The Longing Heart: Arjun and Subhadra's Tale of Exile

Draupadi's Akshaya Patra

Dhaumya, the chief priest of the Pandavas, followed them to the forest.

Accompanying him were hundreds of Brahmans from Hastina-puri who
were disgusted by the behaviour of the Kauravas. ‘You may not have a
kingdom,’ they told Yudhishtira, ‘but you are our king. Let us perform
yagnas for you as we always did. Let us invoke the Devas and wipe away
your misfortune.’

Watching the Brahmans sit around her husbands, Draupadi was
overwhelmed with despair. ‘When they came to my house in Indra-prastha, they never left unfed. Now, I have nothing to offer them. Oh, what shame!’ she wailed.

Krishna noticed that among the priests who surrounded the Pandavas there were many who had come there on Duryodhana’s express instructions.

The sole reason for their presence there, Krishna divined, was to make the Pandavas feel miserable over their inability to feed guests, and thereby win favour with the Kauravas. And the Pandavas were undoubtedlymiserable. The five brothers scoured the forest for berries and fruit, but there was never enough to go around.

Krishna asked Draupadi, ‘I have travelled so far to see you. Will you not feed me, Draupadi? What has happened to your famed hospitality?’

Draupadi felt Krishna was mocking her misfortune. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Krishna held her chin, raised her head, looked into her eyes and with an encouraging smile said, ‘Surely there is something.’

Draupadi wiped her tears. She realized her friend was up to something.
She started thinking. ‘Half a berry,’ she said. ‘That’s what I have. I was
eating it when you arrived.’
‘That will do,’ said Krishna. Draupadi’s face lit up. She untied a knot in her garment where she had kept the berry, and offered it to Krishna.

Krishna ate it with relish and even burped in satisfaction making Draupadi laugh.

No sooner did Krishna burp than all the Brahmans felt as if they had eaten a vast meal. Their stomachs were so full that they could barely sit. All of them stood up and kept burping in satisfaction. ‘We have not eaten yet our stomachs are full,’ they said. They realized the blessings of the gods were with the Pandavas; even though they had no food, no one left their doorstep hungry. They blessed the Pandavas and Draupadi.

Krishna then advised Yudhishtira to pray to the sun-god to save him from
such embarrassing situations. In response, Surya gave him a magic vessel.

‘Give this to Draupadi. It will be always full of food until all your guests have been fed and you have been fed and Draupadi has had her meal,’ said the Dev.
The arrival of the vessel was a welcome relief for Draupadi. She bowed to Surya and thanked Krishna.

Having thus provided for his cousins, Krishna left for Dwarka after giving news to Pandavas about birth of Arjun's daughter Parthvi.