Even for Kṛṣṇa the amazing foot-dust of Śrī Rādhā is rarely attained!
It is said that Kṛṣṇa personally assumed the form of the poet Jayadeva to write the famous line “dehi pādapallavam udāram – Give Me Your generous lotus-feet” of ‘Gīta Govinda’.
The purport to the 201st verse of ‘Rādhā Rasa Sudhānidhi’ is:
One day Śrīmatī is māninī (angry out of jealousy) so with the help of Her girlfriends Kṛṣṇa keeps Her feet on His head. Thus Her pique is soothed. Śrīmatī’s lotus-feet are moist with sweat, so the red lac on Her foot-soles sticks on Śyāma’s head, while His peacock-feather falls off. This does not make Kṛṣṇa inferior; the signs of Rādhā’s mercy rather increase His glories! This makes Him rasikendra mauli, the king of relishers, and this is the quintessence of Godhead. Therefore, simply to increase His own greatness, Kṛṣṇa always desires the dust of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-feet. And this is not a fairy-tale, there is strong scriptural evidence for this statement. Kṛṣṇa Himself tells Uddhava in Śrīmad Bhagavata (11.14.16):
anuvrajāmyahaṁ nityam pūyeyetyaṅghri-reṇubhiḥ – “I always follow My devotees to sanctify Myself with their foot-dust.”
Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmī comments on this verse:
tad bhaktyaniṣkṛti doṣāt pavitritaḥ syām iti bhāvenetyarthaḥ – “Since I am not able to repay My devotees for their devotional service (see Bhāg. 10.32.22) I perform atonement by following them to take the dust of Their feet for My purification.”
Since Śrī Rādhā has the greatest love for Kṛṣṇa, it is needless to say that He will always be most eager for Her lotus-feet. This is the sweetest possible explanation for the rasika sādhakas of Vṛndāvana.
tika to verse 3 of Sri Sri Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi
