When the cursing Sage Durvasa had to visit the Pandavas

The image of Durvasa did not limit to being an angry brahmana. He was sometimes used as a weapon as well. Since he was born out of the anger of Lord Shiva, his appearance as an angry brahmana seems obvious. What is surprising here is that, in an incident from the Mahabharata, he appears to be the benevolent one. Let us find out more about it.

Sage Durvasa visits Duryodhana at his palace. Image Source: YouTube.

The Pandavas were living in exile. Sage Durvasa and his followers happened to visit the palace of Duryodhana. Duryodhana already knew about the changing moods of the great Sage and also the fact that a slight inconvenience might outrage him. But, he kept his calm. He readily accepted to host the great Sage along with his disciples.

Duryodhana served Durvasa exactly as he was told with great devotion. His servitude towards the Brahmanas satisfied the sage. Therefore, Durvasa wanted to complement Duryadhana’s hard work with a boon before leaving.

Now, Duryodhana, being very sly, wanted to use the raging Sage as bait to destroy the Pandavas without fighting. He told Durvasa that his elder brother Yudhisthira along with his wife and brothers have been living in exile. He requested the Sage to kindly visit them along with his followers so that even Yudhishthira can get a chance to serve the great Sage.

Duryodhana knew that Draupadi couldn't feed the Sage and his disciples when they were living a hard life. To make things worse, Duryadhana requested the Great Sage to visit his brothers in the late hours of the day. Not being able to be a good host, Draupadi would be the reason for Durvasa's wrath.

The Pandavas were living by Akshay Patra, which would get exhausted each day, just after Draupadi takes her meal. According to a tradition, this was a gift from Lord Surya because many hermits, kings, and Brahmanas kept on visiting the Pandavas in the forest. With a very limited supply of food, feeding these great people turned difficult for Draupadi. Therefore the Akshay Patra always had food in it. It would get exhausted once Draupadi has her meals.

As promised, Durvasa and his followers visited the Pandavas. By then, Draupadi took her meals. She was devastated at the sight of sage Durvasa in the forest. She knew that not being able to feed the great Brahmanas would annoy the saint and bad luck will befall the Pandavas.

While Durvasa and his followers were taking their bath, Draupadi turned anxious. She started calling out Krishna. Krishna instantly appeared in the scene. He asked Draupadi for food. She informed him that this was the very reason why she thought of Krishna. Lord Krishna smiled. He asked her for the Akshay Patra. He took a morsel of rice and a vegetable stuck at the base of the Patra and said "I have had enough." This was a shock for Draupadi. He said since he is full, even the stomach of his worshippers is full.

Sage Durvasa and his disciples felt content. They were not hungry anymore. They did not want to humiliate Yudhisthira and the other Pandavas by not accepting their food. So, they decided to leave the place immediately. This way Draupadi was saved from the adversary she might have caused to the Pandavas.

The raging Rishi was very far from getting angry in this epic. He, instead, was probably used to show a flaw in the character of Duryodhana where he was so envious of the Pandavas that he could even use a Sage to destroy them. This is probably why Durvasa appeared to be the one granting boons and not curses.

The Sage visits the Pandavas in the forest. Image Source: Vedicfeed.