34 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

considered to be the most fragrant flowers in India. There were many clus-
ters of these plants, with blooming flowers enhancing the beauty of the
palace. And because of the exquisite fragrance of the flowers, little groups
of humming bees were gathered around the trees, and at night the pleasing
moonshine glittered through the network of holes in the windows. There
were many heavily flowered trees of parijata, and the mild wind stirred
the flavor of the flowers all around. Within the walls of the palace, there
was incense burning, and the fragrant smoke was leaking out of the
window shutters. Within the room there were mattresses covered with
white bedsheets resembling the foam of milk; the bedding was as soft and
white as milk foam. In this situation, Lord Sri Krsna was very comfortably
sitting and enjoying the service of Rukminiji assisted by her maidservants.

Rukmini was also very eager to get the opportunity of serving the
Supreme Personality of Godhead as her husband. She therefore wanted
to serve the Lord personally and took the handle of the cdmara from the
hand of the maidservant and began to move the fan. The handle of the
camara was made of gold, decorated and bedecked with valuable jewels,
and it became more beautiful when it was taken by Rukmini, because all
of her fingers were beautifully set with jeweled rings. Her legs were
decorated with ankle bells and jewels, which rang very softly between the
pleats of her sari. Rukmin?’s raised breasts were smeared with kunkuma
and saffron; thus her beauty was enhanced by the reflection of the reddish
color emanating from her covered breasts. The highly raised lower part of
her buttocks was decorated with a jeweled lace girdle, and a locket of
great effulgence hung on her neck. Above all, because she was engaged in
the service of Lord Krsna—although at that time she was old enough to
have grown-up sons—her beautiful body was beyond compare in the three
worlds. When we take account of her beautiful face, it appears that the
curling hair on her head, the beautiful earrings on her ears, her smiling
mouth, and her necklace of gold, all combined to shower rains of nectar;
and it was definitely proved that Rukmini was none other than the original
goddess of fortune who is always engaged in the service of the lotus feet
of Narayana.

The pastimes of Krsna and Rukmini in Dvaraka are accepted by great
authorities as manifestations of those of Narayana and Laksmi, which are
of an exalted opulence. The pastimes of Radha and Krsna in Vrndavana
are simple and rural, distinguished from the polished urban characteristics
of those of Dvaraka. The characteristics of Rukmini were unusually bright,
and Krsna was.very much satisfied with her behavior.

Krsna had experienced that when Rukmini was offered a parijdata flower
