Kuchela-day celebrated on Dec 17 !!!

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Hare Krishna ! Dear Devotees,

The auspicious Kucheala-day was celebrated yesterday ( Dec 17th) in Guruvayoor and other Shree Krishna temples .

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 [maitrî] and servitude [dâsya] 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 !