rāse prema-rasena kṛṣṇa-vidhunā sārdhaṁ sakhībhir vṛtāṁ
bhāvair aṣṭabhir eva sāttvikatarair lāsyaṁ rasais tanvatīm
vīṇā veṇu mṛdaṅga kiṅkiṇi calan mañjīra cūḍocchalad
dhvānaiḥ sphīta sugīta mañju nitarāṁ rādhāṁ kadāhaṁ bhaje

When will I serve Śrī Rādhā in the Rāsa-dance, when She is lovingly dancing with the moonlike Kṛṣṇa and She is surrounded by Her girlfriends? When She dances She experiences the eight sāttvika ecstasies and sings loudly and beautifully, accompanied by the sounds of Vīṇās, flutes, Mṛdaṅgas, and jingling waistbells, anklebells and bangles!

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:

In this verse Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī perceives Rāseśvarī Rādhikā, the Queen of the Rāsa-dance, performing the Rāsa-dance, which is the crown jewel of all transcendental pastimes (sarva līlā mukuṭa-maṇi), and when this transcendental vision subsides he prays for Her direct worship or service.

This is the Nitya Rāsa. Surrounded by Her girlfriends, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is absorbed in the rasa of dancing with Rāsa Rasika (the relisher of the Rāsa-dance) Śyāmasundara. All the transcendental erotic ecstasies are inseparably interwoven with each other in the Rāsa-līlā and are present to their fullest extent, hence it is called sarva līlā mukuṭa maṇi, the crownjewel of all transcendental pastimes. The Rāsa-līlā is the aggregate of all relishable pastimes, such as pūrva rāga (beginnings of love), abhisāra (love-journey), utkaṇṭhā (anxious anticipation), māna (pique), viraha (separation) and innumerable pastimes of meeting as well. Such an aggregate of most relishable and enjoyable transcendental pastimes can only be performed by the most capable king of relishers, the most merciful son of Yaśodā, Śrī Śyāmasundara. Only as Līlā Puruṣottama (the Supremely Playful Lord) is the Lord able to enjoy such pastimes, forgetting His endless prowess and His inconceivable potencies and becoming anxious to relish the taste of pure love and protect its etiquette. In other words, only Rāseśvarī, the Queen of the Rāsa-dance Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is endowed with mādana mahābhāva, the highest form of love of God, is able to make the Original Godhead Yaśodānandana, who is also known as Līlā Vinodī, He who revels in His pastimes, relish the full mādana rasa. She is the main pillar and foundation of this pastime and without Her the highly capable Śrī Govinda is unable to perform the Rāsa-dance, not even with the help of billions of gopīs!

In a transcendental vision Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī sees himself as Śrī Rādhā’s maidservant, witnessing her Īśvarī in the Rāsa-sthalī. The sakhīs are all dancing in a circle, surrounding the endlessly beautiful Rādhā and Mādhava, who are revealing the arts of different rasika dances in their midst. The kinkarī’s gaze is fixed on her loving mistress. Śrīmatī knows that She is delighting Her beloved Śyāmasundara with Her artistic dancing, with the assistance of Her sakhīs, so Her body shows all the eight symptoms of sāttvika ecstasy, such as the shedding of tears and the standing on end of the bodily hairs, simultaneously. When five, six or all of these eight sāttvika ecstasies (stambha, or stupor, sveda, or perspiration, romāñca, or shiverings, svara-bhaṅga, or the changing of the voice, kampa, or shivers, vaivarṇya, or paleness, aśru, or tears, and pralaya, or death) appear simultaneously to the fullest extent, it is called uddīpta sāttvika bhāva, and when these uddīpta sāttvika bhāvas appear in someone endowed with mahā bhāva it is called sūddīpta. This is the supreme and complete manifestation of sāttvika bhāva.

In Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (2.3.79 and 81) it is written:

ekadā vyaktim āpannāḥ pañca ṣāḥ sarva eva vā;
ārūḍhā paramotkarṣam uddīptā iti kīrtitā
uddīptā eva sūddīptā mahābhāve bhavanty amī;
sarva eva parāṁ koṭiṁ sāttvikā yatra vibhrati

Śrīmatī shows Her artistry of rasika dancing and sweet singing. Śyāma is enchanted when He sees Śrīmatī’s dancing and stops dancing to play His flute and accompany Śrīmatī’s dancing and singing at every step. Some sakhīs play Vīṇā, others play Mṛdaṅga. How wonderfully sweet Śrīmatī’s bangles, anklebells and waistbells jingle while She dances!

tāttā thai thai bāoye mṛdaṅga; nācata vidhumukhī aṅga vibhaṅga
suviṣama tāla kānu yab delo; tab lalitā sakhī haraṣita bhelo

“The Mṛdaṅgas play tāttā thai thai and moonfaced Rādhikā dances along, making many gestures with Her limbs. When Śyāma gave a difficult rhythm Lalitā-sakhī became happy.”

kānu kohe sundari koro avadhāna; iha para padagati koroho sandhāna
raṅginī sahacarī bāota tāla; kānu deyata kore suviṣama tāla

“Kānu said: “O Sundari! Pay attention! Now place Your steps as follows!’ Raṅgiṇī-sakhī played a note and Kānu gave a very difficult rhythm.”

nācata suvadanī kotoho suchanda; heri camakita sab sahacarī-vṛnda
koi kohe dhani dhani koi jaya-kāra; kānu deyalo nija guñjā-hāra
kaṇṭhe deyalo dhanī ura para lāga; koho śekhara soi nava anurāga

“Fair-faced Rādhikā danced with such nice steps that all the sakhīs were astonished when they saw it. Some said ‘Bravo! Well done!’ and others said ‘Jaya! jaya!’ while Kānu hung His guñjā-bead-necklace around Rādhikā’s neck as a reward. Rāya Śekhara thus describes young love.”

In his kiṅkarī-svarūpa Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī relishes the matchless sweetness of Īśvarī’s dancing, and when the vision vanishes he prays rādhāṁ kadāhaṁ bhaje “When will I worship Rādhārāṇī?”
Suitable devotional services at this time are serving water and betel leaves and fanning, and Śrī Raghunātha dāsa is very eager to personally render these services.

mahābhāva svarūpinī, sakhī saṅge vinodinī,
śrī rāsa maṇḍale vartamāna
vṛndāvana candra hari, candra koṭi ālo kori,
sva-prakāśa premānanda dhāma

“Śrī Rādhā Vinodinī, who is the embodiment of the greatest love, is present in the circle of the Rāsa-dance with Her girlfriends and with Hari, the moon of Vṛndāvana, who is the self-manifest abode of ecstatic love and who shines like millions of moons.”

sūddīpta sāttvika bhāva, alaṅkāra aṅga-rāga,
rāseśvarī angete dhariyā.
garavinī garva kori, giridhārīra vāme gaurī,
śobhā kore aṅga helāiyā

“Rāseśvarī wears the ecstatic ornaments of sūddīpta-sāttvika-bhāvas on Her body. Gaurī (Rādhā) looks very proud as She leans against Giridhārī, sitting on His left side.”

rasāla mṛdaṅga bāje, rasamayī rasarāje,
nṛtya kore sutāla suchande
veṇu vīṇā kiṅkiṇī, cūḍikā kaṅkana dhvani,
bāje nūpura amṛta taraṅge

“Luscious drums resound as Rasamayī Rādhā and Rasarāja Kṛṣṇa dance on nice rhythms and nice meters. Flutes, Vīṇās, waist-bells, bangles, ankle-bells and armlets jingle in a wave of nectar.”

sulalita dhari tāna, vrajāṅganā kore gāna,
rasa-raṅge beḍiyā yugale.
sei lāsya hāsyamayī, rāseśvarī rasamayī
(kobe) bhajibo tāra caraṇa kamale

“The gopīs sing lovely key-notes and surround the Divine Pair with rasika joy. When can I worship the lotus feet of this Rāseśvarī Rasamayī Rādhā, who is always dancing and smiling?”