Krishna and His Friend Sudama

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, in a little village, there lived a kind and gentle man named Sudama. He was very, very poor. His dhoti was old and full of holes, and so people called him Kuchela, which means the one with torn clothes.

Sudama had a small hut, a loving wife, and little children. Some days there was rice to cook. Many days there was not. But Sudama never complained. Every morning he prayed, every evening he prayed, and he was happy in his heart.

Now, Sudama had a secret that made his eyes shine. When he was a boy, he had studied at the ashram of the wise teacher Sandipani. And sitting right next to him, sharing the same mat, eating from the same leaf, was a boy with a peacock feather in his hair. Can you guess who that boy was? Yes! It was Krishna.

The two boys were the best of friends. They fetched water together, learned their lessons together, and laughed together under the trees.

Years passed. Krishna became the great king of Dwaraka, a city by the sea, with golden towers. And Sudama stayed poor.

One evening, his wife sat beside him and said softly, "Swami, the children are hungry again. You always say Krishna was your dearest friend. Why don't you go and see him? I am sure he will help us."

Sudama looked down. "Krishna is a king now," he said. "How can I go to his palace in these torn clothes? And how can I go with empty hands? One must never visit a friend without a gift."

His wife thought for a moment. Then she went to the neighbours and came back with four handfuls of atukulu. She tied them in a small piece of old cloth and placed the bundle in his hands.

"Take this," she said with a smile. "It is small, but it is given with love."

So Sudama set off. He walked and walked, over dusty roads and through hot afternoons, holding the little bundle close. As he walked, he worried. "What if Krishna does not remember me? What if the guards laugh at me and send me away?"

At last he saw the shining walls of Dwaraka. Gold glittered everywhere. Elephants walked past with bells on their feet. Sudama felt very small. He hid his bundle under his torn cloth and walked slowly towards the palace gate.

Now listen carefully, because this is the most wonderful part.

Krishna was sitting on a soft bed with Queen Rukmini beside him. Suddenly, through the window, he saw a thin man in a torn dhoti standing at the gate. Krishna jumped up! He did not wait for the guards. He did not wait for anyone. He ran, barefoot, all the way to the gate.

"Sudama! My Sudama!" he cried, and he hugged his old friend tightly, with tears in his eyes.

Sudama could not speak. He only held on and cried too.

Krishna led him inside by the hand and sat him down on his own royal bed. Then, with his own hands, the great king of Dwaraka washed his friend's tired, dusty feet. Queen Rukmini gently fanned Sudama, and everyone in the palace stood amazed.

"Who is this poor man," they whispered, "that our king treats him like this?"

Krishna sat close to Sudama, holding his hand. "Do you remember," he said, laughing, "the day our teacher's wife sent us to the forest to fetch firewood? A big storm came, and the rain poured down, and it grew so dark that we could not find our way home. We held hands all night long. And in the morning our teacher came searching for us and blessed us both."

"I remember," whispered Sudama, smiling through his tears. "I remember everything."

Then Krishna's eyes twinkled. "Now tell me, my friend. Did you bring something for me?"

Sudama's face turned red. How could he give a king a handful of atukulu? He held the bundle tighter and said nothing.

But Krishna knows everything. He reached over, gently pulled the little bundle out, and opened it. "Atukulu!" he said happily, as if it were the finest sweet in the world. He put a handful into his mouth and closed his eyes. "Ah, how tasty! This is my favourite!"

He reached for a second handful, but Rukmini softly held his hand and smiled. She knew that Krishna's blessing, with just one handful, had already given Sudama more than enough.

Sudama stayed that night in the palace. The next morning, Krishna walked with him a long way and said a loving goodbye. And do you know, Sudama never asked for anything at all! He had come to ask for help, but his heart was so full of joy that he simply forgot.

As he walked home, he thought, "Krishna did not give me any gold. Maybe that is good. If I became rich, I might become proud and forget him. Having his love is enough."

But when Sudama reached his village, he stopped. He rubbed his eyes. Where his small hut used to be, there stood a beautiful house, with a garden full of flowers. And out came his wife and children, dressed in fresh clothes, running to greet him, smiling happily.

Sudama understood. His friend had given him everything, without saying a single word.

From that day, Sudama lived in comfort, but he stayed just as humble and just as kind. He shared with everyone who came to his door, and every morning and every evening, he thought of his dear friend Krishna, and he smiled.

So remember, little one, a true friend does not look at your clothes. A true friend looks at your heart.