Kuchelan

Courtesy: Sri.Srinivasan,Palakkad
Bhakta Kuchela and Bhagavan Shree Krishna

When Shree Krishna was studying at the Gurukulam of Sandipani Maharishi
, a brahmin boy named Sudama was His classmate and close friend . After
completing education there , they separated with tears .

Sudama returned to his village and married Susheela . He led a
sattvic-life by adhering to the Brahmin *Sva-dharma* of learning and
teaching the Vedas . Though he was a master of the Vedas , Sudama never
exploited it for personal gains . His only income was the meager alms he
received from begging at a few houses every day . Consequently , he
came to be known as *Kuchelan* (very poor man) .

Nevertheless, Sudama was very content with his krishna-conscious life
. Sensual pleasures never attracted him . Wife Susheela too was a nice
lady ,but without the same level of detachment . Very often , she found
it very difficult to bear the miserable crying of their hungry children
. And she often urged her husband to approach Shree Krishna who is his
childhood friend and Ishta-deva . But Kuchela's only response was
always a smile as he believed it inappropriate to seek any monetary
gain from Bhagavan .

At last, Sushila broke down . With a dried up face , trembling with
hunger and crying bitterly she said to her husband " We can not
survive like this any more . Our innocent children are dying of hunger
and this fragile ill-maintained hut might collapse any time . Kindly
save us from death by meeting your friend Shree Krishna , the most
merciful God of Gods."

Hearing this Kuchelan was deeply moved and felt guilty for ignoring her
pleadings till then . Having decided to go to Dwaraka , he said : "
Agreed . It is already late night . Let me sleep for a while . Early
morning, I will go to meet Bhagavan . One should not go empty handed to
see the Universal Lord. Please arrange little "Avil" ( parched
rice) , or Fruit or something like it ; any such thing is acceptable to
Him and therefore don't get confused about it " .

Not a single grain was available their home . Sushila begged in the
neighborhood to collect four fistfuls of Rice grains . She quickly
husked and parched it . Because of the hurried preparation at night,
the parched rice inadvertently contained pebbles and raw grains .
Having wrapped it in an old cloth , Sushila handed it over to her
husband in the morning. Kuchela took it with him and wondered on his way
to Dwarka : ' How will this audience with Shree Krishna ever happen to
me?

Passing the three gates and guard stations, walking between the houses
of Bhagavan's faithful followers, he entered the opulent palace
of the Lord . Shree Krishna who was sitting on His consort
Rukmini-devi' s bed, saw Kuchela from a distance . He immediately rose
and ran forward to reach and embraced him .

It could be either due to the joy of meeting His friend-devotee or the
agony of seeing his pathetic form , that tears rolled down from the
eyes of the supremely valiant Shree Krishna !

Having seated Kuchela on the bed, Bhagavan fetched auspicious items to
honor His friend and wash his feet . The Supreme Lord took the washed
water on His head . Then Bhagavan anointed him with divinely fragrant
sandalwood and aloe-wood paste and kunkuma . Glad to worship His friend
with aromatic incense and arati, Shree Krishna welcomed him by offering
betel leaf and nut. Sensing the wishes of Her husband, Rukmini-devi
carefully fanned with a yak's tail to comfort the dirty and poorly
dressed Brahmin whose veins were visible . The people in the palace
were watching in amazement the intense love with which Bhagavan was
honoring His poor Bhakta . They all wondered silently ` What pious
deeds this unclean, condemned and lowly mendicant has performed to
receive such a reverence by the God of Gods ! Seating this begger on
Goddess Mahalashmi's bed , Bhagavan left aside Bhagavathi Lakshmi
to keep him in the embrace ! ` .

Taking hold of each other's hands, Shree Krishna and Kuchela discussed
with great joy the topics of their past days in Sandipani's
Gurukul . Bhagavan said : " O My Sudama, after returning from
Gurukul , did you marry a suitable girl?. Do you, remember our stay in
the gurukula ?. We both learned the Vedas and Shastras and developed a
firm friendship there . Do you remember what we did when our Guru's
wife sent us to fetch firewood ? When we entered that big forest, a
fierce harsh thundering wind and rain started ravishing the area . With
the sun already set to bring in darkness and being confused with water
, we could not recognize the high or low areas and unable to decide
which way to go. Wandering distressfully in the forest, we held each
other's hands to protect each other .

When we did not return to Gurukul till the evening , Guru Sandipani
blasted his wife angrily . At sunrise itself, he was getting ready
to search for us , but we returned. When we prostrated at his feet
fearing his anger , an immensely pleased Guru-deva blessed us heartily
. There is nothing greater than Guru's blessing in this world . One
should offer Guru-dakshina to the best of his ability ; it could vary
from Flower to Elephant . As Guru-Dakshina , I brought back to life
Guru's dead son by conquering Yama-raja the God of death " .

Kuchela replied : " What more is there for me to achieve in life, o
Bhagavan than to have lived at the Guru's house with You ! "

Shree Krishna conversed with His friend-devotee in this manner with
loving glances, looking, smiling and laughing heartily . Suddenly
Bhagavan asked " Let us talk more later . Now, I am feeling
terribly hungry . I know you have brought for Me something to eat.
Don't feel embarrassed and just give that packet to Me . Even the
Gopis had reason to complain about My food-addiction ".

Saying so , Bhagavan snatched from Kuchela's garment the parched
rice tied-up in a bundle and ate a fistful of that stony
parched-rice with great relish . When He grabbed a second one ,
Rukmini-devi who was fanning, politely seized husband's hand and
whispered in His ear " Enough ! O My Lord ! Aren't you satisfied
with what you have bestowed him with so far ?. Am I not enough to give
him the opulence ? Do you want to abandon Me who has been with You
since the very birth , a slave of this Brahmin's wife ? " .

Shree Krishna replied in Her ear " Don't worry My wife . You
know well that , when I see My pure Devotees , I forget Myself and
overcome with compassion . My stomach was filled with one fistful
itself . I was merely testing You . Here You take the remaining . But
don't forget to give him what we agreed . "

After whispering in each others ear like this , Rukmini-devi took away
the packet and kept it inside . Then She returned and resumed fanning
Kuchelan .

Bhagavan Krishna said to Kuchelan : " In the past , I ate
Draupadi's left over food and today your food . Both these have
given me happiness and satisfaction like never before . If a Devotee
having nothing else in hand offers a bitter-nut with devotion , I
accept it as nectar . Whereas, even nectar offered by one without
devotion is bitter-nut to Me."

That night, Kuchela resided in the Dwaraka palace eating and drinking to
his fill and felt as if he had attained heaven. The next morning, he
took leave after receiving a tearful farewell from Bhagavan.

While returning to own residence , Kuchela remembered with gratitude the
audience with Shree Krishna who embraced him the poorest man ! ` Who
am I? Someone poor and sinful ! And who is Shree Krishna ? The temple of
Maha-Lakshmi devi . And Bhagavan seated me on His royal bed just as
brothers being seated on the bed used by His wife . I was, fanned by
His queen Rukmini-devi Herself with a hair-fan in her hand. With
sincerity they served me with delicious food and massaged my feet as if
I am the God of Gods! He might have avoided giving me riches to avoid
my degradation due to material addiction . Still , it was my mistake not
to ask Him for some assistance. Now , what answer I can give to my
starving wife and children who are eagerly waiting for my return to eat
something ! ` .

Thus innerly occupied with these thoughts, Kuchela arrived at the
vicinity of his hut . But he was confronted with a mighty high rising
palace surrounded by wonderful courtyards and gardens swarming with
hordes of cooing birds, reservoirs of water full of lilies and night-
and daytime blooming lotuses white and fully open, and well adorned and
ornamented men and women with deer-like eyes.

Kuchelan wondered ' What is this ? Whose place is this? How could this
come about ?'

Immediately, he was welcomed by the palace men and women having
complexions effulgent like the demigods, who loudly sang with
instrumental music . Hearing that her husband had arrived, his excited
and extremely jubilant wife , quickly rushed to Kuchela just like devi
Maha-Lakshmi manifesting Herself from Her abode. Seeing his wife
appearing as a goddess in the midst of maidservants with golden lockets
around their necks, Kuchela was stunned. Sushila explained :
"Yesterday , a divine lady came in front of our house and said to me
that She was coming from Dwaraka as ordered by Bhagavan Shree Krishna to
reward His devotee . When She entered our hut , all these miracles
happened "

Having been pleased with this news, Kuchela walked around in his home
to see its hundreds of gem-studded pillars. There were ivory beds
ornamented with gold and couches with golden legs, yaktail-fans, golden
chairs with soft cushions and canopies hung with strings of pearls. He
saw the sparkling clear quartz walls inlaid with precious emeralds as
also the jeweled lamps . Seeing all these flourishing opulence,
Kuchelan said to his wife : " This prosperity is nothing but the
glance of Bhagavan Shree Krishna . After all, He gave me no opportunity
to beg, but noticed everything. That is why He accepted and ate with
pleasure the palmful of parched-rice brought by me. Let there indeed
life after life be my love [sauhrida], friendship [sakhya], sympathy
 and servitude  with Bhagavan Krishna. And may I
become firmly attached to the valuable association of His devotees. The
Supreme Lord bestows upon His deserving devotees the wonderful opulence
" .

Any one hearing this great pastime of Bhagavan Shree Krishna, will find
love for the Supreme God and become freed from the bondage of fruitive
labor .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya !