One time, 100 years after Krishna had left Braj, there was a spring festival called Basantotsav (spring festival), in Kurukshetra. Not only did everybody from Dwarka go, including Krishna, Rukmini, and all 16,108 queens, but everybody from Braj went as well. All the Gopis (cowherd girls devoted to Krishna) went, and (Shree) Radha went. So imagine, after 100 years, they were meeting with Krishna for the first time!
Everybody set up their camp, their temporary tents, there in Kurukshetra on the bank of the river. Now, the queens, Rukmini, etc., had heard so many stories about Radha, about Her bhakti (Divine devotion), and, of course, Krishna was always praising Radha and the Gopis. So they had a desire to meet Radharani. Rukmini, who is the avatar of Lakshmi, sent an invitation to Radha’s tent,
“Please come to My home this evening just for some warm milk. It would be my good fortune if I got the chance to do some seva (service) to You!”
So Radha and some Gopis came along with Her. She accepted the invitation, and they went to Rukmini’s tent that evening. Rukmini had prepared milk and put saffron in it and made it very tasty, but She hadn’t checked the temperature of the milk. It was still scalding hot. But Radha is so simple, so innocent, (that when) She just took the milk (She) drank it without complaining. It was too hot to drink, but She drank it anyway!
Later that night, when Krishna was lying down to sleep and Rukmini was just pressing His legs and feet, She was shocked. She saw blisters on the soles of Krishna’s feet.
So she asked, “What happened? How did You get these blisters? This looks so painful!”
Shree Krishna said,
श्रीराधिकाया हृदयारविंदे, पादारविंदं हि विराजते मे। …
Shrī-rādhikāyā hṛidayāravinde pādāravindaṁ hi virājate me…- Garga Samhita, Dwāraka-khaṇḍ 6.17.35 (partial)
अद्योष्णदुग्धप्रतिपानतोंऽघ्रावुच्छालकास्ते मम प्रोच्छलंति। …
Adyoṣhṇa-dugdha-pratipādanād aṅghrāv ucchalakāste mam proch-chhalanti...- Garga Samhita, Dwāraka-khaṇḍ 6.17.36 (partial)
Krishna said, “You know that milk you served Radharani earlier? That was too hot! You didn’t check the temperature of it. It was scalding hot, and She drank it at that temperature! My feet reside in Radha’s heart! Her mind is always on My feet - पादारविंदं हि विराजते मे। - ‘pādāravindaṁ hi virājate me’, My lotus feet reside in the heart of Radharani. So when She drank that milk, it not only burned Her, it also burned My feet!”
So then Rukmini and the queens understood that eternal connection, the absolute connection, between Radha and Krishna!
