Krishna’s appreciation for His devotees’ offerings.

By Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

Once Krishna came to Vidura’s house while he was absent. Vidura’s wife was taking a bath at the time. She was also a devotee of high type. When she understood that Krishna had come to her house, she forgot herself her in ecstasy and came out undressed. She did not know that she was naked.

Krishna quickly threw His upper cloth over her body, and she managed to cover herself with it. Then she sat Krishna in the most comfortable position possible and went to find something in her house that she could feed Krishna. She found two or three bananas. She took them and removed their peels. Then she left aside the fruits and started to put the peels into Krishna’s mouth. Krishna ate them. Just then, Devarsi Narad and Vidura arrived. Vidura said, “What are you doing? You are leaving aside the fruits and feeding Krishna peels!” Vidura become very repentant.

Then Narad came to the relief of Vidura’s wife, “She is beside herself. She is so ecstatic that her beloved Lord has visited her home that she is beside herself. But why is Krishna accepting these peels?” Narad put the charge against Krishna, “She is mad. She is outside of herself. She is madly doing something, having lost her consciousness. But Krishna is all-conscious. Why He is swallowing all those banana peels?”

Krishna answered, “Narad, I am eating neither the fruit nor the peel. I am accepting her devotion.”

Bhava-grahi Janardanah [the Lord accepts His devotee’s sentiments.] The material aspect of what a devotee offers to the Lord, the Deity, may not always be acceptable, yet the bhava, the feeling that arises in the heart of the worshipper, can still satisfy the Lord.