Vijay Karhale

There is story behind Manjadi seeds in Krishna temples in Kerala.. Once there was a very old lady who loved Guruvayoor Krishna very much. Unfortunately she was staying far away from the temple and had no one to take her there and no finances either. She would always wonder what she can take as a present for Baby Krishna to play with. So she began to collect manjadi kurus from the creeper that was growing in the front of her yard. Manjadi kurus are red and black colored seeds of the creeper that look like beautiful gems glossy smooth and round around four millimeters in diameter. She collected a lot washed them and dried them waiting for a day when she would go personally to Guruvayoor and present them to the Lord of her heart and soul, Krishna ! When she had colleted a small bagful of those gem like seeds she decided to take the long and hard journey to Guruvayoor. Those days there were no trains or buses or other motor transport. She also could not afford bullock carts. So she walked all the way from her place some where in a forest named Wayanad to Guruvayoor. It so happened that on the same day that she reached Guruvayoor, the zamindar of the region or the king was also visiting the temple. It was his routine custom to donate one elephant to the temple on every 1st day of the month. So the royal gaurds were clearing the way for the king to enter the temple along with the elephantine gift ! Unfortunately the old lady who was tired and almost blind with age was standing on the way when the royal entourage was coming. One of the soldiers pushed her aside violently and let the Royal elephant pass into the temple. When the old lady was pushed, the bag of manjadi kurus that she was fondly carrying for her beloved Krishna fell out of her hands and they were scattered on the temple floor. Just then the royal elephant which was a gift to the temple stepped on those tiny seeds and crushed all of them to dust. The old lady was heart broken. The next moment the elephant turned amok and started running here and there in madness. All the temple authorities and the king were horrified and wondered what had happened. They managed to take the mad elephant outside the temple without harming any of the devotees. Then they made a devaprashnam to Lord Guruvayoorappan asking why such a calamity had happened. The Lord replied in the same way that a child would, "an old lady had brought me a lot of manjadi kurus to play with all the way from wayanad. The king's elephant stamped on the gift for me so I made him run around like a mad elephant. I want the manjadi kurus brought so lovingly by the old lady. Only when I get them I will make that audacious elephant alright"! So the temple authorities quickly collected manjadi kurus from other places and located the old lady, begged her pardon and then the old lady with all pomp and honor gifted the manjadi kurus to the Lord. The elephant was pacified and everything returned to as before. To this day there is a huge brass vessel full of manjadi kurus in the temples main hall near the bandaram. Earlier people used to bring manjadi kurus to the temple as gifts to the Lord but now most people have forgotten this story behind it and the significance and the temple authorities have themselves supplied the manjadi kurus. Krishna accepts even small insignificant gifts like the manjadi kurus from devotees when offered with love. He is not interested in huge elephantine gifts that are gifted as a prestige issues to the temple. What Krishna accepts is the mentality of the giver the love and devotion accompanied with it. Hare Krishna Krishnaarpanam astu🙏