19 Oct 2022
[Shri Hrushikesh asked: In another answer given to Smt. K Lakshmi Lavanya that Rukmini could only reach the abode of God to serve Him by pressing His feet whereas the Gopikas reached the Goloka which is above the abode of God. Don't You think Rukmini is more fortunate than Gopikas because Rukmini is staying with God in His abode and also serving Him. However, Gopikas don't have that service in Goloka, as Lord is in the Brahma Loka which is below Goloka which means they don't have a continuous opportunity to see Him be with Him and serve Him? Kindly correct me if my understanding is wrong. At Your Feet, Hrushikesh]
Swami replied: Rukmini is the queen in Brahmaloka (Vaikuntha), whereas Radha is the queen in Goloka, which is in higher plane than Brahmaloka. Rukmini is touching the dust of the feet of God whereas the head of the same God is continuously receiving the falling feet dust of Radha from above. Krishna conducted an acid test for His devotees by acting as a victim of severe headache. Krishna told that the feet dust of a devotee will cure His headache. Sage Narada went to all the eight wives (including Rukmini) begging for the feet dust. All the wives refused to give the feet dust by saying that they will reach horrible hell by doing so. They were afraid of the pain in hell and are not pained by the head pain of Krishna. Then Narada went to Brundavanam asking for the feet dust telling the same story of the headache of Krishna. Gopikas pressed their feet more and more on the dust, collected a lot of dust and gave it to Narada. Narada told that the fruit of such action will be horrible pain in hell, because the feet dust is applied to the forehead of God. Gopikas replied that they were prepared to face the pain of punishment in hell for such an action provided the headache of Krishna was cured. This is their climax of true devotion to God. The fruit is as per the purity of devotion.
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