🍲 A Divine Tale from Rajasthan
In Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, there once lived a great devotee of Lord Krishna named Karma Bai. She is also remembered as the Meera of Marwar. Her father was a deeply religious man. Every morning, he would not take even a drop of water before offering it to the Lord. Thus, Karma was raised in an environment rich in devotion.
This same Karma Bai is remembered for a deeply touching story involving the dish khichdi (a savoury porridge).
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🚩 The First Offering
One day, Karma Bai’s parents decided to travel to Pushkar for a holy bath on Kartik Purnima. She was to accompany them, but she wondered, “Who will offer food to the Lord if I go?” So, she stayed back.
Her parents instructed her, “Offer naivedya (sacred food) to the Lord first, and only then eat your meal.” Karma Bai joyfully took up this responsibility.
That morning, she cooked millet khichdi with lots of ghee (clarified butter) and placed it lovingly before Lord Krishna’s idol. Folding her hands, she prayed, “Eat when you're hungry, dear Lord. Meanwhile, I’ll finish the housework.”
She kept peeking to see whether the Lord had eaten the khichdi. But the food remained untouched. Worried, she thought maybe there wasn’t enough ghee or sweetness. So she added more ghee and jaggery and sat there, saying:
“Lord, I don’t know how to prepare fancy dishes or perform grand rituals. This simple khichdi and chapati is all I can offer. Please accept it with love.”
Still, Krishna didn’t eat. She pleaded:
“You always eat when father offers you food—why not today? I’ve been given this responsibility, and I won’t eat unless you do!”
Yet the food remained untouched. Frustrated, Karma began to cry:
“You’re keeping yourself hungry, and me too! You must eat this food. My parents won’t return for many days.”
As time passed—morning, afternoon, and evening—Karma didn’t eat. Finally, the idol of Krishna spoke:
“You didn’t put up the curtain! How can I come eat in front of everyone?”
Realising this simple mistake, she quickly hung a curtain. And as soon as she did, Lord Krishna came and ate every last bite of khichdi.
Karma Bai smiled and said:
“Was that all? You should’ve told me! You went hungry, and so did I!”
.jpeg "Lord Krishna, Karma Bai, Devotional Stories, Jagannath") |
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🪔 Daily Service Begins
From that day, Krishna began coming daily to eat khichdi. When her parents returned from Pushkar, Karma told them everything. She even began adding more jaggery to make it tastier for Krishna.
Her parents were shocked. The same Lord whom people seek through pilgrimages had come to eat food offered by their daughter! Still, they were unsure. So Karma said:
“If you don’t believe me, watch tomorrow.”
The next day, she cooked khichdi, placed the plate before the Lord, drew the curtain, and prayed. Sure enough, Krishna came and ate. Her parents were speechless. From then on, Karma was entrusted with daily naivedya, which she lovingly continued.
🌍 A Journey to Jagannath Puri
After her parents passed away, Karma felt lonely. Taking her idol of Krishna, she set off on a pilgrimage and eventually reached Jagannath Puri. She chose to settle there and continued her daily ritual—waking early, cooking khichdi, offering it with love.
One day, after Krishna’s naivedya, a small boy came to her doorstep and said:
“Mother, I’m very hungry. Do you have anything to eat?”
Karma warmly invited him in and served him khichdi. The boy ate with delight and asked:
“Can I come again tomorrow?”
She replied:
“Not just tomorrow—you can come every day! I’ll always make khichdi for you.”
From then on, the boy came daily, ate heartily, and ran off without even washing his hands and face.
🔍 A Sadhu’s Advice & a Divine Complaint
One day, a travelling sadhu noticed that Karma offered Krishna khichdi without even bathing or performing rituals. He scolded her:
“This is sinful! You must bathe and perform puja first.”
Innocently, Karma obeyed. But now, Krishna had to wait longer. Still, the boy arrived at the usual time, hungry and impatient:
“Mother, I’m starving!”
Karma said:
“Wait, dear. Let me finish the puja.”
This became routine. The boy (Krishna himself) would eat hurriedly and leave without washing up.
Meanwhile, in Jagannath Temple, the priests noticed that Lord Jagannath’s idol often had khichdi on His lips, though they never offered khichdi! Wondering what miracle was happening, they prayed to Lord Jagannath for answers.
That night, Jagannath appeared in their dreams and said:
“My devotee Karma Bai offers me khichdi every morning. I love it! But ever since a sadhu told her to delay it with rituals, I have to wait hungry. And when I finally eat, people start arriving, so I have no time to clean myself before rushing back!”
.jpeg "Jagannath, temple, Puri, Orissa") |
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👑 Royal Decree
The next morning, the temple priests told the sadhu what had happened. He ran to Karma Bai and said:
“Mother, forget what I said! Please continue offering naivedya just as you used to!”
And so Karma resumed her loving practice—early morning khichdi for her beloved Krishna, offered with simplicity and pure love.
🙏 The End of a Devotee’s Journey
Years passed. One day, Karma Bai left her mortal body and merged with her beloved Lord.
That same day, the idol of Jagannath was seen weeping continuously. The priests and the king of Puri gathered and prayed, fearing they had committed some grave mistake.
That night, Jagannath appeared in the king’s dream and said:
“My mother Karma Bai has departed from this world. Who will now feed me my morning khichdi?”
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🍲 A Living Tradition
The next day, the king issued a royal decree:
“Every day, before the main offering (Mahaprasad), a small khichdi dish must first be offered to Lord Jagannath as ‘Karma Bai’s Naivedya’.”
Even today, this tradition is upheld in Jagannath Temple, Puri. The first offering is a humble bowl of khichdi, in memory of Karma Bai's pure devotion.
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