Yudhishthira's Ashwamedham 15 - A Handful Barley Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

15. A Handful Barley

The Mongoose continued the story:

"Our Brahmana and his family
Had nothing to eat for many days;
Day after day, everyone returned home
Empty-handed;

One morning the Brahmana
Walked long, he could pick up
A handful of barley grains
From some fields far away.

"By the time, it was cooked
And they were ready to have
Their first meal in many days,
A guest arrived.

Hungry he was badly, said the guest.
Starving as he was, but the Brahmana
Gave him his share of the cooked barley
Without hesitation.