(P) Krishna and Sudama (friendship, caring, hospitality)
Krishna and Sudama were friends who went to the same school. One day, Krishna and Sudama went out into the forest to collect firewood for their teacher, called Sandipani Muni. A great storm came and the two boys got lost in the forest. They had to spend the night there, sheltering underneath a giant tree. Sudama had only a little food with him, and Krishna had nothing. They were shivering with cold and very hungry. Sudama shared with Krishna the little food he had. In the morning, a search party found the two pupils. Sandipani was very pleased with the boys for undergoing so much hardship in trying to serve him. He gave them his blessings, saying, “May all your wishes come true!”
Krishna grew up to become a powerful and wealthy king. His capital city, called Dwarka, was full of palaces and mansions made of marble. Sudama, on the other hand, was a brahmin, a priest. Unlike Krishna, he lived a very simple life, and was very poor. He was happy, though, because he enjoyed his religious life – his worship in the temple, his meditation and his study of the holy books.
Sudama and his wife were so poor that they hardly ate anything. They were both very skinny. Sudama’s wife was worried about her husband’s weak health. One evening, with great humility, she spoke to him, “I know that Krishna is your personal friend. You are a great devotee of Krishna and he is always ready to help his devotees. Why don’t you go to see him? Understanding that you are poor, he will give you enough money to live comfortably”.
Sudama was reluctant. He didn’t like to ask Krishna for anything. He wasn’t really interested in owning lots of money and other things. He knew that money doesn’t bring real peace and happiness. But, his wife asked him again and again. To please her, he finally agreed. Sudama thought, “Well, even if I don’t ask Krishna for anything, it will be a great chance to see him again”. He asked his wife what they could give Krishna as a gift. But they were so poor that they couldn’t afford anything. So the wife visited her neighbours and collected four palmfuls of chipped rice. She wrapped it in a small cloth and gave it to Sudama. She reminded him, “Now, don’t you forget to give it to Krishna.” Sudama took the gift and went to bed.
The next morning, Sudama left his cottage and started the long walk to the city of Dvaraka. He was very happy, thinking of how he would again see Lord Krishna. He had no other thought within his heart, and the time just flew by.
When Sudama arrived at the city gates, the guards saw that he was a holy man and let him into the city. He passed like this through three huge archways, each decorated with statues of lions and elephants. Finally, he reached the inside of Krishna’s palace. There he saw Krishna sitting on a couch with his wife, Queen Rukmini. Krishna was dressed in the finest red, blue and yellow silks and adorned with golden jewelry. Even from a distance, Krishna recognised his old friend. He immediately got up and hugged Sudama with both arms. Krishna, felt great pleasure embracing the poor priest, because he was meeting his very dear friend. Lord Krishna gave Sudama his own seat and personally brought him all kinds of fruits and drinks. He washed Sudama’s feet. All the queens were fanning Sudama to keep him cool. They noticed that the priest was dressed in rags and they thought, “Krishna knows that he was a very special person. And, anyway, it is the duty of kings to pay respects to holy people. The brahmins are so devoted to God that they are not interested in material things, such as fancy clothes”.
After this welcome, Krishna said, “My dear friend, it is my great fortune that you have come here”. Krishna and Sudama began to talk about their school days. Then, with a mischievous smile, Krishna asked, “My dear friend, what have you brought for me? Has your wife given you some delicious food for me?”
Krishna knew that Sudama was embarrassed to bring him chipped rice, which was hardly fit for a king to eat. Understanding his friend’s mind, Krishna said, “My dear friend, I am certainly not in need of anything, but if my devotee gives me something as an offering of love, I accept it with great pleasure”.
Still, Sudama was very shy, and tried to hide the present. Krishna then snatched the bundle of rice from the poor brahmin’s shoulder. Opening the cloth, he exclaimed, “Wow, what is this? My dear friend, you have brought me delicious chipped rice!” He took a morsel of chipped rice from the bundle and dropped it into his mouth.
Sudama and Krishna spent the whole evening together. Krishna talked about how school was not just about remembering facts and written tests, but mainly for developing good qualities. They remembered how they had served their teacher and how they became lost in the forest. As they talked, Sudama was so happy, that he forgot why his wife had sent him. He forgot to mention how he was penniless. That evening, as Sudama lay down to sleep, he felt as if he was living in heaven.
The next morning Sudama hugged his dear friend goodbye and started for home. All the way, he remembered their talks from the evening before. He felt very happy to have seen the Lord. He thought, “Krishna didn’t give me anything because he knows that I might become proud. A proud person becomes mad after money and easily forgets about God.” Thinking in this way, time passed quickly, and the devoted brahmin gradually got closer to his own home.
Once there, he saw that everything had changed. In place of his simple cottage, there were huge palaces carved out of white marble. The pillars were decorated with valuable jewels such has diamonds, emeralds and rubies, glittering like the sun. The brahmana’s wife was dressed in a gorgeous silk sari. She looked like she had descended from heaven. When Sudama entered his own house, the couches and beds were decorated with gold and jewels, and the bedding was as white as the foam of milk.
He thought to himself, “From the beginning of my life I have been in poverty. What could be the cause of this wealth? It must have come from Krishna. Krishna is so grateful, that he remembers and rewards even the smallest act of devotion or kindness.” Sudama, feeling thankful to Krishna, prayed that he could use all his wealth in the service of the Lord. He prayed that he would not become proud of his wealth.
The brahmana lived peacefully with his wife. Their love and affection for Krishna grew day by day, and with all their wealth they served him. They cooked food and offered it at the shrine. They performed the arti ceremony. They always talked of how great Krishna is. In this way, they were always happy. When they finally died, they went back to the spiritual world, to be with Krishna forever.
Note: various morals and topics can be explored though this story:
- Genuine friendship and caring – it gives but does not want to take (except as a symbol of love).
- The giving is more important than the gift, as important principle of bhakti (possibly look at Bhagavad Gita, verse 9.23)
- God rewards those who are selfless (as Sudama was in sharing his food).
- If we take one step towards God, he takes ten steps towards us
- The importance of hospitality and respect for holy people.
- The purposes of education and the respect that should be offered to teachers
- God looks after us, and, other than performing their duty, devotees do not make a separate endeavour to look after themselves (possibly compare to “Consider the birds of the air, and the lilies of the fields . . .”)
- Those who are actually devoted to God are not really interested in temporary material things. They are not like businessmen, worshipping God for some selfish purpose
- Although no one can conquer God, and he controls all, still he is controlled by the love of his devotees. God also likes to serve (his devotees).
- Wealth should be used in God’s service and offered back to him (just as some Hindus make offerings of Ganges water when worshipping that river, or offer a lamp to the sun).
- One tradition explains that Sudama, although very spiritually advanced, was still a tiny bit proud of being renounced. To remove this impurity, Krishna gave him immense wealth.