krishna Sudam lesson
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Sudama: Early Days
Sudama, who was also known as Kuchela in South India, was a childhood friend of Lord Sri Krishna. Legend has it that Sudama was Narada, who took birth on Earth in order to enjoy and participate in the many lilas (spiritual pleasures) of Krishna. Narada is a divine sage and eternal devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Sudama was born in a poor Brahmin family, to Matuka and Rochana Devi. Krishna, on the other hand, hailed from the royal family and hence, enjoyed the highest possible social status. However, this difference did not in any way hinder their friendship - the two were inseparables all the way through the tenure of their schooling while in Vrindavan. They studied together at Acharya Sandipan's ashram (hermitage).
Krishna and Sudama once went to the forest to gather brushwood. They stayed on there for long, walking and chatting with each other, while also enjoying the beauty of their environs. It started getting quite late and Krishna got hungry. Sudama, in the meantime, had some grams with him. However, he felt embarrassed to offer this simple food to his friend, who hailed from a royal family. Krishna kept telling him how hungry he was and asked his friend if he had anything at all to eat. Sudama denied taking along anything to eat.
Krishna knew very well that his friend had some food with him. He also knew that the boy too was hungry, so he dozed off for a little while. Sudama immediately opened his little pack of food and stealthily ate up some of it. Krishna noticed all this but said nothing. Both the boys then collected the brushwood and left for their homes.