Answer
The incident took place when Krishna was sent by the Pandavas to negotiate peace with Duryodhana before the Battle of Kurukshetra.
As you may know, after the Pandavas completed their thirteen years of exile, they returned and requested the restoration of their kingdom according to the agreement made before the gambling match. However, Duryodhana refused to return their rightful inheritance.
Instead, he declared, "If you want the kingdom, then fight for it, win it, and take it."
This was in keeping with the mentality of the kshatriyas. Kshatriyas do not beg; they fight for what is rightfully theirs. Although the Pandavas had a legitimate claim to the kingdom, once Duryodhana refused to honor the agreement, they had little choice but to prepare for war.
Yet the Pandavas did not desire war. They understood that a conflict between the Kauravas and Pandavas would become a world war, because the throne of Hastinapura represented the position of emperor over the known world. Yudhishthira thought, "Why should countless people suffer and die simply because we are claiming our rightful share of the kingdom?"
Therefore, in a spirit of compromise, he reduced his demand. Instead of asking for the entire kingdom, he requested only five villages—one for each of the five brothers. His only desire was to avoid a devastating war and live peacefully according to kshatriya principles, protecting citizens and maintaining themselves through proper taxation.
But Duryodhana refused even this modest request. He famously declared that he would not give the Pandavas land sufficient to fit the tip of a needle. His position remained unchanged: if they wanted anything, they would have to fight for it.
At that point, war became inevitable.
Nevertheless, before accepting war as the final outcome, the Pandavas made one last attempt for peace. They requested Krishna to act as their messenger and negotiate with Duryodhana on their behalf. Krishna agreed and traveled to Hastinapura.
When Duryodhana heard that Krishna was coming, he made elaborate arrangements to receive Him. Being extremely proud of his wealth, power, and royal position, Duryodhana wanted to impress Krishna with magnificent displays of opulence. Grand accommodations and royal facilities were prepared befitting the king of Dvaraka.
At the same time, Vidura also desired to invite Krishna to stay at his home.
Vidura was the brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, but because he was born from a maidservant, he had no claim to the throne. Nevertheless, he was highly respected for his wisdom and constantly advised Dhritarashtra according to religious principles. He lived very simply and humbly.
Unlike Duryodhana, Vidura could not arrange luxurious accommodations. Whatever preparations he made were simple and modest. Yet they were offered with genuine love and devotion.
When Krishna arrived, He chose to stay at Vidura's house rather than accept Duryodhana's royal hospitality. The reason was simple: Vidura was a pure devotee, whereas Duryodhana's hospitality was motivated by pride and political calculation. Krishna is always naturally attracted to the love and devotion of His devotees.
When Vidura saw that Krishna had accepted his invitation, he became overwhelmed with ecstasy. His heart overflowed with joy as he prepared to serve the Lord.
According to a well-known account, Vidura wished to offer bananas to Krishna. In his intense spiritual ecstasy, however, he became so absorbed in devotion that he lost external awareness. Normally, one peels a banana, throws away the peel, and offers the fruit. But Vidura mistakenly began offering the banana peels to Krishna while throwing away the fruit.
Ordinarily, someone might point out the mistake. Krishna could easily have said, "Vidura, you are giving Me the peel and throwing away the fruit."
But Krishna did not think in that way.
Krishna was not looking at the external object being offered. He was looking at the devotion with which it was offered. Seeing Vidura's pure love, Krishna happily accepted the banana peels and ate them with great satisfaction.
This pastime illustrates an important principle: Krishna values devotion above all else. The love with which something is offered is more important than the material value of the offering itself.
However, this should not be misunderstood.
It does not mean that we may offer anything we like to Krishna and expect Him to accept it simply because we claim to be devotional. Krishna Himself specifies what should be offered to Him—fruits, flowers, water, grains, vegetables, and other pure vegetarian preparations offered with devotion.
The lesson of Vidura's offering is not that the rules of worship can be ignored. Rather, it demonstrates that in exceptional cases, when a pure devotee becomes completely absorbed in ecstatic love while serving Krishna, the Lord may overlook an external mistake because He is fully pleased by the devotee's devotion.
Therefore, we should carefully prepare and offer to Krishna only those items that are proper according to scripture. At the same time, we should remember that the essence of every offering is devotion. Krishna ultimately accepts the love behind the offering, not merely the external object itself.
