Krishna and Sudama - True Friendship Needs No Words

Sudama stood at the gates of Dwaraka, clutching a small cloth bundle. Inside were a handful of beaten rice — poha — all his wife could gather from their empty kitchen.

Sudama: "He is the King of Dwaraka now, He won't remember a poor Brahmin from gurukul days."

But before Sudama could even announce himself, Krishna came running — barefoot, arms wide open.

Krishna: "Sudama! My friend! My brother!"

He embraced the ragged Brahmin as if he were embracing a king.

Sudama: "Keshava, I... look at me. I shouldn't have come. You're a king now and I—"

Krishna: "And you are my friend. Was that conditional on wealth? Come, come inside."

Krishna himself washed Sudama's feet. Rukmini, the queen, fanned him. The King of Dwaraka sat at his poor friend's feet, looking up at him with tears in his eyes.

Krishna: "Do you remember gurukul? We would study together, sleep hungry together, share whatever little we had..."

Sudama: "Those days we were equals in poverty. Now..."

Krishna: "Now what? You think gold changes friendship? What's in that bundle you're hiding?"

Sudama's face went red. The handful of poha — he was ashamed to offer it to the Lord of the Universe.

Krishna: "Is this what I think it is? Poha! Sudama, this is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me."

Sudama: "It's nothing, Krishna. My wife insisted I bring something..."

Krishna: "Nothing? Do you know what this is? This is love. This is sacrifice. This is a man who has nothing, giving everything. Kings give me gold — they have vaults full of it. What does it cost them? But you... you probably don't have food for tomorrow, and still you brought me this."

He ate the entire handful, savoring each bite as if it were nectar.

Sudama: "I came to ask... my children are hungry... I thought maybe..."

But he couldn't complete the sentence. He couldn't bring himself to ask.

Krishna: "Tell me about the children. Tell me about your wife. Tell me about your life."

They talked for hours. About gurukul. About their teacher. About the time they got lost collecting firewood. Krishna laughed, cried, held his friend's hands. But Sudama never asked for help. And Krishna never offered.

When Sudama left, he was ashamed.

Sudama: "I couldn't even ask. I came all this way and achieved nothing."

But when he reached his village, he couldn't find his hut. In its place stood a mansion. His wife, dressed in silk, ran out to meet him. His children were healthy, fed, laughing.

Sudama: "He gave me everything... and I never even asked."

Krishna: "What did you give him?"

Sudama: "A handful of poha."

Krishna: "Then he gave you exactly what you gave him — everything he had, without being asked. That is friendship."