Be happy with what you have

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Be happy with what you have

Materialistic pleasures were never the goals of

Indians. People used to be satisfied with what they

had and within what they had, used to help others.

Their hearts were filled with pure love, friendship

and bhakti. The story of Sudaama, the best friend of

Lord Krishna, stands as an outstanding example for

this.

 

Sudaama and Krishna Bhagavan were good friends. The

friendship started at their gurukulam with Shri

Saandeepa. As always duty takes more priority than

everything. Hence, after completing their studies they

had to part. However, neither Krishna nor Sudaama

could forget each other. Sudaama, knowing who Krishna

really was, also had true devotion for him. Sudaama

never was interested in earning lot of money or other

such aihikechchas. Once after many years, not able to

bear the separation from Krishna anymore, sets off to

meet Krishna.

 

On hearing the news of his friend’s arrival, Krishna

runs to the city gates to receive Sudaama personally.

Krishna, the paramaatma, hugs Sudaama several times

and they break into tears with uncontrollable

aanandam. Krishna takes Sudaama to his palace and

makes him sit comfortably on the shayanaasanam of

Krishna and Rukmini Devi. Krishna, whose feet Brahma

himself washed to produce the holy waters of Ganga,

washed the feet of his friend, together with Rukmini,

with utmost care. Then the Lord of the worlds,

purifies himself, his queens and the palace with the

paada jalam of the great scholar, Sudaama. Though

Sudaama was very poor and did not even have money to

eat food, he did not even think about it while he was

with Krishna. Krishna took the atukulu brought by

Sudaama for him and commented that it was one of his

best ever meals. Both of them talked a lot, till their

hearts were full and finally Sudaama returned to his

house with a full heart, thoroughly satisfied with the

Lord’s sweet words.

 

(Ofcourse, the sthiti kaaraka of the worlds, Krishna,

blesses him with all worldly pleasures too…)

 

 

 

Morals in the story:

 

Money, property and other pleasures are

Kshanabhanguraas and as a person keeps satisfying

them, they will only increase. Hence, like Sudaama,

one needs to be content with what he has. Even given a

chance to ask anything from Krishna, he did not choose

to ask him!

The nature of pure friendship is exposed by Krishna

and Sudaama. Krishna, being the lord of the universe,

washed the feet of his friend and purifies himself

with the paada-jalam. Sudaama, though was extremely

poor, never asked Krishna for wealth and make

friendship a business.

Notice that only a guru is one who makes a person meet

God. This is reflected clearly in the story. It is

because of Saandeepa that Krishna and Sudaama knew

each other and met each other again.

Krishna making his friend sit on his shayya, talk with

him what Rukmini and he talk intimately and receiving

Sudaama at the gates of the city show how intimate &

sincere friendship must be.

The kind of respect one must give to an Atithi and a

scholar is well brought out by Krishna.

Message:

 

Self-contentment gives a man the power to control any

of his attraction towards the wrong path. If a person

is not self-satisfied, he will always have ever

increasing greed. Even control over the universe would

not give him satisfaction.