vidhuran thantha kanji

Dear Sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

It is always a practice for many people to have a nap after a good lunch. That

too, if the lunch is a 'buffet type'you will tend to sleep nicely. For, many a

people tend to eat a bit more in a buffet resulting in a nap. Because you are in

conversation with somebody and don't concentrate or be conscious on the quantity

eaten you eat more. Also the display of many eatables add pressure on the taste

buds of the tongue.

May be that is why it is said 'uNda kaLaippu thoNdarukkum uNdu'- the tired after

eating is there even for servants. Further, if the person who ate such a heavy

buffet is a child, then parents also add, after eating if the child sleeps well,

then the food what he consumed will get digested easily and nicely. That also

adds weight to the practice of sleeping after food from the childhood to old

age. May be due to compulsion, we in the middle age miss that comfort. But when

the opportunity to nap is there, we do really enjoy that nap, like Sundays

holidays etc.

krishNa also had a nap after he had the heavy lunch offered by the wives of the

brahmins [re previous post titled buffet lunch]. See what is the reaction.

"vidhuran thantha kanjiyum vELviyar tharum sORum

veNNaiyum maNNum uNdathaalE mantham"

meaning: "he, that krishNa had eaten

1. the gruel given by that great dharmaathma vidhura the minister of king

dhritharaashtraa,

2. the rice given by the brahmins who do sacrifices,

3. butter given by the gopees and mother yasOdhaa

4. mud of that aaippaadi.

As a result he has become dull", says a gOpee about her lord krishNa, when he

did not turn up as promised to her by him with, 'I will meet you in that

secluded scheduled place'.

She waited there in that place. But he did not turn up as promised. She gives

the reason as because of these heavy matter what he has consumed as good lunch

he that krishNa slept some where.

On this 'vidhuran thantha kanji' to my dear krishNa, krishNa has to face a lot

of criticism 'then and there'. Before taking up that criticism part of it, we

will have four things on what all vidhura gave to krishNa, when he turned up at

his house. Because that portion itself is quite interesting. Hence I am putting

these across for your palate.

Perhaps, if you ask me for 'quotes' or 'references' for the first three, I may

not be able to provide, but are based on what I heard in talks or read in

tidbits.

1. krishNa turned up at vidhuraa's house instead of going to the different

houses arranged by dhuryOdhanan like bheeshma's, dhrOnaa's, kripa's, house of

dhussaasanan and/or the house of king dhritharaashtra, besides his own house.

Then, in the urgency of feeding krishNa, the supreme lord and his revered

guest, vidhura, brought a bunch of raw green plantain, [pachchai vaazhaikkaai],

since finding not much worth to give to the lord, straight away cut from the

tree. By the time he cut, brought into the house, cleaned, peeled the skin to

offer to the lord, that raw unripe plantain became ripe. Like vidhura's ripe

bhakthi in offering the supreme lord krishna waiting in his house, that raw

fruit of banana, though appeared green in the skin, was ripe enough in time to

be taken by the lord. From then onwards, this variety of banana the green

variety stayed, as what we have today as pachchai vazhaip pazham.

[may be this is somebody's rich imagination, of recent origin, but since

enjoyable and attributed to my krishNa, I am sharing with all of you. No

poorvaachaarya references for authentication please or even if it exists I am a

moodaathma to that extent.]

2. krishNa turned up at vidhuraa's house. Even though a minister and a brother

of king dhritharaashtra, vidhura led such a simple life, that, he did not have

even proper vessels etc and paraphernalia to offer to the lord. So he had to

offer only a bunch of banana fruits sitting on a mat on the floor. Lord accepted

that because of the love of vidhura.

But in the course of talking with the lord, vidhura was sitting in front

helping the lord to peel the skin of the fruits. But what he gave as offering

was the skin of banana to the lord throwing away the fruit portions. The lord

accepted the skin with grace, because these were offered by that great bhaktha

vidhuraa. After a while vidhuraa realised, what a sort of mistake he did, and

apologised. KrishNa smilingly said, I took whatever my sincere bhaktha offered

to me and hence there is no faults on you, or, nothing to regret. For, the

bhakthi in offering is more important to me, and, not the object offered.

[again I can give NO ref. The taste of enjoying krishNa is important here. If

I remember correct, perhaps this appeared in one of the write-up in kurai onrum

illai series of mukkur swamy. If that is wrong, I may be excused].

3. KrishNa turned up at vidhura's residence. Since vidhuraa led such a simple

life, he just had no big ornamental crockery, cutlery and vessels etc. Further

that day was a vratham day. So he had to offer only simple gruel, that too in a

leaf. Since krishna was accustomed to royal style of eating, he could not manage

to hold properly the leaf and gruel was spilling in the sides. With all the

difficulties, he enjoyed the athithi sathkaaram - hosting by vidhuraa, for

vidhura had to so much love and reverence to krishNa.

The following fourth version of krishNa eating in vidhuraa's house has

authenticity.

KrishNa turned up at vidhuraa's house. As already stated he did not stay in

other houses but preferred vidhuraa's house. Kunthi, krishna's aunt was also

there. He enjoyed the courtesies of vidhura and kunthy. But dhuryOdhana

questions that next day in the courtroom. See slOkam

bheeshma dhrONavathikramya maam chaiva madhusoodhana |

kim artham puNdareekaaksha bhuktham vrushaLa bhOjanam ||

meaning: hey madhusoodhana, why you discarded bheeshmaa dhrOnaa and myself in

hosting you. But oh puNdareekaakshaa, for what you selected that man's, who is

of poor birth, offer of dinner and ate there.

krishNa replies to dhuryOdhana in the court room.

dhvishadhannam na bhOkthavyam dhvishantham naiva bhOjyam |

paaNdavaan dhvishasE raajan mama praaNa hi paNdavaa: ||

91 -43 udhyOga parvam mahaa bhaaratham

meaning: one who serves the enemy, it is not worth to eat food supplied by him.

One who has enmity towards me or my friends, it is not worth to eat with him.

You are having enmity to paaNdavaas and these paaNdavaas are like my praaNa, my

life, so I will not eat with you, nor your servants.

See further slOkam:

bhukthavathsu dhvijaagryEshu nishaNNa: paramaasanE |

vidhuraannaani bubhujE sucheeni guNavanthi cha ||

meaning: krishNa did eat with vidhura, by sitting in a good seat, after the

braahmaNaas have eaten in the vidhuraa's place. For vidhura is a man of clean

character, thoughts, and actions.

These are as in srimadh rahasyathraya saaram of swamy desikan in 25th 'prabhaava

vyavasthaadhikaraNam' chapter - re page 763 and 764 [vol 2] by sri uththamoor

swamy.

We will have more points on this vidhura's kanji matter in next post.

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.