Non acceptance of food by duryodhana

Courtesy: Sri.Bryan Hill

From the mahAbhArata, when shrI kR^ishhNa visits hastinApura as an envoy
of the pANDavas to negotiate a peace between them and the kauravas, King
duryodhana extends to him an invitation to dinner at his palace. However
shrI kR^ishhNa declines the invitation. When duryodhana demands an
explanation from Him, shrI kR^ishhNa tells him:
द्विषदन्नं न भोक्तव्यं द्विषन्तं नैव भोजयेत् । पाण्डवान् द्विषसे राजन् मम
प्राणा हि पाण्डवाः ॥
अकस्मात् द्विषसे राजन् जन्मप्रभृति पाण्डवान् । प्रियानुवर्तिनो भ्रातॄन्
सर्वैः समुदितान् गुणैः ॥
अकस्मच्चैव पार्थानां द्वेषणं नोपपद्यते । धर्मे स्थिताः पाण्डवेयाः कस्तान्
किं वक्तुमर्हति ॥
यस्तान् द्वेष्टि स मां द्वेष्टि यस्ताननु स मामनु । सर्वमेतन्न भोक्तव्यं
अन्नं दुष्टाभिसंहितम् ॥
क्षत्तुरेकस्य भोक्तव्यमिति मे धीयते मतिः ।
" One should not eat the food given by one who hates him nor should one
serve food to one who hates him. Oh! King, you do hate the pANDavas who are
so dear to me. You, duryodhana, from your birth are hating the pANDavas,
your brothers who followe you lovingly being endowed with all virtues. It
is unbecoming of you to spite the pANDavas for no reason. Can any one speak
ill of them who are adhering to the righteous path? Whosoever hates them in
fact hates me and their admirers are my admirers........ To my mind, the
food connected with wicked intentions should not be consumed. I therefore
feel I should accept only the hospitality of vidura's (xattA) "

(mahAbhArata, udyogaparva, adhyAya 91, shlokas 27,30,34)
shrI
kR^ishhNa is admittedly, not only a yogi and a yogArUDHa, but a
yogeshvara(gItA 18.78). It was for that reason that shrI kR^ishhNa was in a
position to openly denounce duryodhana for his evil - mindedness, and
decline his invitation to dine with him and preferred to accept vidura's
hospitality instead. Looking at madhva's interpretation of the gItA verse:
साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर विशिष्यते
in the light of these words
of shrI kR^ishhNa and his own treatment of duryodhana accordingly, we find
that it is fully consistent with the principles by which the conduct of a
true yogi should be guided.