And Śrī Krishna, the son of Devakī also appeared in the middle of the circle, playing upon His flute and singing."
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura points out that the gopīs, maddened by love, were unable to understand that Śrī Krishna had expanded Himself so He could personally dance with each of them. Each gopī saw one manifestation of Krishna. The demigods and their wives, however, could see all His different manifestations as they watched the rāsa dance from their airplanes, and thus they were completely astonished.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari