॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
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श्रीशुक उवाच
स इत्थं द्विजमुख्येन सह सङ्कथयन् हरि: । सर्वभूतमनोऽभिज्ञ: स्मयमान उवाच तम् ॥
ब्रह्मण्यो ब्राह्मणं कृष्णो भगवान् प्रहसन् प्रियम् । प्रेम्णा निरीक्षणेनैव प्रेक्षन् खलु सतां गति: ॥
T: Sage Shuka said: Lord Hari, Sri Krishna, perfectly knows the hearts of all living beings, and he is especially devoted to the Brahmins. While the Supreme Lord, the goal of all saintly persons, conversed in this way with the best of the twice-born, he laughed and spoke the following words to that dear friend of his, the Brahmin Sudama, all the while smiling and looking upon him with affection.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
किमुपायनमानीतं ब्रह्मन् मे भवता गृहात् । अण्वप्युपाहृतं भक्तै: प्रेम्णा भूर्येव मे भवेत् ।
भूर्यप्यभक्तोपहृतं न मे तोषाय कल्पते ॥
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति । तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: ॥
इत्युक्तोऽपि द्वियस्तस्मै व्रीडित: पतये श्रिय: । पृथुकप्रसृतिं राजन् न प्रायच्छदवाङ्मुख: ॥
T: The Supreme Lord said: "Dear Sudama, what gift have you brought me from home? I regard as great even the smallest gift offered by my devotees in pure love, but even great offerings presented by non-devotees do not please me. If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it. "(This same shloka comes in the Srimad Bhagavadgita Ch.9)
Even after being addressed in this way, the Brahmin felt too embarrassed to offer his palmfuls of flat rice to the husband of the Goddess of Fortune. He simply kept his head bowed in shame.
र्वभूतात्मदृक् साक्षात् तस्यागमनकारणम् । विज्ञायाचिन्तयन्नायं श्रीकामो माभजत्पुरा ॥
पत्न्या: पतिव्रतायास्तु सखा प्रियचिकीर्षया । प्राप्तो मामस्य दास्यामि सम्पदोऽमर्त्यदुर्लभा: ॥
T: Being the direct witness in the hearts of all living beings, Lord Sri Krishna fully understood why Sudama had come to see him. Thus, he thought, “In the past my friend has never worshipped me out of a desire for material opulence, but now he comes to me to satisfy his chaste and devoted wife. I will give him riches that even the immortal gods cannot obtain.”
इत्थं विचिन्त्य वसनाच्चीरबद्धान्द्विजन्मन: । स्वयं जहार किमिदमिति पृथुकतण्डुलान् ॥
नन्वेतदुपनीतं मे परमप्रीणनं सखे । तर्पयन्त्यङ्ग मां विश्वमेते पृथुकतण्डुला: ॥
इति मुष्टिं सकृज्जग्ध्वा द्वितीयां जग्धुमाददे । तावच्छ्रीर्जगृहे हस्तं तत्परा परमेष्ठिन: ॥
T: Thinking like this, the Lord snatched from the Brahmin’s garment the grains of flat rice tied up in an old piece of cloth and exclaimed, “What is this?”
“My friend, have you brought this for me? It gives me extreme pleasure. Indeed, these few grains of flat rice will satisfy not only me but also the entire universe.”
Beaten rice or flattened rice is a favourite ingredient (ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ or Poha) which is eatable only when soaked, cooked or fried. But Sri Krishna had other ideas.
Now the Supreme Lord ate one palmful and was about to eat a second when the devoted goddess Rukmiṇi took hold of his hand.
एतावतालं विश्वात्मन् सर्वसम्पत्समृद्धये । अस्मिन्लोकेऽथवामुष्मिन् पुंसस्त्वत्तोषकारणम् ॥
T: Devi Rukmini said: That was more than enough, Oh Soul of the universe, to secure for the giver an abundance of all kinds of wealth in this world and the next! After all, one’s prosperity depends simply on your satisfaction.
***
Sudama spent that night in Sri Krishna-Rukmini's palace after eating and drinking to his full satisfaction. He felt as if he had gone to heaven.
The next day, Sudama set off for home after being honoured by Lord Sri Krishna, the self-sufficient sustainer of creation. The Brahmin felt greatly delighted as he set out along the road. back to his village.
Although he had received no gift of wealth from Lord Sri Krishna, Sudama had been too shy to beg for it of his own accord. He simply returned home, feeling perfectly satisfied to have had the Supreme Lord’s audience.
Sudama thought: "Lord Sri Krishna is known to be devoted to the Brahmins, and now I have personally seen this devotion. Indeed, he who carries the Goddess of Fortune on his chest has embraced this poorest beggar. Who am I? A sinful, poor Brahmin who happens to be Sri Krishna’s friend. And who is Sri Krishna? The Paramatma, the reservoir of prosperity, i.e. Ishwara! Nonetheless, he has embraced me with his two arms. Sri Krishna treated me just like one of his brothers, making me sit on the bed of his beloved consort. And because I was fatigued, his queen personally fanned me with a yak-tail Chamara."
"Although he is the Lord of all gods and the object of worship for all Brahmins, he worshipped me as if I were a god myself, massaging my feet and rendering other humble services. Devotional service to his lotus feet is the thing that results in a person's finding and securing all the best in heaven, in liberation, in the subterranean regions and on earth – the three Lokas and beyond."
अधनोऽयं धनं प्राप्य माद्यन्नुच्चैर्न मां स्मरेत् । इति कारुणिको नूनं धनं मेऽभूरि नाददात् ॥
T: "The Lord was thinking “If this poor wretch suddenly becomes rich, he will forget me when he gets intoxicated with happiness." That is why the compassionate Lord did not grant me even a little bit of wealth."
Thinking thus to himself, Sudama finally came to the place where his home had stood. But that place was now crowded on all sides and was built up with towering, celestial palaces rivalling the combined brilliance of the sun, fire and the moon. There were splendid courtyards and gardens, each filled with flocks of cooing birds and beautified by ponds in which kumuda, ambhoja, kahlara and utpala lotuses grew. Finely attired men and doe-eyed women stood in attendance.
Sudama was shocked and wondered, “What is all this? Whose property is it? How has this all come about?” As he continued to ponder in this way, the beautiful men and maidservants, as effulgent as gods, came forward to greet their greatly fortunate master with many songs and instrumental music.
पतिमागतमाकर्ण्य पत्न्युद्धर्षातिसम्भ्रमा । निश्चक्राम गृहात्तूर्णं रूपिणी श्रीरिवालयात् ॥
पतिव्रता पतिं दृष्ट्वा प्रेमोत्कण्ठाश्रुलोचना । मीलिताक्ष्यनमद्बुद्ध्या मनसा परिषस्वजे ॥
T: When she heard that her husband had arrived, Sudama’s wife quickly came out of the house in a jubilant flurry. She resembled the Goddess of Fortune herself emerging from her divine abode.
When the chaste lady saw her husband, her eyes filled with tears of love and eagerness. As she held her eyes closed, she solemnly bowed down to him, and in her heart, she embraced him.
Sudama was amazed to see his wife. Shining forth in the midst of maidservants adorned with jewelled lockets, she looked as effulgent as a goddess in her heavenly aerial vehicle. With pleasure, he took his wife with him and entered his house, where there were hundreds of gem-studded pillars, just as in the palace of Lord Mahendra.
In Sudama’s home were beds as soft and white as the foam of milk, with bedsteads made of ivory and ornamented with gold. There were also couches with golden legs, as well as royal Chamara fans, golden thrones, soft cushions and gleaming canopies, hung with strings of pearls. Upon the walls of sparkling crystal glass, inlaid with precious emeralds, shone jewelled lamps, and the women in the palace were all adorned with precious gems. As he viewed this luxurious opulence of all varieties, the Brahmin calmly reasoned to himself about his unexpected prosperity.
नूनं बतैतन्मम दुर्भगस्य शश्वद्दरिद्रस्य समृद्धिहेतु: ।
महाविभूतेरवलोकतोऽन्यो नैवोपपद्येत यदूत्तमस्य ॥
नन्वब्रुवाणो दिशते समक्षं याचिष्णवे भूर्यपि भूरिभोज: ।
पर्जन्यवत्तत् स्वयमीक्षमाणो दाशार्हकाणामृषभ: सखा मे ॥
किञ्चित्करोत्युर्वपि यत् स्वदत्तं सुहृत्कृतं फल्ग्वपि भूरिकारी ।
मयोपनीतं पृथुकैकमुष्टिं प्रत्यग्रहीत् प्रीतियुतो महात्मा ॥
T: Sudama thought: "I have always been poor. Certainly, the only possible way that such an unfortunate person as myself could become suddenly rich is that Lord Sri Krishna, the supremely opulent chief of the Yadu dynasty, has glanced upon me with his grace. After all, my friend Sri Krishna, the most exalted of the Dasharhas (Yadus) and the enjoyer of unlimited wealth, noticed that I secretly intended to beg from him. Thus, even though he said nothing about it when I stood before him, he actually bestowed upon me the most abundant riches! In this way, he acted just like a merciful rain cloud!"
"The Lord considers even his greatest benedictions to be insignificant, while he magnifies even a small service rendered to him by his well-wishing devotee. Thus, with pleasure, the Paramatma accepted a single palmful of the flat rice I brought him."
तस्यैव मे सौहृदसख्यमैत्री
दास्यं पुनर्जन्मनि जन्मनि स्यात् ।
महानुभावेन गुणालयेन
विषज्जतस्तत्पुरुषप्रसङ्ग: ॥
T:" The Lord is the supremely compassionate reservoir of all transcendental qualities. May I serve him life after life with love, friendship and sympathy, and may I cultivate such firm attachment for him by the precious association with his devotees."
"Indeed, in his infinite wisdom, the birthless Lord well knows how the intoxication of pride can cause the downfall of the wealthy."
Thus seeing how the unconquerable Supreme Lord is nonetheless conquered by his own servants through their devotion, the Lord’s dear Brahmin friend Sudama felt the remaining knots of material attachment within his heart being cut by the force of his constant meditation on the Lord. In a short time, he attained Lord Sri Krishna’s supreme abode, the destination of great saints.
एतद् ब्रह्मण्यदेवस्य श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मण्यतां नर: ।
लब्धभावो भगवति कर्मबन्धाद् विमुच्यते ॥
T: The Lord always shows true Brahmins special favours. Anyone who hears this account of the Supreme Lord’s kindness to Brahmins will come to develop sincere love for the Lord and thus become freed from the bondage of striving for material gain.
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