The Hungry Warriors

The Gita Jayanti Mahotsav falls on December 11, 2024. The Bhagwad Gita was delivered as the Song Celestial by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Mahabharata in Kurukshetra. More than 50 lakh people participated in this war that lasted for 18 days. Lakhs of people were killed in it. Ever wondered who cooked and provided food for them all during the war?

Kings from all provinces of Bharat took part in this war, from the side of the Pandavas or the Kauravas. When the King of Udupi reach Hastinapur, both sides staked their claim to have him on their side. The King of Udupi told Krishna that he was principally not in sync with the idea of a war between brothers and wouldn’t like to participate in this fratricidal carnage. He said that in preparing for the war, perhaps no one had thought about who would provide food for both armies. He offered that he and his army could take up this humongous task. Krishna said that it was only Bhima or him who could have taken up the task of providing food for the lakhs of warriors gearing up for the war. Bhima would be occupied in the war, so this offer from the Udupi King was very welcome.

After sunset, both armies would drop their differences and eat together in the Udupi King’s kitchen. Amazingly, every day the food would be enough to feed all from both sides and not a morsel would go waste. Everyone was intrigued at the king’s super-specific calculation of food.

When the war got over and Yudhishtra was crowned king, everyone was full of praise for the Pandavas and Lord Krishna. Yudhishthra in his inimitable style of humility said that he wanted to offer gratitude and admiration for the King of Udupi in feeding everyone such that, all got ample food, yet not a grain was wasted. Cooking for all was a humongous task and he expressed wonder at how the Udupi King pulled off this unimaginably daunting task.

The Udupi King asked Yudhishthira, who he thought was responsible for their victory. Yudhisthra said instantly that it was only because of Krishna that they had won. Then the Udupi King said simply, that it was only because of Krishna, that he too had been able to execute this task to perfection. But everyone wanted to know more.

The Udupi King said that Krishna was fond of having peanuts at night. Every night he  would personally put a bowl of peanuts on his bed side. Krishna would consume some and leave the rest. The King of Udupi would count the peanuts before putting them in Krishna’s chamber and also pick up the remaining peanuts and count them. Later the number of peanuts consumed by Krishna would be multiplied by 1000 and that would be an indication of the number of warriors that would die the next day. If Krishna ate 60 peanuts it meant that 60,000 people would die on the next day. So the food to be cooked would be diminished by the number that were predestined to die on the following day. Thus the Udupi King was able to calculate the exact amount of food to be prepared.

The massive task of procuring enough food and taking it through the process of preparation and cooking was done with Krishna’s blessings and benevolence.

This makes one think of things other than food quantities and preparations. It makes one realise that everything is predestined by God, including everyone’s time of death. No amount of planning, medical aid, etc. stand a chance against the will of God. Surrender is what is paramount. God’s will alone prevails.

Another great take away from this is that India was a land of abundance, still people were conscious that not a morsel of food should go waste! Point to reflect upon, isn’t it?

This piece has been published in the HT on 08.12.2024. It can be viewed here https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/sunrays-the-hungry-warriors-101733673184994-amp.html