Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.43.9
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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acyutaḥ
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Lord Kṛṣṇa
'The infallible' — never deviating from His own nature. The name is placed precisely where Kṛṣṇa appears to swerve: He moves with the elephant only because His acyuta-svarūpa includes the freedom to play at being moved.
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go-vatsena
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with a calf
The simile drags Vraja-vātsalya into the arena: the same hands that pulled calves' tails in Gokula now pull Kuvalayāpīḍa's. Mathurā audiences see combat; Vraja-rasa-bhaktas see the cowherd-boy game continued. A contiguous-token join of synonyms 'go' and 'vatsena'.
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bālakaḥ
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a young boy
Kṛṣṇa is at this moment still a kiśora — Cāṇūra later calls Him 'not a child' (43.39), but the verse's simile leaves Him a boy, because Bhāgavata-rasa never forgets it is a child playing here.
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savya-dakṣiṇataḥ
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to the left and then the right
Pradakṣiṇa-like motion — the elephant unwittingly circumambulates Bhagavān. Even in trying to gore Him, the demon ends up performing parikramā. A contiguous-token join of synonyms 'savya' and 'dakṣiṇataḥ'.
In order to encourage the elephant to fight, Krsna decreased the speed of his pulling. When the elephant gained strength, in order to catch Krsna who was holding his tail, he would turn to the left. Krsna would then go to the right. And when the elephant would turn to the right, then Krsna would go the left, just as a strong boy moves while pulling a calf by the tail.
Kṛṣṇa at no time stopped grasping his tail (acyutaḥ). Or he was motionless, like a circle made by a firebrand going left and right because of the quick movements of the elephant.
A boy plays with a calf by holding its tail and letting himself be tugged left and right — the calf does not know it is being played with. Kṛṣṇa, fully in command, lets the elephant feel as though it is moving Him, just as the gopa-bālakas in the pastures led their calves around the field as a game. Vraja-līlā has reached even the wrestling arena.
My note
Source: vedabase.io