Mb054. Sage Durvasa's Visit Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

MAHABHARATA

In the forest Pandavas lived in peace.
While Duryodhana planned to tease.
But Yudhishthira took it with ease,
As none he wished to displease.

Duryodhana did Vaishnava Yaga,
Instead of the one, Rajasuya Yaga,
With much pomp and splendour,
To let Pandavas feel it a wonder.

A grand show it was, some praised.
A poor performance, a few criticized.
Karna rose up and took a vow
To kill Arjuna, one day, somehow.

On hearing this, Kauravas shouted,
As if Pandavas were already routed.
Of this vow, when Yudhisthira heard,
His mind got very much disturbed.

Besides this, he had a strange dream,
The forest animals came in scream,
And told, they were slowly undone,
When they were killed one by one.

To Kamyaka forest, they then moved,
To save those animals in the wood.
They felt it bad, why to kill them?
Their nature soft, revealed this dream.

The hot tempered Sage Durvasa,
One day, went to Duryodhana,
With all his disciples for a stay,
During his tour, on his way.

A grand feast he gave them.
Pleased with his big welcome,
To him a boon the sage granted
Be it whatever he wanted.

"In the forest our brothers stay,
As you've blessed us, I pray,
Kindly visit them one afternoon.
Let them also be blessed soon."

The sage to go there untimely
The time he chose purposely,
When "Akshya Patra" would go dry,
No food left to serve, when they try.

The infuriated sage would curse,
Their life would become worse,
What a plan, the most devilish,
It was in his thought and wish.

As he said, the sage went there,
The Pandavas stayed where.
How to feed them all
With an empty vessel?

Pandavas asked one another,
On their face, with a look of fear.
Before the sage return from bath,
What to do? How to face his wrath?

Draupadi saw the situation,
She went inside the kitchen.
She prayed and cried out,
"Krishna, please find a way out."

Came down, at once, the Lord.
He asked her to spare some food.
To bring the vessel he told her,
To see any food left over.

In the vessel a grain of rice,
And a bit of vegetable piece,
Krishna found and ate,
To satisfy His appetite.

What a wonder! Not one,
But all and sundry, everyone,
They felt their hunger gone,
With a feeling of food eaten.

When Bhima went to invite,
The sage said, "We can't eat
Any more as we're well fed"
And his troupe back he led.