Shloka 37
Veṇu-gīta-āhvāna and the Gopīs’ Appeal: The Opening of Rāsa-līlā
श्रीर्यत्पदाम्बुजरजश्चकमे तुलस्या लब्ध्वापि वक्षसि पदं किल भृत्यजुष्टम् । यस्या: स्ववीक्षण उतान्यसुरप्रयास- स्तद्वद् वयं च तव पादरज: प्रपन्ना: ॥ ३७ ॥
śrīr yat padāmbuja-rajaś cakame tulasyā labdhvāpi vakṣasi padaṁ kila bhṛtya-juṣṭam yasyāḥ sva-vīkṣaṇa utānya-sura-prayāsas tadvad vayaṁ ca tava pāda-rajaḥ prapannāḥ
Lakṣmī, deren gnädiger Blick von den Halbgöttern mit großer Mühe erbeten wird, hat die einzigartige Stellung erlangt, stets auf der Brust Nārāyaṇas zu weilen; dennoch begehrt sie den Staub Seiner Lotosfüße, auch wenn sie ihn mit Tulasī-devī und den vielen Dienern des Herrn teilen muss. Ebenso suchen wir Zuflucht im Staub Deiner Lotosfüße.
The gopīs here point out that the dust of the Lord’s feet is so ecstatic and enlivening that the goddess of fortune wants to abandon her unique position on His chest to share with many other devotees a position at His feet. Thus the gopīs urge Lord Kṛṣṇa not to be guilty of a double standard. Since the Lord gave the goddess of fortune a place on His chest and also allowed her to seek the dust of His lotus feet, Kṛṣṇa should certainly give the same opportunity to His most loving devotees, the gopīs. “After all” the gopīs plead, “seeking the dust of Your lotus feet is perfectly justified, and You should encourage us in this endeavor and not try to send us away.”
FAQs
This verse teaches that even Lakṣmī desires the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, and the gopīs declare their own surrender to that same pāda-raja as the supreme shelter and goal of devotion.
To show the unparalleled value of Kṛṣṇa’s foot-dust: Lakṣmī already resides on His chest yet still longs for His feet, and Tulasī is so exalted that even a glance from her is rarely attained—yet the gopīs seek only Kṛṣṇa’s foot-dust in surrender.
By cultivating daily bhakti—hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names, honoring Tulasī with devotion, and consciously placing one’s choices, desires, and hardships at Kṛṣṇa’s feet in prayerful dependence.