Dust of Vrndavana
A Comprehensive Guide to Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma
Dust of Vrndavana
“Lord Brahma prays, ‘My dear Lord Krishna, please give me any sort of birth within this Vrndavana forest so that I may be favored by the dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Vrindavan.’” (Krsna, Chapter 14)
“Uddhava appreciated the exalted position of the gopis and wished to fall down and take the dust of their lotus feet on his head. Not daring to place the dust of the gopis' feet on his own head in this life, Uddhava aspired to have a future birth in the position of a clump of grass or herbs. He would then be able to have the dust of the gopis' feet.” (Krsna, Chapter 46)
“The goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, also desires to keep the dust of Vrindavan on Her breast, along with the fragrant saffron. The gopis, especially, the cowherd women and the aborigine tribeswomen, always desire to become the grass and straw on the street of Vrindavan, to be trampled by the lotus feet of Krishna.” (Krsna, Chapter 82)
“Because Vrindavan dust is not different from Krishna, when you take a little dust from Vrindavan-dhama, it means you are taking the dust from Krishna's lotus feet.” (Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation, 1975)
“The dust of Krishna's lotus feet, which is the source of holiness for all places of pilgrimage, is worshiped by all the great demigods. The principal deities of all planets are engaged in His service, and they consider themselves most fortunate to take the dust of the lotus feet of Krishna on their crowns.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.68.37)
“The dust of Govinda’s lotus feet is so sacred that even Brahma, Siva, and the goddess of fortune Ramadevi take that dust upon their heads to dispel sinful reactions.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.30.29)
“As soon as Akrura entered the boundary of Vrindavan, he saw the footprints of the cows and Lord Krishna's footprints, impressed with the signs of His sole, the flag, trident, thunderbolt and lotus flower. Upon seeing the footprints of Krishna, Akrura immediately jumped down from the chariot out of respect. He became overwhelmed with all the symptoms of ecstasy; he wept, and his body trembled. Out of extreme jubilation upon seeing the dust touched by the lotus feet of Krishna, Akrura fell flat on his face and began to roll on the ground.
“Akrura’s journey to Vrindavan is exemplary. One who intends to visit Vrindavan should follow the ideal footsteps of Akrura and always think of the pastimes and activities of the Lord. As soon as one reaches the boundary of Vrindavan, he should immediately smear the dust of Vrindavan over his body without thinking of his material position and prestige. Actually one cannot go to Vrindavan by purchasing a ticket. The process of going to Vrindavan is shown by Akrura.” (Krsna, Chapter 38)