SB 10.33.3

This verse describes how Krsna mixed with the gopis. This rasa gave nectar like bliss to the cataka birds of the devotees eyes and minds, and thus it is called utsava, or festival. This festival began in a perfectly arranged way (samyak =sam pravrtta), with the gopis standing in a circle with Krsna entering between each pair. One should not think that this verse means that the rasa krda was begun by Krsna, that he initiated the rasa dance. Krsna was not the doer, the rasa lila was the doer. Krsna gave the rasa lila the independence to begin the action. Krsna remained present as one of the ingredients of the festival. In this way, more than Krsna himself, more than all his energies and more than all his lilas, the supreme position of the rasa utsava is proclaimed throughout the universe. And therefore Laksmi and others became eager to participate, though they could not do so. How was Krsna positioned between the gopis? He entered between the gopis embracing their necks on either side. From the statement in the sixth verse, that that he was like a great emerald among all the golden jewels, and the use of the word emerald in the singular form, and from the statement in the third verse, that he existed between the two gopis, it should be understood that he did not just remain after entering between them, that is, having entered between them he performed the rasa lila. Rather, from the central position, like the center of the lotus, he displayed quick movements from the center,moving between the two gopis and displayed his dancing. In the flash of a second, he would come from the center to the circle of three hundred koti gopis and dance between them, embracing them, and then return to the center again. His movement was quicker than a fire brand, because at that time everyone could see Krsna, standing in the center, and also situated between the gopis. In this connection Bilvamangala has said, "Madhava was between each pair of gopis. and also each gopi was between two Madhavas. And Krsna began playing his flute from the central position." As the cause of this extraordinary event, Krsna is described as yogesvara, mahavisnu, master of all methods or means, since he is the ocean of all arts. Yoga can mean "method" according to the Amara Kosa. Or yoga can refer to yogamaya, the great sakti which can to what seems impossible. The master of this yogamaya is Krsna. Knowing that Krsna desire to embrace all the gopis simultaneously, Yogamaya manifested a Krsna for each gopi to solve this problem. There are two ways of understanding the phrase "Krsna entered between each pair of gopis." The first understanding is that Krsna expanded as two forms on the two sides of each gopi. The second understanding is that one Krsna entered between each pair of gopis. In the first explanation, each gopi would have Krsna on each shoulder, which would be contradictory for her. But this should not be a worry, because the great Yogamaya sakti made each gopi aware that only one Krsna was touching her. There is no contraction however in the second explanation. Each of these women thought that Krsna was with standing with her. Though this was certainly so, he could also be seen everywhere. That was one of his dancing arts. In the middle of the circle, the son of Devaki stood embraced by the queen of Vrndavana, Sri Radha. This is the intention of the Krsna sata nama stotra, saying, calling her the cause of the rasa krida (rasa krida karanam). At that time, hundreds of devatas such as Brahma appeared in airplanes. They were eager to see the dancing part of the rasa lila, not the confidential part, for being dasya bhaktas, they did not have qualification for the other parts. That means that by the arrangement of Yogamaya the males of svarga and other abodes could see Krsna alone, and not the gopis.