yasyÄá¹…ghri-paá¹…kaja-rajaḥ-snapanaá¹ mahÄnto
vÄñchanty umÄ-patir ivÄtma-tamo-'pahatyai
yarhy ambujÄká¹£a na labheya bhavat-prasÄdaá¹
jahyÄm asÅ«n vrata-kṛśÄñ chata-janmabhiḥ syÄt
yasya - whose; aá¹…ghri - of feet; paá¹…kaja - lotus; rajaḥ - in the dust; snapanam - bathing; mahÄntaḥ - great personalities; vÄñchanti - desire; umÄ-patiḥ - Lord Åšiva; iva - like; Ätma - personal; tamaḥ - ignorance; apahatyai - to drive away; yarhi - when; ambuja-aká¹£a - O lotus-eyed one; na labheya - I do not get; bhavat-prasÄdam - Your mercy; jahyÄm - I shall give up; asÅ«n - life; vrata-kṛśÄn - reduced by observing vows; Å›ata-janmabhiḥ - by hundreds of births; syÄt - if it is possible.
“ ‘O lotus-eyed one, great personalities like Lord Śiva desire to bathe in the dust of Your lotus feet to drive away ignorance. If I do not get the mercy of Your Lordship, I shall observe vows to reduce the duration of my life, and thus I shall give up bodies for hundreds of births if it is possible to get Your mercy in that way.’
This verse was spoken by RukmiṇīdevÄ« in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (10.52.43). RukmiṇīdevÄ«, the daughter of King BhÄ«á¹£maka, had heard about Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental attributes, and thus she desired to get Kṛṣṇa as her husband. Unfortunately, her elder brother RukmÄ« was envious of Kṛṣṇa and therefore wanted her to be offered to ÅšiÅ›upÄla. When Rukmiṇī became aware of this, she was greatly aggrieved. Thus she wrote Kṛṣṇa a confidential letter, which was presented and read to Him by a brÄhmaṇa messenger. This verse appeared in that letter.
