Draupadi's Pot That Never Ran Out
ages 3-6
The Sun god gives the Pandavas a copper pot that keeps filling with food for every guest. One day it is empty just as a sage arrives with ten thousand pupils, and Krishna finds one tiny grain of rice inside.
Written for Pujadeep and checked against the sources listed.
The story
Long ago, five brothers called the Pandavas lived in a forest with their wife, Draupadi. Many wise people came to visit them, and the brothers wanted to give every guest a good meal. But in the forest there was not enough food for everyone.
So the eldest brother, Yudhishthira, prayed to Surya, the Sun god. Surya appeared, shining bright. "Take this copper pot," he said. "Every day, until Draupadi has eaten, it will give you all the food you need."
And so it was. Every day Draupadi served the guests from the pot, and the food never ran out. Only after everyone had eaten did Draupadi eat. Then the pot was empty until the next day.
One day, when Draupadi had already eaten, a sage called Durvasa arrived. With him came ten thousand pupils! Durvasa was famous for being very easily cross. "We will bathe in the river," he said, "and then we will eat."
Draupadi looked at the empty pot. What could she do? She closed her eyes and called to her friend Krishna. "Krishna, please help me!"
Krishna came at once. "I am very hungry," he said with a smile. "Give me something to eat." "But the pot is empty," said Draupadi. "Bring it here," said Krishna.
Krishna looked inside. Stuck on the rim was one tiny bit of rice and leaf. He ate it, and he said, "May this make the whole world full."
Down at the river, Durvasa and all his pupils suddenly felt full, as if they had eaten a big feast! "We cannot eat another bite," they said. And they quietly went on their way. Draupadi and the Pandavas laughed with relief and thanked Krishna.
Families who tell this story on Akshaya Tritiya often take from it that a little, shared with love, can be more than enough.
Something to do together
Make a "never-empty pot" together: fill a bowl with small snacks and pass it round the family, so that everyone takes one and gives one to someone else. On Akshaya Tritiya, pack a small bag of food to share with a neighbour or a food bank.
Akshaya Tritiya: the festival this story belongs to
More stories
For grown-ups
The story ends above. Here, for grown-ups: how families tell it in other ways, and the books it comes from.
How the story differs, and where it comes from
How the story differs
The word akshaya means "never running out". Many families say that the Sun gave this pot on Akshaya Tritiya, and they mark the day by giving food and starting new things. That link with the festival comes from later tradition; the Mahabharata does not name the day. In Rajasthan and Gujarat the day is also called Akha Teej, and in Odisha farmers make their first sowing on it.
Where the story comes from
- Mahabharata, Book 3 (Vana Parva), Section 3 (Surya gives Yudhishthira the copper vessel) and Sections 261–262 (Durvasa's visit and the grain of rice), in Ganguli's numbering (Section III (the vessel; Draupadi eats last, and then the day's food is used up); Sections CCLXI–CCLXII (Durvasa's visit, the grain of rice, the sages leaving))
- The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated into English prose (K. M. Ganguli), published by Protap Chandra Roy: Sabha Parva and Vana Parva (Calcutta: Bharata Press, 1884) (Vana Parva, Section III, pp. 16–17 (leaves n261–n262); Sections CCLXI–CCLXII, pp. 775–780 (leaves n1020–n1025))
Sources
- The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated into English prose (K. M. Ganguli), published by Protap Chandra Roy: Sabha Parva and Vana Parva (Calcutta: Bharata Press, 1884) (Vana Parva, Section III, pp. 16–17 (leaves n261–n262); Sections CCLXI–CCLXII, pp. 775–780 (leaves n1020–n1025))
Source and licence
- Our explanation
- Written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against them. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the sources listed, October 13, 2026.
- Updated
- October 15, 2026