Krishna will only accept an offering that is made with love and
affection. One incident that shows this took place in Hastinapura.
It is well known that Arjuna and his four brothers were Krishna’s
very dear friends and devotees.
Duryodhana, who also lived in Hastinapura, was the sworn enemy of
Arjuna and his brothers(later they fought each other at the Battle of Kurukñetra),
but he wanted to invite Krishna to a feast.
Duryodhana was very wealthy, so he served preparations of delicious foodstuffs
such as ladu, pera, kachori, sandesh and makhan — in golden dishes, and water
in golden cups.
Then he requested Krishna, “Please come and take Your meal with Me.”
Krishna objected, “I can’t eat anything, because I have no
appetite. I only eat anything where there is love and affection, I
can never eat with you, because you have no love and affection
for Me! I came to Hastinäpura to ask you to make peace with
Arjuna and his brothers, but you have not complied. How can
I take My meal with you? I’m not a beggar, and I’m not hungry.”
Shortly after rejecting Duryodhana’s opulent feast, Krishna
went to Vidura’s house. Vidura was Krishna’s devotee, and was
also very affectionate to Arjuna and his four brothers.
In fact, on several occasions he had saved them from great danger.
Because of this, Krishna was very fond of Vidura. When
Krishna got to Vidura’s house, Vidura was not there, so Krishna
pleaded with his wife Viduräëé, “Oh, Vidurani Maiya, I am so
hungry! Please give Me something to eat.”
Vidurani was very affectionate to Krishna, and she was anxious to serve Him.
She began to offer Him bananas, but in her confusion, she threw
away the fruit and gave Him the peels.
Krishna affectionately accepted the peels, and relished them joyfully.
They tasted sweeter to Him than all the preparations and offerings made in
Dvaraka by his chief queens Rukmini and Satyabhama.
While Krishna was completely absorbed in accepting Viduräëé’s
offering of banana peels, Vidura came in.
He was astonished at what he saw, and exclaimed, “Oh, Vidurani! What are you doing?”
Krishna tried to caution him, “Don’t speak to her. She is not
in her external senses. She is fully absorbed in transcendental
love and affection.”
Vidurani, however, came back to external consciousness when she heard her husband speak,
and soon realised what was happening.
She then gave Krishna the fruit of the bananas and threw away the peels.
Krishna was a little disappointed. “Oh! This fruit is not as tasty
as the peels were.”
Spiritual lesson:
From this pastime, we can see that Krishna never becomes
hungry. He doesn’t want to taste banana, or sweets, or milk or
anything.
He just wants to take the essence of all the fruits.
What is that essence?
It is simply love and affection, the mood of bhakti in the offering.
Krishnawill never accept anything from someone who has no deep love and affection for Him.
On the other hand, He will forcibly take what He wants from a devotee
who has love and affection for Him, if that devotee does not give
Him enough.
That is Krishna’s nature. Krishna is not a beggar. He is full in all opulence, but still He comes to his devotees and serve them.
In Bhagavad gita Krishna says:
patram pushpam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahritam
asnami prayatatmanah
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.
So in wathever we do we should add bhakti and our life will be perfect. As Krishna says in Bhagavad gita 9.27:
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward
moral / instructive stories they hear so that everyone can be benefitted.