See Krishna in Everybody – Sri M
A Tale of Love, Friendship and Compassion
The Srimad Bhagvatam tells the story of Sudama, a dear childhood friend of Sri Krishna, who studied with him at the Sandipan Forest Academy. Sri Krishna grew up to become the King of Dwarka while Sudama lived in abject poverty as a poor Brahmana, whose wife requested him to ask his friend for assistance to support the family that didn’t even have food to eat. Lost in sweet childhood memories and the intense love and friendship that he felt for Sri Krishna, Sudama forgot to ask for assistance when he reached Dwarka.
However, when he returned home, in place of his broken-down hovel, stood a palatial mansion with food and all the necessities of life in great abundance that Sri Krishna had already sent for his family without him once mentioning it.
So come many Sudamas to Mathura and Vrindavan lost in their love for Sri Krishna, traversing miles to have his darshan in the holy land where he spent his childhood. Exhausted, hungry and thirsty, their pressing needs are looked after by the community kitchen of The Satsang Foundation, bearing Sri M’s deeksha name Sri Madhukar Nath.
This kitchen, a long-cherished vision of the Satsang Seva Mission (SSM) team at Mathura, is a permanent extension of the service that began during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Steaming cups of chai in the wee hours of dawn and daily evening meals prepared at the homes of Satsangis, were served with love and compassion to weary migrant workers during the lockdown.
A labour of love
Madhu Ki Rasoi has served over 1.75 lakh meals since Sri M inaugurated it on 3 September 2023 when he was in Vrindavan doing a Bhagvatham Saptah. The daily annadaanam seva that started with 100 meals a day has now gone up to over 260 meals, touching the lives of pilgrims, sadhus, daily wage workers, pavement dwellers, and travellers in whose hearts Sri Krishna dwells as the sacred spark of the divine all- pervading consciousness.
A dedicated all-women team prepares a filling, sattvic meal of rotis, protein-rich lentils, and fresh vegetables. Made with immense love and care, this homely meal is first offered before the sacred shrine bearing the images of Sri Krishna as Jagat Guru and the entire lineage of Nath Gurus beginning with Lord Shiva, often considered as Adinath. The meals are then loaded onto the Madhu Ki Rasoi Rath, a van that sets off every evening at 6:30 p.m., traveling to different locations to ensure that nourishing food reaches those who need it most.
Festive bhandaras to nourish the devout
During Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the team organizes grand bhandaras – community feasts – to provide sustenance to pilgrims who flock from nearby towns and villages and walk from the Janmasthan Temple at Mathura to converge at the Banke Bihari Temple – the heart of Vrindavan.
This year’s bhandara served 16861 devotees over two days, twice the number of pilgrims of the previous year. On 16 August, the service opened early in the morning, providing hot tea, poha, and fruits to all, including those who were fasting. A mid-morning light refreshment of pakodas and cool rose milk brought succor to the devotees, singing bhajans and chanting the name of Sri Radha, the epitome of Bhakti or devotional love, continuously.
From noon onwards a hot meal of puri-sabzi and halwa kept the pilgrims going until festivities reached their pinnacle at midnight with the birth of the Lord. The seva continued the following day with generous servings of traditional kadhi-chawal as pilgrims returned home after a long night of celebrations.
Fostering a sense of community
Madhu Ki Rasoi extends beyond just food, serving the needs of the marginalized, stressing that in their hearts too dwells a spark of the divine. The team organizes special meals for residents of the Mahila Ashray Sadan, a shelter home for women, and children at the Juvenile Reform Home, spending time with them and building a sense of community and care.
Approaching its second anniversary on 3 September 2025, the Mathura-Vrindavan Madhu Ki Rasoi team extends its profound gratitude to all donors for making this divine service possible.
Madhu Ki Rasoi, Madanapalle
In Madanapalle, Annadanam Seva has been part of the community kitchen since its inception in 1997. It began by serving midday meals to children from the Nakkaladinne pastoral settlement who signed up for The Satsang Vidyalaya.
Today Madhu Ki Rasoi in Madanapalle serves an average of 300 wholesome, nutritious meals per day to not only children of the school, but also volunteers and residents on premises plus visitors who come to spend time at the Ashram. These could go up exponentially on special occasions when people gather to soak in the teachings of Sri M on Shivaratri and Guru Purnima.
Your love and support for the Annadanam Seva at the home of our Guru that provides succour to innumerable devotees who come to seek the shelter of His Grace is of immeasurable value and The Satsang Foundation wishes to express gratitude to all of you, its treasured members, for your contributions.
To know more about Madhu Ki Rasoi, please write to us at connect@satsang-foundation.org.
To continue your support of the Annadaanam Seva initiative, please contribute
