Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 1 - Verse 37

Sanskrit:

श्रीर्यत्पदाम्बुजरजश्चकमे तुलस्यालब्ध्वापि वक्षसि पदं किल भृत्यजुष्टम् ।यस्या: स्ववीक्षण उतान्यसुरप्रयास-स्तद्वद् वयं च तव पादरज: प्रपन्ना: ॥ ३७ ॥

ITRANS:

śrīr yat padāmbuja-rajaś cakame tulasyālabdhvāpi vakṣasi padaṁ kila bhṛtya-juṣṭamyasyāḥ sva-vīkṣaṇa utānya-sura-prayāsastadvad vayaṁ ca tava pāda-rajaḥ prapannāḥ

Translation:

Goddess Lakṣmī, whose glance is sought after by the demigods with great endeavor, has achieved the unique position of always remaining on the chest of her Lord, Nārāyaṇa. Still, she desires the dust of His lotus feet, even though she has to share that dust with Tulasī-devī and indeed with the Lord’s many other servants. Similarly, we have approached the dust of Your lotus feet for shelter.

Purport:

The gopīs here point out that the dust of the Lord’s feet is so ecstatic and enlivening that the goddess of fortune wants to abandon her unique position on His chest to share with many other devotees a position at His feet. Thus the gopīs urge Lord Kṛṣṇa not to be guilty of a double standard. Since the Lord gave the goddess of fortune a place on His chest and also allowed her to seek the dust of His lotus feet, Kṛṣṇa should certainly give the same opportunity to His most loving devotees, the gopīs. “After all” the gopīs plead, “seeking the dust of Your lotus feet is perfectly justified, and You should encourage us in this endeavor and not try to send us away.”