THE UDUPI KING AND KRISHNA’S BLESSING
The Mahabharata was the greatest war of its time because there was hardly any kingdom that did not take part in it.
Rulers from India, Afghanistan, and even Iran chose sides—either with the Kauravas or the Pandavas. Yet, one southern kingdom stood apart, even while present on the battlefield: the kingdom of Udupi.
When the King of Udupi arrived at Kurukshetra with his army, both Kauravas and Pandavas tried to win him over. But the king was extremely farsighted. He approached Shri Krishna and asked:
“O Madhava! Everyone seems eager to fight this war. But has anyone considered how food will be arranged for such a massive army gathered here?”
Shri Krishna replied with a smile,
“Maharaj, you have raised an excellent question. From your words, I sense you already have a plan. Please tell me what you have in mind.”
The Udupi king said,
“O Vasudeva! A war between brothers seems unjust to me, and I do not wish to fight. But it is also true that this war cannot be avoided. So I have decided that I, along with my army, will stay here and arrange food for all the soldiers who will fight.”
Hearing this, Krishna said joyfully,
“Maharaj, your thought is noble! In this war, fifty lakh warriors will fight. If a capable king like you manages their food, we can rest assured. I also know that only two people could manage such a vast army’s meals—Bhima and you. But since Bhima must fight, I request you to take this responsibility.”
Thus, the King of Udupi took charge of feeding the armies.
On the very first day, he provided food for all the warriors so efficiently that not a single grain was wasted. As the days passed and the number of soldiers decreased, his arrangements remained perfect. Both sides wondered,
“How does the Udupi king know exactly how much food to prepare each day?”
Managing meals for such a massive army was itself a miracle, but doing it with absolute precision was nothing short of divine.
Finally, the war ended with the Pandavas’ victory. On the day of his coronation, Yudhishthira asked the Udupi king,
“Maharaj, all the kings praise us for defeating such a mighty army, led by great warriors like Bhishma, Dronacharya, and Karna, despite our small force. But I feel you deserve more praise than us—you fed millions of warriors without wasting even a single grain. What is your secret?”
The Udupi king smiled and asked,
“O Emperor, to whom do you give credit for your victory?”
Yudhishthira replied,
“To none other than Shri Krishna. Without Him, defeating the Kauravas would have been impossible.”
The king said gently,
“Just as you credit Shri Krishna for your victory, I credit Him for my miracle.”
Everyone was surprised. The king revealed the secret:
“Every night, Shri Krishna would eat groundnuts (peanuts). I would quietly count the shells He left behind. The number of peanuts He ate foretold the number of soldiers who would die the next day. If He ate 50 peanuts, then 50,000 soldiers would perish in the battle. Based on this, I would prepare the food. That is why no food was ever wasted.”
On hearing this divine secret, everyone bowed down in reverence to Shri Krishna.
It is said that Shri Krishna blessed the Udupi king:
“Because you arranged food with such devotion and skill, I bless you and your people. From now on, the men of your kingdom will naturally possess the talent to prepare pure, sattvic meals that will be renowned across the world.”
That is why, even today, Udupi people have opened restaurants across India and abroad. Their cuisine is famous everywhere, and due to Krishna’s blessing, Udupi restaurants serve only sattvic—pure, wholesome—food.
Even in modern times, it is rare to find a city in India without an Udupi restaurant, and overseas too, these restaurants flourish—still carrying the echo of Krishna’s ancient blessing.
This story is one of the rare tales from the Mahabharata and is often narrated in the Krishna Matha of Udupi, which was established by the King of Udupi himself.
