patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.26)
The wicked Duryodhana was always anxious to destroy the Pāṇḍavas completely. Once, while the Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī were living here during their exile, he invited Maharṣi Durvāsā and fed him a sumptuous, delicious meal with great honour. Durvāsā was satisfied and requested Duryodhana to ask for a boon. With folded hands, Duryodhana said, “Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is my elder brother. Please accept his hospitality and go to his residence with your sixty thousand disciples, but go in the afternoon. The Pāṇḍavas are currently living in Kāmyavana.”
Duryodhana knew well that the Pāṇḍavas served their guests with extreme care. Draupadī had a pot that had been given to her by Sūryadeva. The cooking done in that one pot could feed innumerable persons to their satisfaction, but as soon as Draupadī had eaten and cleaned the pot, it could provide no more food until she cooked again. Draupadī would feed any guests as well as the Pāṇḍavas, and then clean the pot without fail before the afternoon. Durvāsā and his sixty thousand disciples were to arrive there in the afternoon, so the Pāṇḍavas would not be able to feed them. Duryodhana hoped that the very hot-tempered Durvāsā Ṛṣi would curse the Pāṇḍavas and thus burn them to ashes.
Maharṣi Durvāsā was fully aware of the glories of the Pāṇḍavas, who were devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. However, it is difficult for even the demigods to understand his contrary activities. Only he knows what, when and why he does what he does. Thus, he and sixty thousand sages reached the residence of the Pāṇḍavas in Kāmyavana in the afternoon. Upon seeing him, the Pāṇḍavas became very happy. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira worshipped him and requested him to accept his hospitality. Maharṣi said, “We are now going to bathe in Vimala-kuṇḍa and will come back very soon. You should arrange for our meals. We will eat here.” Saying this, Durvāsā left to bathe together with his whole entourage.
The Pāṇḍavas now became very concerned. What arrangement could be made to feed these sages? They called Draupadī and asked her if she could arrange to feed a gathering of sixty thousand, but her pot had already been cleaned and turned upside down. She considered hard what to do to save the Pāṇḍavas but could not think of a plan. At last, she began calling out to her dear friend Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a voice filled with distress. How could Dvārakānātha not come upon hearing her call? He immediately appeared in front of Draupadī and said, “Sakhī, I am very hungry. Give Me something to eat.” Draupadī answered, “You are hungry and I have nothing at home. My pot has been cleaned and is lying upside down. The extremely hot-tempered Maharṣi Durvāsā together with his sixty thousand disciples are about to come to take their meal. When he finds that there is nothing to eat, he will definitely annihilate the Pāṇḍavas. Therefore, first please arrange for them to be fed.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “I cannot do anything without eating and drinking, so please bring your pot.”
In a sad voice Draupadī said, “There is nothing in the pot. I have cleaned it very thoroughly.”
“Still, you please bring it. I want to see.”
Draupadī brought the pot and put it in Kṛṣṇa’s hands. Kṛṣṇa looked into it and became joyful. A very tiny piece of leafy vegetable was stuck to the side of the pot. Śrī Kṛṣṇa scraped it off with His nail and put in His mouth. He then filled His stomach with water poured by Draupadī ’s hands. “Tṛpto ’smi, tṛpto ’smi! – I am satisfied, I am satisfied!” he exclaimed, and he began to pat His stomach with His hand. He even belched in satisfaction. Śrī Kṛṣṇa then sent Bhīmasena to quickly go and call the sages. The great warrior Bhīma, club in hand, started towards Vimala-kuṇḍa.
Maharṣi Durvāsā and his disciples had been bathing in Vimalakuṇḍa when suddenly their stomachs felt completely full. They all started belching as if they had eaten a meal. When Durvāsā saw Bhīma coming towards them, the memory of the incident with Ambarīṣa Mahārāja entered his mind and he became frightened. He and his sixty thousand disciples quickly fled to Maharṣi-loka through the celestial pathways. Upon arriving at Vimala-kuṇḍa, Bhīma could not find the sages anywhere. He returned and told Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “I searched everywhere but could not find them.”
After learning what had happened from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Draupadī and the Pāṇḍavas became free from anxiety. If Śrī Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then the whole universe is satisfied. This is indeed this episode’s message to the world. This pastime of Śrī Kṛṣṇa took place here at Kāmyavana.
―Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā)