But they were ineffective. At last, they consulted Narada and he went into the sick room to consult Krishna Himself and find out which drug would cure Him.

Krishna directed him to bring—what do you think the drug was?—the dust of the feet of a true Bhakta! In a trice, Narada manifested himself in the presence of some celebrated Bhaktas of the Lord; but they were too humble to offer the dust of their feet to be used by their Lord as a drug!

That is also a kind of egoism. “I am low, mean, small, useless, poor, sinful, inferior”—such feelings also are egoistic; when the ego goes, you do not feel either superior or inferior. No one would give the dust wanted by the Lord; they were too worthless, they declared. Narada came back disappointed to the sickbed. Then, Krishna asked him, “Did you try Brindhavan where the Gopis live?” The Queens laughed at the suggestion and even Narada asked in dismay, “What do they know of Bhakti (devotion)?” Still, the sage had to hurry thither.