Krishna’s munificence (968)

Although Bhama and Gopalan were a loving and smart couple, they struggled to make both ends meet each month. They had four children. He was a clerk in a private company with a meagre salary. They could not provide nutritious food and good schooling to the children. They were pious but their prayers yielded no result. Gopalan, an honest and hard-working guy, found no way to augment his earnings.

In such times, the couple went one day to the local Krishna temple as they usually did, to pray and find peace, and found an upanyasakar, narrating the story of Sudama’s (Kuchela) visit to Krishna at Dwarka. With nothing much to do at home, they sat among the crowd and started listening to the story that was narrated in a moving and gripping manner.

The gist of the widely known story is as below.

Sudama and Krishna were childhood friends during their study at Sandipani Ashram. Though Krishna belonged to the royal family and the former from a very poor family, they were close friends and fond of each other.

In due course, Krishna became a powerful ruler in Dwarka, while Sudama was an impoverished man, facing lots of hardships in raising his several children. 

Sudama's wife Susheela reminded him one day of his friendship with Krishna and requested him to seek his help. Sudama was averse to the idea but yielded to her plea to visit Dwarka. With nothing worthwhile to carry as a gift, he carried a handful of flattened rice flakes (Poha)  tied to his upper cloth.

When Krishna heard that Sudama was at the palace gate, he rushed to the gate with His consort in tow. Though his boyhood friend was seen looking haggard and unshaven face after a long walk, Krishna in great jubilation hugged and embraced Sudama fondly.

He sought the gift, Bhabhi had sent for him and ate the flattened rice with much relish to the amusement of Rukmani. Neither Sudama revealed the purpose of his visit nor Krishna asked him. After pampering with affection and hospitality for a couple of days, Krishna sent Sudama in his chariot to his village.

It was only when Sudama reached the village, that he could witness how Krishna had relieved him totally from poverty with a palace-like house, with his wife Susheela and children decked in finest clothes and jewellery and many other copious and costly gifts.

With tears in their eyes on hearing the moving story about the munificence of Krishna, Bhama and Gopalan came out of the temple to find a very small picture, of Krishna washing the feet of Sudama, in a stall outside the temple. They bought it and hung it in their puja place for daily worship hoping He would bestow likewise  His grace on them.

Within a week, an important development took place in Gopalan’s company with the owner handing over complete responsibility to manage the company to his only son due to declining health. The new master who was of the same age as Gopalan and had known him for long for his honesty and hard work, employed him in his secretariat to assist him giving him a promotion along with a good raise in salary.

The joy of the couple knew no bounds and they were certain that the picture of Krishna with Sudama was the main reason for this unexpected but welcome change. They started praying more and luckily the company’s operations expanded with increased profits. Within two years, he was promoted to a higher position with greater responsibilities.

Human nature being what it is, greed and avarice surpassed devotion and contentment that Gopalan got the picture enlarged to 2’xI’ from the present 4”x3” hoping for greater benefits to accrue. He bought more flowers in different varieties to decorate the god and made Bhama prepare nice and different delicacies for Prasad. Though Bhama felt unhappy about the change in Gopalan, she remained quiet.

Six months passed with nothing big happening at the office. One evening when Gopalan was resting on the balcony, Bhama came and sat beside him. The children were away. It seemed to Gopalan that she wished to convey something but looked hesitant.

“Do you wish to tell me something? Shoot out without hesitation. By God’s grace, we are doing well, isn’t it?”, Gopalan said.

“I think you should not have meddled with the size of the picture in your greed. You employed a cheap human trick thinking that increasing the size of the picture would fetch you greater riches. I think the Lord is upset. I am now in the family way and the lady doctor confirmed it and added a bombshell about the certainty of a twin,” she mumbled with a crestfallen face.

Gopalan’s face fell and lost its colour. After a long silence, he said,” I fully agree with you. I repent for what I did and will seek His forgiveness, though the consequences of my foolishness cannot be changed”

 “Do not worry. I have a suggestion. Let us hang the big picture on one of the pillars at the Krishna temple for childless women to go around it. That way you can atone for your mistake,” Bhama said with a certain finality in her voice.

When he nodded his head in agreement and promised to consult her in future, Bhama hugged him and said,” I am glad that you realized your mistake and sincerely repented for it. Please excuse me for pulling a fast one on you. I am neither pregnant nor did I consult a doctor. It was only to restrain you from overzealousness to get rich quickly. Let us be content with what God has given us. Let us return the smaller picture to the puja room and hang the bigger one at the temple.”