Five millennia ago, the mother of all battles was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. All the kings – hundreds of them – aligned themselves on one side or the other. The king of Udupi however chose to remain neutral. He offered his services, saying, ‘Those who fight battles have to eat. I will be the caterer for this battle.’ Everyone agreed. And so, he became the caterer for the warriors.
Amidst the chaos of battle, there was a nightly ritual of peace and sustenance when the war was paused for the day. During dinner, Yudhishtra, the noble-hearted Pandava, would often ask the Udupi king, "Was the food today sufficient for all the soldiers?" The king would smile and tell him that all the soldiers had been fed. Similarly, when Duryodhana inquired, he got the same answer. The soldiers were all fed, and no food had gone to waste!
This was very mysterious. Yudhishtra's curiosity piqued by the seemingly miraculous efficiency of the Udipi king's provisions, he asked Krishna one evening "How does the king know precisely how many to feed? No mortal could possess such foresight."
With his ever-knowing smile, Krishna merely replied: "Why not inquire of him directly?"
Yudhishtra approached the Udipi king, who then revealed his mystical secret, ‘Every night I go to Krishna’s tent. He likes to eat boiled groundnuts as a humble nighttime snack. With reverence, I prepare them, placing each nut in a bowl as an offering to the divine. And when Krishna has partaken of his midnight repast, I count the remnants. If it’s 10 peanuts, for instance, I know tomorrow 10,000 people will die. So the next day when I cook lunch, I cook for 10,000 fewer people.
Yudhishtra was left flabbergasted, wondering the arithmetic of Krishna's Maya and the fate of thousands on the battlefield, a testament to divine connection.
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