Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 4.63
Rukmiṇīdevī Longs for Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy
“ ‘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.’
What the purport teaches
- Rukmiṇīdevī says that even great personalities like Lord Śiva desire the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet to drive away ignorance.
- After hearing Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental attributes, she desired Him as her husband. Her elder brother Rukmī instead wanted her to marry Śiśupāla.
- Deeply aggrieved, she sent Kṛṣṇa a confidential letter through a brāhmaṇa messenger. This verse expresses her intense longing for His mercy, even across hundreds of births.
Try this today
Reread Rukmiṇīdevī’s prayer and offer a simple prayer of your own for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Ask yourself
How does Rukmiṇīdevī’s response to hearing Kṛṣṇa’s attributes help me appreciate devotional hearing?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.