FOOD TALES (TALES OF INCLUSIVITY) #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay
Wikipedia
In olden times in India, the woman of the house made sure
that there was always a bit of food left over after everyone had eaten. Often
it would be rice into which she would pour water and turn into kanji (gruel).
It was supposed to be ill luck to have no food in the house, because it was
believed that the gods could come for a visit in the middle of the night, maybe
incognito, and to turn them away without food would be tantamount to being
cursed.
This goes so well the idea of hospitality, which is such
an Indian concept. Indian hosts are the most generous, for they believe on the
concept ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’. A guest is akin to God.
One of the most popular tales of yore takes its origin from
the Mahabharata. When the Pandavas were sent on exile for twelve years along
with Draupadi, they had to make do with whatever food they found in the forest.
Once they settled down, they often had sages and other people visiting them. At
that time, Draupadi found it difficult to provide food for them.
One day, she prayed to Lord Surya, the sun god and he
granted her the Akshaya Patra, a vessel that would never be empty till Draupadi
partook her meal every day. This made their life much easier, and they were
never short of food.
The other version of the story is that it was Yudhishtra,
the eldest Pandava, who meditated on the 108 names of the Sun God, and sang hymns
in praise of him. Happy with his devotion, Surya Deva finally gifted him the
Akshaya Patra, the inexhaustible vessel of food.
However, the Kauravas, who had by trickery, sent their
cousins on exile for thirteen years, lost no opportunity to harass them. Hence,
they suggested to Sage Durvasa that he and his followers should go and pay a
visit to them. Sage Durvasa was known for his fiery temper and for his tendency
to curse people the moment they irked him.
When Sage Durvasa reached the home of the Pandavas, they
welcomed him with folded hands. Pleased with their welcome, he and his
followers went for a dip in the nearby river, promising to be back for their
meal.
Draupadi was in a quandary. She had finished her meal and
the Akshaya Patra would not yield any more food till the next day. She burst
into tears in the kitchen as a curse from the sage would only add on to their
troubles. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she prayed fervently to her
close friend, Krishna, asking him to come to her aid, as he had done earlier as
well.
In an instant,
Krishna appeared before her. When he heard of her predicament, he asked her to
bring the Akshaya Patra to him. There was a single grain of rice in it and
Krishna ate it and declared that his stomach was full.
At that moment, Sage Durvasa and his followers had
finished their bath, and suddenly, they experienced a feeling of satiety. Their
stomachs seemed full, and they were no longer hungry. The sage realised that this
had to do with Krishna who had satisfied the hunger of the whole world in one
gesture. He and his followers went away without going back to the home of the
Pandavas.
The Akshaya Patra is believed to have provided food for
the Pandavas and their wife for the twelve years of their exile. In the
thirteenth year, which was when the Pandavas had to stay in disguise and not be
discovered by anyone, the Akshaya Patra lost its magical powers and turned into
a normal copper vessel once again.
It is tales like this that symbolise what wonderful hosts
people in India are. There are many other such stories as well, and together
they form a beautiful thread of respect, harmony, and above all, generosity.
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