Shree Krishna pretended like, “I am having a headache.” All the queens were trying their best, giving all kinds of herbs, all kinds of medicines, but He was not having any comfort. Then, Narad Ji came over there, and he asked what’s the matter.
And then, when he came to know that Shree Krishna is having a headache, he smiled. “How can He have the headache? We have headaches because we have so many worries. What worries He has? That’s why this pain is made by Himself. There should be some reason. There should be some Leela (Divine pastime) of Shree Krishna.”
Then he went to Shree Krishna, and he asked, “I know this pain is created by Yourself, so tell me, what is the medicine? What do You want?”
Then He said, “If you bring the foot dust of any devotee who loves Me and let Me smear it on My forehead, then I will be okay.”
First of all, Narad Ji thought, “Why should I not do that? I am also a devotee. I love Shree Krishna.” He was going to do it, but he said, “No, no, no. I should be away from this matter. I don’t know what His Leela is. Once, He has given me the face of a monkey. Now I don’t know what His Leela is right now, so I should be away from this.”
Then he went to all the queens. They said, “Narad Ji, what happened to you? He is our husband. An ordinary lady will not give her foot dust for her husband, and you are asking us for Shree Krishna? Are you okay? If you ask for our life, we can give life to Shree Krishna, but not the foot dust.”
Then he went everywhere, to all the great Paramahamsas (greatly realized saints), Yogis (spiritual practitioners), Indra, Munis (sages), everyone who was claiming that Shree Krishna is my ishtadev (the Supreme Lord), that we love Him, and that we sacrifice our life for Him. They all denied, and all of them said that we can give our life for Shree Krishna, but not the foot dust to apply on the forehead.
He came back and he asked Shree Krishna, “I went everywhere.” Narad Ji is called Abadhagati, meaning he has to just resolve (traverse). Only by resolving, he can reach anytime within no time. So he came back to Shree Krishna and he asked, ‘I went everywhere, but I couldn’t get Your medicine. You tell me, where is Your pharmacy? Where can I get it?’”
Then He said, “Did you go to Braj?”
“No, I didn’t go there.”
“Go there.”
“When all these queens did not give, the Brajwasis (residents of Braj) are uneducated, uncivilized. How would they understand anything?”
“You know, just try. Go.”
Then he went, and when the Gopis came to know that Narad Ji is coming from Shree Krishna, they immediately surrounded Narad Ji and asked, “How is Shree Krishna?” Everybody was asking, “How is Shree Krishna?”
And he said with a sad face, “He is not well at this time because He is having a headache.”
“Oh, Narad Ji, then what are you doing here? You should go and bring some medicine immediately for Him.”
He said, “I came here for the medicine only.”
“Here for medicine? Yes, what medicine?”
“He wants the foot dust of any of His devotees to smear on His forehead. If you can give, then He will be okay.”
The Gopis said, “Only this thing? Take as much as you can.” All the Gopis were ready to give foot dust.
“Take, Narad, as much as you want and go immediately, as soon as it is possible.”
Narad was stunned. “Gopis, what are you doing? Do you know that you are giving your foot dust to Shree Krishna? You know about Him? Who is He?”
“Narad Ji, this is not the time of argument. You just go, because He is having pain. You go. You want to say that Shree Krishna is His Divine Personality, is God, and if we give our foot dust to apply on the forehead, then we will go to hell? This is what you want to say?”
“Yes, you will go to Raurava Narak (a dreadful hell), the worst one.”
Then the Gopis smiled and said, “Narad Ji, if He gets comfort, if He is happy with this foot dust, then we don’t mind going to hell. We have been many times.”
