After spending  Aranyavasa for 12 years and  Agnathavasa for one year, Pandavas invited Lord Sri Krishna  and asked him to be their messenger between Pandavas and Kauravas. Lord Krishna entered  Hastinapura as a messenger of the Pandavas. Knowing the purpose of His visit, the Kauravas were not ready to welcome Him. However they went to welcome him along  with Bhishma, Drona and Vidura. As Krishna passed through the streets, He pointed to each palace and asked as to whom it belonged. They told him that those belonged to Bhishma, Drona and Duryodhana . When He neared Vidura’s palace, He asked to whom it belonged and Vidura told Him that it belonged to Krishna.

Best reply

That indeed, is the best reply. For, does not everything in the world belong to the Lord? Everything comes from Him and it is our ignorance that makes us claim possession over everything. It is our pride that sees us as owners, when in fact it is the Lord who is the owner of everything.

Vidura’s reply shows his humility and devotion and it is not surprising that the Lord chose to stay at his place. The Lord’s presence in his palace is the reward he got for his humility. Vidura welcomed Krishna to his humble home. He appointed many cooks to cater to those who had accompanied the Lord and himself took care of Lord Krishna. An overjoyed Vidura wondered whether his house had once been the milky ocean. Is that why the Lord is so comfortable there? Or had this house once been Adisesha, the Lord’s serpent bed? Or had it been once the leaf of a banyan tree on which the Lord Krishna reposed?

Krishna and Vidura spent the time discussing the various scriptures and exchanging knowledge. The conversation was so engaging that Vidura, who was peeling bananas and handing them over to Krishna to eat, mistakenly started handing over the peels to Krishna instead of the fruit plum! Krishna calmly ate the peels without uttering a word and this blunder was discovered only when Vidura’s wife interrupted them! Vidura was appalled at his behavior but Krishna assured him that this was one of his ‘leelas’ –( his doings), so that people would understand that the lord would accept anything offered with love, not just the fruits, but the peels too!!!  Duryodhana had everything, had all the luxury, but he didn’t have love for God. It was just for pride to show off, whereas Vidura, in his simplicity, his humbleness was full of love and devotion.

One, who has bhakti towards the Lord naturally respects His devotees. Such bhaktas refer to their own homes as huts, even if they live in mansions. But if a learned scholar and devotee of the Lord lives in a hut, the bhaktas refer to it as a palace. Such is the respect that is shown to great men.

One has to be humble and remember that everything that we enjoy in this life has come from the Lord. We cannot claim anything as our own.

Vidura knows this truth, which we tend to forget. So he refers to his palace as one that belongs to the Lord. His humility is rewarded by the Lord’s decision to spend the night in his palace than in the palace of Duryodhana, whose heart is filled with pride.

Source: Maha Bharatha Stories