Text 16
evaṁ pariṣvaṅga-karābhimarśa-
snigdhekṣaṇoddāma-vilāsa-hāsaiḥ
reme rameśo vraja-sundarībhir
yathārbhakaḥ sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ
evam — thus; pariṣvaṅga — with embracing; kara — by His hand; abhimarśa — with touching; snigdha — affectionate; īkṣaṇa — with glances; uddāma — broad; vilāsa — playful; hāsaiḥ — with smiles; reme — He took pleasure; ramā — of the goddess of fortune; īśaḥ — the master; vraja-sundarībhiḥ — with the young women of the cowherd community; yathā — just as; arbhakaḥ — a boy; sva — His own; pratibimba — with the reflection; vibhramaḥ — whose playing.
In this way Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Lord Nārāyaṇa, master of the goddess of fortune, took pleasure in the company of the young women of Vraja by embracing them, caressing them and glancing lovingly at them as He smiled His broad, playful smiles. It was just as if a child were playing with his own reflection.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments as follows on this verse: “Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and His potencies are unlimited. All these potencies, taking personal forms, engage Lord Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes. Just as the opulent manifestation of His one supreme transcendental potency manifests all the countless potencies of the Lord, so in the rāsa dance Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself as many times as there are various potencies represented by the gopīs. Everything is Kṛṣṇa, but by His desire His spiritual energy Yoga-māyā manifests the gopīs. When His internal potency Yoga-māyā thus produces such pastimes for the enhancement of His transcendental emotions, it is just like a young boy playing with His own reflection. But since these pastimes are created by His spiritual potency, they are eternal and self-manifesting.”