Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya
3.4.1
uddhava uvaca
atha te tad-anujnata
bhuktva pitva ca varunim
taya vibhramsita-jnana
duruktair marma pasprsuh
SYNONYMS
uddhavah uvaca—Uddhava said; atha—thereafter; te—they (the Yadavas); tat—by the brahmanas; anujnatah—being permitted; bhuktva—after partaking; pitva—drinking; ca—and; varunim—liquor; taya—by that; vibhramsita-jnanah—being bereft of knowledge; duruktaih—with harsh words; marma—the core of the heart; pasprsuh—touched.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, all of them (the descendants of Vrsni and Bhoja), being permitted by the brahmanas, partook of the remnants of prasada and also drank liquor made of rice.
By drinking they all became delirious, and, bereft of knowledge, they touched the cores of each other’s hearts with harsh words.
PURPORT
In ceremonies when brahmanas and Vaisnavas are sumptuously fed, the host partakes of the remnants of foodstuff after the guest has given permission.
So the descendants of Vrsni and Bhoja formally took permission from the brahmanas and ate the prepared foodstuff.
Ksatriyas are permitted to drink at certain occasions, so they all drank a kind of light liquor made of rice.
By such drinking they became delirious and bereft of sense, so much so that they forgot their relationship with one another and used harsh words which touched the cores of each other’s hearts.
Drinking is so harmful that even such a highly cultured family becomes affected by intoxication and can forget themselves in a drunken state.
The descendants of Vrsni and Bhoja were not expected to forget themselves in this way, but by the will of the Supreme it happened, and thus they became harsh towards one another.
3.4.2
tesam maireya-dosena
visamikrta-cetasam
nimlocati ravav asid
venunam iva mardanam
SYNONYMS
tesam—of them; maireya—of intoxication; dosena—by the faults; visamikrta—became unbalanced; cetasam—of those of whom the minds; nimlocati—sets; ravau—the sun; asit—takes place; venunam—of the bamboos; iva—as; mardanam—destruction.
TRANSLATION
As by the friction of bamboos destruction takes place, so also, at sunset, by the interaction of the faults of intoxication, all their minds became unbalanced, and destruction took place.
PURPORT
When there is need of fire in the forest, by the will of the Supreme it takes place due to friction among the bamboos.
Similarly, the descendants of Yadu were all destroyed by the will of the Lord by the process of self-destruction.
Just as there is no possibility of a fire’s occurring deep in the forest due to human effort, so also there was no power in the universe which could vanquish the descendants of Yadu, who were protected by the Lord.
The Lord wanted them to be so destroyed, and thus they obeyed His order, as indicated by the word tad-anujnata.
3.4.3
bhagavan svatma-mayaya
gatim tam avalokya sah
sarasvatim upasprsya
vrksa-mulam upavisat
SYNONYMS
bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; sva-atma-mayayah—by His internal potency; gatim—the end; tam—that; avalokya—foreseeing; sah—He (Krsna); sarasvatim—the River Sarasvati; upasprsya—after sipping water; vrksa-mulam—at the foot of a tree; upavisat—sat down.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, after foreseeing the end (of His family) by His internal potency, went to the bank of the River Sarasvati, sipped water, and sat down underneath a tree.
PURPORT
All the above-mentioned activities of the Yadus and Bhojas were executed by the internal potency of the Lord because He wanted them to be dispatched to their respective abodes after He had finished His mission of descent.
They were all His sons and grandsons and were given complete protection by the paternal affection of the Lord.
How they could be vanquished in the presence of the Lord is answered in this verse: everything was done by the Lord Himself (svatma-mayayah).
The Lord’s family members were either incarnations of His plenary expansions or demigods from the heavenly planes, and thus before His departure He separated them by His internal potency.
Before being dispatched to their respective abodes, they were sent to the holy place of Prabhasa, where they performed pious activities and took food and drink to their heart’s content.
It was then arranged for them to be sent back to their abodes so that others could see that the powerful Yadu dynasty was no longer in the world.
In the previous verse, the word anujnata, indicating that the whole sequence of events was arranged by the Lord, is significant.
These particular pastimes of the Lord are not a manifestation of His external energy, or material nature.
Such an exhibition of His internal potency is eternal, and therefore one should not conclude that the Yadus and Bhojas died in a drunken state in an ordinary fratricidal war.
Sri Jiva Gosvami comments on these incidents as magical performances.
3.4.4
aham cokto bhagavata
prapannarti-harena ha
badarim tvam prayahiti
sva-kulam sanjihirsuna
SYNONYMS
aham—I; ca—and; uktah—was told; bhagavata—by the Supreme Lord; prapanna—of the surrendered; arti-harena—by He who is the vanquisher of the distresses; ha—indeed; badarim—to Badari; tvam—you; prayahi—should go; iti—thus; sva-kulam—His own family; sanjihirsuna—who desired to destroy.
TRANSLATION
The Lord is the vanquisher of the distresses of one who is surrendered unto Him.
Thus He who desired to destroy His family told me previously to go to Badarikasrama.
PURPORT
While at Dvaraka, Uddhava was warned to avoid the distresses which were to follow the disappearance of the Lord and the destruction of the Yadu dynasty.
He was advised to proceed to Badarikasrama because there he could associate with the devotees of Nara-Narayana, and in their association of devotional service he could increase his eagerness for chanting, hearing, knowledge and detachment.
3.4.5
tathapi tad-abhipretam
janann aham arindama
prsthato ’nvagamam bhartuh
pada-vislesanaksamah
SYNONYMS
tatha api—yet, in spite of; tat-abhipretam—His desire; janan—knowing; aham—I; arim-dama—O subduer of the enemy (Vidura); prsthatah—behind; anvagamam—followed; bhartuh—of the master; pada-vislesana—separation from His lotus feet; aksamah—not being able.
TRANSLATION
Yet in spite of my knowing His desire (to destroy the dynasty), O Arindama (Vidura), I followed Him because it was impossible for me to bear separation from the lotus feet of the master.
3.4.6
adraksam ekam asinam
vicinvan dayitam patim
sri-niketam sarasvatyam
krta-ketam aketanam
SYNONYMS
adraksam—I saw; ekam—alone; asinam—sitting; vicinvan—deeply thinking; dayitam—patron; patim—master; sri-niketam—the shelter of the goddess of fortune; sarasvatyam—on the bank of the Sarasvati; krta-ketam—taking shelter; aketanam—being situated without a shelter.
TRANSLATION
Thus following, I saw my patron and master (Lord Sri Krsna) sitting alone and deeply thinking, taking shelter on the bank of the River Sarasvati although He is the shelter of the goddess of fortune.
PURPORT
Those who are in the renounced order of life often take shelter underneath a tree.
The Lord was found by Uddhava in that condition of taking shelter as do persons who have no shelter.
Because He is the proprietor of everything, everywhere is His shelter, and everywhere is under His shelter.
The entire material and spiritual cosmic manifestation is sustained by Him, and therefore He is the shelter of everything.
So there was nothing astonishing in His taking shelter in the way of the unsheltered who are in the renounced order of life.
3.4.7
syamavadatam virajam
prasantaruna-locanam
dorbhis caturbhir viditam
pita-kausambarena ca
SYNONYMS
syama-avadatam—beautiful with black color; virajam—formed of pure goodness; prasanta—peaceful; aruna—reddish; locanam—eyes; dorbhih—by the arms; caturbhih—four; viditam—being recognized; pita—yellow; kausa—silken; ambarena—with garments; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
The Lord’s body is blackish, but is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, and very, very beautiful.
His eyes are always peaceful, and they are reddish like the rising morning sun.
I could immediately recognize Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His four hands, different symbolic representations, and yellow silk garments.
3.4.8
vama urav adhisritya
daksinanghri-saroruham
apasritarbhakasvattham
akrsam tyakta-pippalam
SYNONYMS
vame—on the left; urau—thigh; adhisritya—placed on; daksina-anghri-saroruham—the right lotus foot; apasrita—taking rest against; arbhaka—young; asvattham—banyan tree; akrsam—cheerful; tyakta—having left; pippalam—household comforts.
TRANSLATION
The Lord was sitting, taking rest against a young banyan tree, with His right lotus foot on His left thigh, and although He had left all household comforts, He looked quite cheerful in that posture.
PURPORT
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the Lord’s sitting posture—keeping His back against the newly grown banyan tree—is also meaningful.
Asvattha, the banyan tree, is so called because the tree does not die very quickly; it continues to live for many, many years.
His legs and their energies are the material ingredients, which are five in all: earth, water, fire, air and sky.
The material energies represented by the banyan tree are all products of His external potency and are therefore kept to His back.
And because this particular universe is the smallest of all, the banyan tree is therefore designated as small, or as a child.
Tyakta-pippalam indicates that He had now finished His pastimes in this particular small universe, but since the Lord is absolute and eternally blissful, there is no difference between His leaving or accepting something.
The Lord was now prepared to leave this particular universe and go into another, just as the sun rises on one particular plane and sets in another simultaneously but does not change its own situation.
3.4.9
tasmin maha-bhagavato
dvaipayana-suhrt-sakha
lokan anucaran siddha
asasada yadrcchaya
SYNONYMS
tasmin—then; maha-bhagavatah—a great devotee of the Lord; dvaipayana—of Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa; suhrt—a well-wisher; sakha—a friend; lokan—the three worlds; anucaran—traveling; siddhe—in that asrama; asasada—arrived; yadrcchaya—by his own perfect accord.
TRANSLATION
At that time, after traveling in many parts of the world, Maitreya, a great devotee of the Lord and a friend and well-wisher of the great sage Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa, reached that spot out of his own perfect accord.
PURPORT
Maitreya was one of the disciples of Maharsi Parasara, the father of Vyasadeva.
Thus Vyasadeva and Maitreya were friends and mutual well-wishers.
By some fortunate accident, Maitreya reached the place where Lord Sri Krsna was resting.
To meet the Lord is not an ordinary incident.
Maitreya was a great sage and a learned scholar-philosopher but not a pure devotee of the Lord, and therefore his meeting with the Lord at that time may have been due to ajnata-sukrti, or some unknown devotional service.
Pure devotees always engage in pure devotional activities, and therefore their meeting with the Lord is natural.
But when those who are not up to that standard meet the Lord, it is due to the unforeseen fortune of accidental devotional service.
3.4.10
tasyanuraktasya muner mukundah
pramoda-bhavanata-kandharasya
asrnvato mam anuraga-hasa-
samiksaya visramayann uvaca
SYNONYMS
tasya—his (Maitreya’s); anuraktasya—although attached; muneh—of the sage; mukundah—the Lord who awards salvation; pramoda-bhava—in a pleasing attitude; anata—lowered; kandharasya—of the shoulder; asrnvatah—while thus hearing; mam—unto me; anuraga-hasa—with kind smiling; samiksaya—particularly seeing me; visra-mayan—allowing me complete rest; uvaca—said.
TRANSLATION
Maitreya Muni was greatly attached to Him (the Lord), and he was listening in a pleasing attitude, with his shoulder lowered.
With a smile and a particular glance upon me, having allowed me to rest, the Lord spoke as follows.
PURPORT
Although both Uddhava and Maitreya were great souls, the Lord’s attention was more on Uddhava because he was a spotlessly pure devotee.
A jnana-bhakta, or one whose devotion is mixed with the monistic viewpoint, is not a pure devotee.
Although Maitreya was a devotee, his devotion was mixed.
The Lord reciprocates with His devotees on the basis of transcendental love and not on the basis of philosophical knowledge or fruitive activities.
In the transcendental loving service of the Lord, there is no place for monistic knowledge or fruitive activities.
The gopis in Vrndavana were neither highly learned scholars nor mystic yogis.
They had spontaneous love for the Lord, and thus He became their heart and soul, and the gopis also became the heart and soul of the Lord.
Lord Caitanya approved the relationship of the gopis with the Lord as supreme.
Herein the Lord’s attitude towards Uddhava was more intimate than with Maitreya Muni.
3.4.11
sri-bhagavan uvaca
vedaham antar manasipsitam te
dadami yat tad duravapam anyaih
satre pura visva-srjam vasunam
mat-siddhi-kamena vaso tvayestah
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca—the Personality of Godhead said; veda—know; aham—I; antah—within; manasi—the mind; ipsitam—what you desired; te—your; dadami—I give you; yat—which is; tat—that; duravapam—very difficult to achieve; anyaih—by others; satre—in the sacrifice; pura—in the days of yore; visva-srjam—of those who expanded this creation; vasunam—of the Vasus; mat-siddhi-kamena—with a desire to achieve My association; vaso—O Vasu; tvaya—by you; istah—ultimate goal of life.
TRANSLATION
O Vasu, I know from within your mind what you desired in the days of yore when the Vasus and other demigods responsible for expanding the universal affairs performed sacrifices.
You particularly desired to achieve My association.
This is very difficult to obtain for others, but I award it unto you.
PURPORT
Uddhava is one of the eternal associates of the Lord, and a plenary portion of Uddhava was one of the eight Vasus in the days of yore.
The eight Vasus and the demigods in the upper planeary system, who are responsible for the management of the universal affairs, performed a sacrifice in the days of yore, desiring to fulfill their respective ultimate goals in life.
At that time an expansion of Uddhava, acting as one of the Vasus, desired to become an associate of the Lord.
The Lord knew this because He is present in the heart of every living entity as Paramatma, the Superconsciousness.
In everyone’s heart there is the representation of the Superconsciousness, who gives memory to the partial consciousness of every living entity.
The living entity, as partial consciousness, forgets incidents of his past life, but the Superconsciousness reminds him how to act in terms of his past cultivation of knowledge.Bhagavad-gita confirms this fact in various ways: ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham (Bg.4.11), sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca (Bg.15.15).
Everyone is at liberty to desire as he likes, but the desire is fulfilled by the Supreme Lord.
Everyone is independent to think or desire, but the fulfillment of one’s desire depends on the supreme will.
This law is expressed as Man proposes, God disposes In the days of yore, when the demigods and Vasus performed sacrifice, Uddhava, as one of the Vasus, desired to enter into the association of the Lord, which is very difficult for those busy in empiric philosophical speculation or fruitive activities.
Such persons have practically no information of the facts about becoming an associate of the Lord.
Only the pure devotees can know, by the mercy of the Lord, that the personal association of the Lord is the highest perfection of life.
The Lord assured Uddhava that He would fulfill his desire.
It appears that when the Lord informed him by His indication to Uddhava, the great sage Maitreya finally became aware of the importance of entering into the association of the Lord.
3.4.12
sa esa sadho caramo bhavanam
asaditas te mad-anugraho yat
yan mam nrlokan raha utsrjantam
distya dadrsvan visadanuvrttya
SYNONYMS
sah—that; esah—of those; sadho—O honest one; caramah—the ultimate; bhavanam—of all your incarnations (as Vasu); asaditah—now achieved; te—unto you; mat—My; anugrahah—mercy; yat—as it is; yat—because; mam—Me; nr-lokan—the planes of the conditioned souls; rahah—in seclusion; utsrjantam—while quitting; distya—by seeing; dadrsvan—what you have seen; visada-anuvrttya—by unflinching devotion.
TRANSLATION
O honest one, your present life is the last and the supermost because in this term of life you have been awarded My ultimate favor.
Now you can go to My transcendental abode, Vaikuntha, by leaving this universe of conditioned living entities.
Your visit to Me in this lonely place because of your pure and unflinching devotional service is a great boon for you.
PURPORT
When a person is fully conversant with knowledge of the Lord as far as can be known by a perfect living entity in the liberated state, he is allowed to enter into the spiritual sky, where the Vaikuntha planes exist.
The Lord was sitting in a lonely place just about to disappear from the vision of the inhabitants of this universe, and Uddhava was fortunate to see Him even at that time and thus receive the Lord’s permission to enter Vaikuntha.
The Lord is everywhere at all times, and His appearance and disappearance are merely the experience of the inhabitants of a particular universe.
He is just like the sun.
The sun does not appear or disappear in the sky; it is only in the experience of men that in the morning the sun rises and in the evening the sun sets.
The Lord is simultaneously both in Vaikuntha and everywhere within and without Vaikuntha.
3.4.13
pura maya proktam ajaya nabhye
padme nisannaya mamadi-sarge
jnanam param man-mahimavabhasam
yat surayo bhagavatam vadanti
SYNONYMS
pura—in the days of yore; maya—by Me; proktam—was said; ajaya—unto Brahma; nabhye—out of the navel; padme—on the lotus; nisannaya—unto the one situated on; mama—My; adi-sarge—in the beginning of creation; jnanam—knowledge; param—sublime; mat-mahima—My transcendental glories; avabhasam—that which clarifies; yat—which; surayah—the great learned sages; bhagavatam—Srimad-Bhagavatam; vadanti—do say.
TRANSLATION
O Uddhava, in the lotus millennium in the days of yore, at the beginning of the creation, I spoke unto Brahma, who is situated on the lotus that grows out of My navel, about My transcendental glories, which the great sages describe as Srimad-Bhagavatam.
PURPORT
The explanation of the Supreme Self, as given to Brahma and already explained in the Second Canto of this great literature, is further clarified herein.
The Lord said that the concise form of Srimad-Bhagavatam as explained to Brahma was meant to elucidate His personality.
The impersonal explanation of those four verses in the Second Canto is nullified herewith.
Sridhara Svami also explains in this connection that the same concise form of the Bhagavatam concerned the pastimes of Lord Krsna and was never meant for impersonal indulgence.
3.4.14
ity adrtoktah paramasya pumsah
pratiksananugraha-bhajano ’ham
snehottha-roma skhalitaksaras tam
muncan chucah pranjalir ababhase
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; adrta—being favored; uktah—addressed; paramasya—of the Supreme; pumsah—Personality of Godhead; pratiksana—every moment; anugraha-bhajanah—object of favor; aham—myself; sneha—affection; uttha—eruption; roma—hairs on the body; skhalita—slackened; aksarah—of the eyes; tam—that; muncan—smearing; sucah—tears; pranjalih—with folded hands; ababhase—said.
TRANSLATION
Uddhava said: O Vidura, when I was thus favored at every moment by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and addressed by Him with great affection, my words failed in tears, and the hairs on my body erupted.
After smearing my tears, I, with folded hands, spoke like this.
3.4.15
ko nv isa te pada-saroja-bhajam
sudurlabho ’rthesu catursv apiha
tathapi naham pravrnomi bhuman
bhavat-padambhoja-nisevanotsukah
SYNONYMS
kah nu isa—O my Lord; te—Your; pada-saroja-bhajam—of the devotees engaged in the transcendental loving service of Your lotus feet; su-durlabhah—very difficult to obtain; arthesu—in the matter of; catursu—in the four objectives; api—in spite of; iha—in this world; tatha api—yet; na—do not; aham—I; pravrnomi—prefer; bhuman—O great one; bhavat—Your; pada-ambhoja—lotus feet; nisevana-utsukah—anxious to serve.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, devotees who engage in the transcendental loving service of Your lotus feet have no difficulty in achieving anything within the realm of the four principles of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.
But, O great one, as far as I am concerned, I have preferred only to engage in the loving service of Your lotus feet.
PURPORT
Those who are associated with the Lord in the Vaikuntha planes achieve all the bodily features of the Lord and appear to be the same as Lord Visnu.
Such liberation is called sarupya-mukti, which is one of the five kinds of liberation.
The devotees engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord never accept the sayujya-mukti, or merging in the rays of the Lord called the brahmajyoti.
The devotees can achieve not only liberation but any success in the realm of religiosity, economic development or sense gratification up to the standard of the demigods in the heavenly planes.
But such a pure devotee as Uddhava refuses to accept all such facilities.
A pure devotee wants simply to engage in the service of the Lord and does not consider his own personal benefit.
3.4.16
karmany anihasya bhavo ’bhavasya te
durgasrayo ’thari-bhayat palayanam
kalatmano yat pramada-yutasramah
svatman-rateh khidyati dhir vidam iha
SYNONYMS
karmani—activities; anihasya—of one who has no desire; bhavah—birth; abhavasya—of one who is never born; te—your; durga-asrayah—taking shelter of the fort; atha—thereafter; ari-bhayat—out of fear of the enemies; palayanam—flee; kala-atmanah—of He who is the controller of eternal time; yat—that; pramada-ayuta—in the association of women; asramah—household life; sva-atman—in Your own Self; rateh—one who enjoys; khidyati—is disturbed; dhih—intelligence; vidam—of the learned; iha—in this world.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, even the learned sages become disturbed in their intelligence when they see that Your Greatness engages in fruitive work although You are free from all desires, that You take birth although You are unborn, that You flee out of fear of the enemy and take shelter in a fort although You are the controller of invincible time, and that You enjoy householder life surrounded by many women although You enjoy in Your Self.
PURPORT
Pure devotees of the Lord are not very much concerned with philosophical speculation in regard to transcendental knowledge of the Lord.
Nor is it possible to acquire complete knowledge of the Lord.
Whatever little knowledge they have about the Lord is sufficient for them because devotees are simply satisfied in hearing and chanting about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.
This gives them all transcendental bliss.
But some of the pastimes of the Lord appear contradictory, even to such pure devotees, and thus Uddhava asked the Lord about some of the contradictory incidents in His pastimes.
The Lord is described as having nothing to do personally, and it is actually so because even in the creation and sustenance of the material world, the Lord has nothing to do.
It seems contradictory, then, to hear that the Lord personally lifts the Govardhana Hill for the protection of His unalloyed devotees.
The Lord is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead appearing like a man, but Uddhava had doubts whether He could have so many transcendental activities.
There is no difference between the Personality of Godhead and the impersonal Brahman.
How then can the Lord have so many things to do, whereas the impersonal Brahman is stated to have nothing to do either materially or spiritually? If the Lord is ever unborn, how then is He born as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki? He is fearful even to kala, the supreme fear, and yet the Lord is afraid of fighting Jarasandha and takes shelter in a fort.
How can one who is full in Himself take pleasure in the association of many women? How can He take wives and, just like a householder, take pleasure in the association of family members, children, relatives and parents? All these apparently contradictory happenings bewilder even the greatest learned scholars, who, thus bewildered, cannot understand whether inactivity is a fact or whether His activities are only imitations.
The solution is that the Lord has nothing to do with anything mundane.
All His activities are transcendental.
This cannot be understood by the mundane speculators.
For the mundane speculators there is certainly a kind of bewilderment, but for the transcendental devotees there is nothing astonishing in this.
The Brahman conception of the Absolute Truth is certainly the negation of all mundane activities, but the Parabrahman conception is full with transcendental activities.
One who knows the distinctions between the conception of Brahman and the conception of Supreme Brahman is certainly the real transcendentalist.
There is no bewilderment for such transcendentalists.
The Lord Himself also declares in Bhagavad-gita (10.2), Even the great sages and demigods can know hardly anything about My activities and transcendental potencies The right explanation of the Lord’s activities is given by Grandfather Bhismadeva (Bhag.1.9.16) as follows:
na hy asya karhicid rajan
puman veda vidhitsitam
yad-vijijnasaya yukta
muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi
3.4.17
mantresu mam va upahuya yat tvam
akunthitakhanda-sadatma-bodhah
prccheh prabho mugdha ivapramattas
tan no mano mohayativa deva
SYNONYMS
mantresu—in consultations; mam—unto me; vai—as either; upahuya—by calling; yat—as much as; tvam—Your Lordship; akunthita—without hesitation; akhanda—without being separated; sada—eternally; atma—self; bodhah—intelligent; prccheh—asked; prabho—O my Lord; mugdhah—bewildered; iva—as if it were so; apramattah—although never bewildered; tat—that; nah—our; manah—mind; mohayati—bewilders; iva—as it is so; deva—O my Lord.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, Your eternal Self is never divided by the influence of time, and there is no limitation to Your perfect knowledge.
Thus You were sufficiently able to consult with Yourself, yet You called upon me for consultation, as if bewildered, although You are never bewildered.
And this act of Yours bewilders me.
PURPORT
Uddhava was never actually bewildered, but he says that all these contradictions appear to be bewildering.
The whole discussion between Krsna and Uddhava was meant for the benefit of Maitreya, who was sitting nearby.
The Lord used to call Uddhava for consultation when the city was attacked by Jarasandha and others and when He executed great sacrifices as part of His routine royal work as Lord of Dvaraka.
The Lord has no past, present and future because He is unhampered by the influence of eternal time and thus nothing is hidden from Him.
He is eternally self-intelligent.
Therefore His calling for Uddhava to give Him enlightenment is certainly astonishing.
All these actions of the Lord appear to be contradictory, although there is no contradiction in the routine activities of the Lord.
Therefore it is better to see them as they are and not attempt to explain them.
3.4.18
jnanam param svatma-rahah-prakasam
provaca kasmai bhagavan samagram
api ksamam no grahanaya bhartar
vadanjasa yad vrjinam tarema
SYNONYMS
jnanam—knowledge; param—supreme; sva-atma—own self; rahah—mystery; prakasam—enlightening; provaca—said; kasmai—unto Ka (Brahmaji); bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; samagram—in sum total; api—if so; ksamam—able; nah—unto me; grahanaya—acceptable; bhartah—O my Lord; vada—say; anjasa—in detail; yat—that which; vrjinam—miseries; tarema—can cross over.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, kindly explain to us, if You think us competent to receive it, that transcendental knowledge which gives enlightenment about Yourself and which You explained before to Brahmaji.
PURPORT
A pure devotee like Uddhava has no material afflictions because he engages constantly in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
A devotee feels afflicted without the association of the Lord.
Constant remembrance of the Lord’s activities keeps the devotee alive, and therefore Uddhava requested that the Lord please enlighten him with the knowledge of Srimad-Bhagavatam, as previously instructed to Brahmaji.
3.4.19
ity avedita-hardaya
mahyam sa bhagavan parah
adidesaravindaksa
atmanah paramam sthitim
SYNONYMS
iti avedita—thus being prayed to by me; hardaya—from the core of my heart; mahyam—unto me; sah—He; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; parah—Supreme; adidesa—instructed; aravinda-aksah—the lotus-eyed; atmanah—of Himself; paramam—transcendental; sthitim—situation.
TRANSLATION
When I thus expressed my heartfelt desires unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the lotus-eyed Lord instructed me about His transcendental situation.
PURPORT
The words paramam sthitim are significant in this verse.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.33–36) were explained.
This transcendental situation comprises His dealings with devotees engaged in transcendental loving service, as exhibited at Dvaraka and Vrndavana.
When the Lord explained His specific transcendental situation, it was meant for Uddhava only, and therefore Uddhava particularly said mahyam (unto m), although the great sage Maitreya was also sitting there.
Such a transcendental situation is hardly understood by those whose devotion is mixed with speculative knowledge or fruitive activities.
The Lord’s activities in confidential love are very rarely disclosed to the general devotees who are attracted by devotion mixed with knowledge and mysticism.
Such activities are the inconceivable pastimes of the Lord.
3.4.20
sa evam aradhita-pada-tirthad
adhita-tattvatma-vibodha-margah
pranamya padau parivrtya devam
ihagato ’ham virahaturatma
SYNONYMS
sah—so myself; evam—thus; aradhita—worshiped; pada-tirthat—from the Personality of Godhead; adhita—studied; tattva-atma—self-knowledge; vibodha—understanding; margah—path; pranamya—after saluting; padau—at His lotus feet; parivrtya—after circumambulating; devam—the Lord; iha—at this place; agatah—reached; aham—I; viraha—separation; atura-atma—aggrieved in self.
TRANSLATION
I have studied the path of understanding self-knowledge from my spiritual master, the Personality of Godhead, and thus after circumambulating Him I have come to this place, very much aggrieved due to separation.
PURPORT
Sri Uddhava’s actual life is the direct symbol of the catuh-sloki Bhagavatam enunciated first to Brahmaji by the Personality of Godhead.
These four very great and important verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam are particularly taken out by the Mayavadi speculators, who construe a different purport to suit their impersonal view of monism.
Here is the proper answer to such unauthorized speculators.
The verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam are purely theistic science understandable by the postgraduate students of Bhagavad-gita, The unauthorized dry speculators are offenders at the lotus feet of the Lord Sri Krsna because they distort the purports of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam to mislead the public and prepare a direct path to the hell known as Andha-tamisra.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (16.20) such envious speculators are without knowledge and are surely condemned life after life.
They unnecessarily take shelter of Sripada Sankaracarya, but he was not so drastic as to commit an offense at the lotus feet of Lord Krsna.
According to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sripada Sankaracarya preached the Mayavada philosophy for a particular purpose.
Such a philosophy was necessary to defeat the Buddhist philosophy of the nonexistence of the spirit soul, but it was never meant for perpetual acceptance.
It was an emergency.
Thus Lord Krsna was accepted by Sankaracarya as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his commentation on Bhagavad-gita.
Since he was a great devotee of Lord Krsna, he did not dare write any commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam because that would have been a direct offense at the lotus feet of the Lord.
But later speculators, in the name of Mayavada philosophy, unnecessarily make their commentary on the catuh-sloki Bhagavatam without any bona fide intent.
The monistic dry speculators have no business in the Srimad-Bhagavatam because this particular Vedic literature is forbidden for them by the great author himself.
Srila Vyasadeva has definitely forbidden persons engaged in religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, finally, salvation, from trying to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is not meant for them (Bhag.1.1.2).
Sripada Sridhara Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam, has definitely forbidden the salvationists or monists to deal in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
It is not for them.
Yet such unauthorized persons perversely try to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam, and thus they commit offenses at the feet of the Lord, which even Sripada Sankaracarya dared not do.
Thus they prepare for their continuation of miserable life.
It should be particularly noted herein that Uddhava studied the catuh-sloki Bhagavatam directly from the Lord, who spoke them first to Brahmaji, and this time the Lord explained more confidentially the self-knowledge mentioned as the paramam sthitim.
Upon learning such self-knowledge of love, Uddhava felt very much aggrieved by feelings of separation from the Lord.
Unless one is awakened to the stage of Uddhava—everlastingly feeling the separation of the Lord in transcendental love, as exhibited by Lord Caitanya also—one cannot understand the real import of the four essential verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
One should not indulge in the unauthorized act of twisting the meaning and thereby putting himself on the dangerous path of offense.
3.4.21
so ’ham tad-darsanahlada-
viyogarti-yutah prabho
gamisye dayitam tasya
badaryasrama-mandalam
SYNONYMS
sah aham—thus myself; tat—His; darsana—audience; ahlada—pleasure; viyoga—without that; arti-yutah—afflicted by distress; prabho—my dear sir; gamisye—shall go; dayitam—so instructed; tasya—His; badaryasrama—Badarikasrama, in the Himalayas; mandalam—association.
TRANSLATION
My dear Vidura, now I am mad for want of the pleasure of seeing Him, and just to mitigate this I am now proceeding to Badarikasrama in the Himalayas for association, as I have been instructed by Him.
PURPORT
A pure devotee of the Lord of the standard of Uddhava constantly associates with the Lord in the double perception of simultaneous separation and meeting.
The pure devotee is not for a moment unengaged in the transcendental service of the Lord.
Execution of the Lord’s service is the main occupation of the pure devotee.
Uddhava’s separation from the Lord was unbearable, and therefore he started to Badarikasrama in obedience to the Lord’s order because the order of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical.
As long as one is engaged in the execution of the order of the Lord, there is no factual separation from Him.
3.4.22
yatra narayano devo
naras ca bhagavan rsih
mrdu tivram tapo dirgham
tepate loka-bhavanau
SYNONYMS
yatra—where; narayanah—the Personality of Godhead; devah—by incarnation; narah—human being; ca—also; bhagavan—the Lord; rsih—great sage; mrdu—amiable to everyone; tivram—severe; tapah—penance; dirgham—very long; tepate—performing; loka-bhavanau—welfare of all living entities.
TRANSLATION
There in Badarikasrama the Personality of Godhead, in His incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, has been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all amiable living entities.
PURPORT
Badarikasrama in the Himalayas, the abode of the Nara-Narayana sages, is a great place of pilgrimage for the Hindus.
Even up to the present, hundreds and thousands of pious Hindus go to pay respects to the incarnation of Godhead Nara-Narayana.
It appears that even five thousand years ago this holy place was being visited by such a holy being as Uddhava, and even at that time the place was known to be very, very old.
This particular pilgrimage site is very difficult to visit for ordinary men because of its difficult situation in the Himalayas in a place which is covered by ice almost all year.
A few months during the summer season people can visit this place at great personal inconvenience.
There are four dhamas, or kingdoms of God, which represent the planes of the spiritual sky, which consists of the brahmajyoti and the Vaikunthas.
These are Badarikasrama, Ramesvara, Jagannatha Puri and Dvaraka.
Faithful Hindus still visit all these holy places for perfection of spiritual realization, following in the footsteps of devotees like Uddhava.
3.4.23
sri-suka uvaca
ity uddhavad upakarnya
suhrdam duhsaham vadham
jnanenasamayat ksatta
sokam utpatitam budhah
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Suka Gosvami said; iti—thus; uddhavat—from Uddhava; upakarnya—hearing; suhrdam—of friends and relatives; duhsaham—unbearable; vadham—annihilation; jnanena—by transcendental knowledge; asamayat—pacified himself; ksatta—Vidura; sokam—bereavement; utpatitam—arisen; budhah—the learned.
TRANSLATION
Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: After hearing from Uddhava all about the annihilation of his friends and relatives, the learned Vidura pacified his overwhelming bereavement by dint of his transcendental knowledge.
PURPORT
Vidura was informed that the result of the Battle of Kuruksetra was the annihilation of his friends and relatives as well as the destruction of the Yadu dynasty and also the passing away of the Lord.
All these hurled him into bereavement for the time being, but because he was highly advanced in transcendental knowledge, he was quite competent to pacify himself by enlightenment.
As it is stated in Bhagavad-gita due to our long association with bodily relationships, bereavement on account of the annihilation of friends and relatives is not at all astonishing, but one has to learn the art of subduing such bereavement with higher, transcendental knowledge.
The talks between Uddhava and Vidura on the topic of Krsna began at sunset, and Vidura was now further advanced in knowledge due to his association with Uddhava.
3.4.24
sa tam maha-bhagavatam
vrajantam kauravarsabhah
visrambhad abhyadhattedam
mukhyam krsna-parigrahe
SYNONYMS
sah—Vidura; tam—unto Uddhava; maha-bhagavatam—the great devotee of the Lord; vrajantam—while going; kaurava-rsabhah—the best amongst the Kauravas; visrambhat—out of confidence; abhyadhatta—submitted; idam—this; mukhyam—unto the chief; krsna—Lord Krsna; parigrahe—in devotional service to the Lord.
TRANSLATION
While Uddhava, the chief and most confidential amongst the devotees of the Lord, was going away, Vidura, in affection and confidence, questioned him.
PURPORT
Vidura was much older than Uddhava.
By family relationship Uddhava was a contemporary brother of Krsna’s, while Vidura was as elderly as Krsna’s father Vasudeva.
But although junior by age, Uddhava was much advanced in the devotional service of the Lord, and therefore he is described herein as the chief amongst the devotees of the Lord.
Vidura was confident about this, and thus he addressed Uddhava in that higher category.
That is the way of courteous dealings between two devotees.
3.4.25
vidura uvaca
jnanam param svatma-rahah-prakasam
yad aha yogesvara isvaras te
vaktum bhavan no ’rhati yad dhi visnor
bhrtyah sva-bhrtyartha-krtas caranti
SYNONYMS
vidurah uvaca—Vidura said; jnanam—knowledge; param—transcendental; sva-atma—regarding the self; rahah—mystery; prakasam—enlightening; yat—that which; aha—said; yoga-isvarah—the master of all mystics; isvarah—the Lord; te—unto you; vaktum—to narrate; bhavan—your good self; nah—unto me; arhati—deserve; yat—for; hi—reason of; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; bhrtyah—servants; sva-bhrtya-artha-krtah—for the interest of their servants; caranti—do wander.
TRANSLATION
Vidura said: O Uddhava, because the servants of Visnu, the Lord, wander in the interest of serving others, it is quite fit that you kindly describe the self-knowledge with which you have been enlightened by the Lord Himself.
PURPORT
The servants of the Lord are actually the servants of society.
They have no interest in human society other than to enlighten it in transcendental knowledge; they are interested in imparting knowledge of the relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord, the activities in that transcendental relationship, and the ultimate goal of human life.
That is the real knowledge which can help society achieve the real aim of human welfare.
Knowledge in the matter of the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating and fearing, transformed into various branches of advancement of knowledge, is all temporary.
A living being is not the material body but an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and thus revival of his self-knowledge is essential.
Without this knowledge, the human life is baffled.
The servants of the Lord, Visnu, are entrusted with this responsible work, and so they wander over the earth and to all other planes in the universe.
Thus the knowledge which was received by Uddhava directly from the Lord deserves to be distributed in human society, especially to persons like Vidura, who are highly advanced in the devotional service of the Lord.
Real transcendental knowledge descends in the disciplic succession from the Lord to Uddhava, from Uddhava to Vidura and so on.
Such supreme transcendental knowledge is not possible to achieve by the process of imperfect speculation as performed by the so-called learned mundane wranglers.
Vidura was anxious to know from Uddhava that confidential knowledge known as paramam sthitim, in which the Lord is known by His transcendental pastimes.
Although Vidura was older than Uddhava, he was anxious to become a servant of Uddhava in the transcendental relationship.
This formula of transcendental disciplic succession is taught by Lord Caitanya also.
Lord Caitanya advises that one receive transcendental knowledge from anyone—whether a brahmana or a sudra, a householder or a sannyasi—provided that person is factually conversant with the science of Krsna.
A person who knows the science of Krsna is factually a bona fide spiritual master.
3.4.26
uddhava uvaca
nanu te tattva-samradhya
rsih kausaravo ’ntike
saksad bhagavatadisto
martya-lokam jihasata
SYNONYMS
uddhavah uvaca—Uddhava said; nanu—however; te—of yourself; tattva-samradhyah—one who is worshipable for reception of transcendental knowledge; rsih—learned scholar; kausaravah—unto the son of Kusaru (Maitreya); antike—staying nearby; saksat—directly; bhagavata—by the Personality of Godhead; adistah—instructed; martya-lokam—mortal world; jihasata—while quitting.
TRANSLATION
Sri Uddhava said: You may take lessons from the great learned sage Maitreya, who is nearby and who is worshipable for reception of transcendental knowledge.
He was directly instructed by the Personality of Godhead while He was about to quit this mortal world.
PURPORT
Although one may be well versed in the transcendental science, one should be careful about the offense of maryada-vyatikrama, or impertinently surpassing a greater personality.
According to scriptural injunction one should be very careful of transgressing the law of maryada-vyatikrama because by so doing one loses his duration of life, his opulence, fame and piety and the blessings of all the world.
To be well versed in the transcendental science necessitates awareness of the techniques of spiritual science.
Uddhava, being well aware of all these technicalities of transcendental science, advised Vidura to approach Maitreya Rsi to receive transcendental knowledge.
Vidura wanted to accept Uddhava as his spiritual master, but Uddhava did not accept the post because Vidura was as old as Uddhava’s father and therefore Uddhava could not accept him as his disciple, especially when Maitreya was present nearby.
The rule is that in the presence of a higher personality one should not be very eager to impart instructions, even if one is competent and well versed.
So Uddhava decided to send an elderly person like Vidura to Maitreya, another elderly person, but he was well versed also because he was directly instructed by the Lord while He was about to quit this mortal world.
Since both Uddhava and Maitreya were directly instructed by the Lord, both had the authority to become the spiritual master of Vidura or anyone else, but Maitreya, being elderly, had the first claim to becoming the spiritual master, especially for Vidura, who was much older than Uddhava.
One should not be eager to become a spiritual master cheaply for the sake of profit and fame, but should become a spiritual master only for the service of the Lord.
The Lord never tolerates the impertinence of maryada-vyatikrama.
One should never pass over the honor due to an elderly spiritual master in the interests of one’s own personal gain and fame.
Impertinence on the part of the pseudo spiritual master is very risky to progressive spiritual realization.
3.4.27
sri-suka uvaca
iti saha vidurena visva-murter
guna-kathaya sudhaya plavitorutapah
ksanam iva puline yamasvasus tam
samusita aupagavir nisam tato ’gat
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; saha—along with; vidurena—Vidura; visva-murteh—of the Universal Person; guna-kathaya—in the discourse of transcendental qualities; sudhaya—nectarean; plavita-uru-tapah—overwhelmed by great affliction; ksanam—moment; iva—like that; puline—on the bank of; yamasvasuh tam—River Yamuna; samusitah—passed on; aupagavih—the son of Aupagava (Uddhava); nisam—the night; tatah—thereafter; agat—went away.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, after thus discussing with Vidura the transcendental name, fame, qualities, etc., on the bank of the Yamuna, Uddhava was overwhelmed with great affliction.
He passed the night as if it were a moment, and thereafter he went away.
PURPORT
The word used here for Krsna is visva-murti.
Both Uddhava and Vidura were in great affliction because of Lord Krsna’s departure, and the more they discussed the transcendental name, fame and qualities of the Lord, the more the picture of the Lord became visible to them everywhere.
Such visualization of the transcendental form of the Lord is neither false nor imaginary but is factual Absolute Truth.
When the Lord is perceived as visva-murti, it is not that He loses His personality or transcendental eternal form, but He becomes visible in the same form everywhere.
3.4.28
rajovaca
nidhanam upagatesu vrsni-bhojesv
adhiratha-yuthapa-yuthapesu mukhyah
sa tu katham avasista uddhavo yad
dharir api tatyaja akrtim tryadhisah
SYNONYMS
raja uvaca—the King inquired; nidhanam—destruction; upagatesu—having overtaken; vrsni—of the Vrsni dynasty; bhojesu—the Bhoja dynasty; adhiratha—great commander; yutha-pa—commander in chief; yutha-pesu—amongst them; mukhyah—prominent; sah—he; tu—only; katham—how; avasistah—remained; uddhavah—Uddhava; yat—whereas; harih—the Personality of Godhead; api—also; tatyaje—finished; akrtim—complete pastimes; tri-adhisah—the Lord of the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
The King inquired: At the end of the pastimes of the Lord of the three worlds, Sri Krsna, and after the disappearance of the members of the Vrsni and Bhoja dynasties, who were the best of the great commanders, why did Uddhava alone remain?
PURPORT
According to Sri Jiva Gosvami, nidhanam means the transcendental abode of the Lord.
Ni means the highest, and dhanam means opulence.
And because the abode of the Lord is the highest manifestation of transcendental opulence, His abode can therefore be called nidhanam.
Apart from the grammatical elucidation, the real purpose of the word nidhanam is to indicate that all the members of the Vrsni and Bhoja dynasties were direct associates of the Lord, and after the end of His pastimes, all the associates were dispatched to their respective positions in the transcendental abode.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura elucidates the meaning of akrtim as pastimes.
A means complete, and krtim means transcendental pastimes.
Since the Lord is identical with His transcendental body, there is no question of His changing or quitting His body.
To act in accordance with the rules and customs of the material world, the Lord seems to take His birth or leave His body, but the pure devotees of the Lord know well the actual fact.
It is necessary, therefore, for the serious students of Srimad-Bhagavatam to follow the notes and comments of the great acaryas like Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti.
To others, who are not devotees of the Lord, the comments and explanations of such acaryas may appear to he grammatical jugglery, but to the students who are in the line of disciplic succession, the explanations of the great acaryas are quite fit.
The word upagatesu is also significant.
All the members of Vrsni and Bhoja directly reached the abode of the Lord.
Other devotees do not reach the abode of the Lord directly, but the pure associates of the Lord have no attraction for the opulence of any planes of the material world.
Sometimes, due to inquisitiveness, devotees who are to be promoted to the abode of the Lord have some attraction for the opulence of the higher material planes above the earth, and thus they desire to see them while going up to the perfection.
But the Vrsnis and Bhojas were directly dispatched because they had no attraction for material planes.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also suggests that according to the Amara-kosa dictionary, akrti also means signal Lord Krsna ordered Uddhava by signal to go to Badarikasrama after His departure, and Uddhava, as a pure devotee of the Lord, carried out the order more faithfully than going back to Godhead, or the abode of the Lord.
That was the cause of his remaining alone even after the departure of the Lord from the face of the earth.
3.4.29
sri-suka uvaca
brahma-sapapadesena
kalenamogha-vanchitah
samhrtya sva-kulam sphitam
tyaksyan deham acintayat
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; brahma-sapa—cursing by the brahmanas; apadesena—on the plea, by such a show; kalena—by the eternal time; amogha—unfailing; vanchitah—one who so desires; samhrtya—closing; sva-kulam—own family; sphitam—excessively numerous; tyaksyan—after giving up; deham—the universal form; acintayat—thought to Himself.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami replied: My dear King, the cursing of the brahmanas was only a plea, but the actual fact was the supreme desire of the Lord.
He wanted to disappear from the face of the earth after dispatching His excessively numerous family members.
He thought to Himself as follows.
PURPORT
In this verse the word tyaksyan is very significant in relation to Lord Sri Krsna’s leaving His body.
Since He is the eternal form of existence, knowledge and bliss, His body and His Self are identical.
Therefore how is it possible that He would leave His body and then disappear from the vision of the world? There is a great controversy amongst the nondevotees or Mayavadis about the mysterious disappearance of the Lord, and the doubts of those men with a poor fund of knowledge have been very elaborately cleared by Srila Jiva Gosvami in his Krsna-sandarbha.
According to Brahma-samhita, the Lord has many forms.
It is stated therein that the Lord has innumerable forms, and when He appears within the vision of the living entities, as Lord Krsna actually appeared, all such forms amalgamate with Him.
Besides all these infallible forms, He has His universal form, as manifested before Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.
Here in this verse the word sphitam is also used, which indicates that He left His gigantic universal form called the virat-rupa, not His primeval, eternal form, because there is hardly any possibility of His changing His form of sac-cid-ananda.
This simple understanding is at once realized by the devotees of the Lord, but those who are nondevotees, who perform hardly any devotional service to the Lord, either do not understand this simple fact or purposely raise a controversy to defeat the eternity of the transcendental body of the Lord.
This is due to the defect called the cheating propensity of the imperfect living entities.
By practical experience also, it is seen, up to the present day, that the Lord’s transcendental form is worshiped by devotees in different temples, and all the devotees of the Lord factually realize that the form of the Deity in the temple is nondifferent from the form of the Lord.
This inconceivable performance of the internal potency of the Lord is described in Bhagavad-gita (7.25): naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah.
The Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone.
In the Padma Purana it is said, atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih (BRS.1.2.234).
The name and form of the Lord cannot be perceived by the material senses, but when He appears within the vision of the mundane people He assumes the form of the virat-rupa.
This is an additional material exhibition of form and is supported by the logic of a subject and its adjectives.
In grammar, when an adjective is taken away from the subject, the subject it modifies does not change.
Similarly, when the Lord quits His virat-rupa, His eternal form does not change, although there is no material difference between Himself and any one of His innumerable forms.
In the Fifth Canto it will be seen how the Lord is worshiped in different planes in His different forms, even now, and how He is worshiped in different temples of this earth also.
Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have very elaborately explained this incident of the Lord’s disappearance in their commentaries, quoting various authentic versions of Vedic literatures.
We purposely do not include them all here to avoid an increase in the volume of this book.
The entire matter is explained in Bhagavad-gita, as quoted above: the Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone.
He always keeps Himself out of the vision of the nondevotees, who are devoid of love and devotion, and thus He puts them still further away from the Lord.
The Lord appeared on the invitation of Brahma, who prayed before the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, and therefore when the Lord appeared, all the forms of Visnu amalgamated with Him, and when the mission was fulfilled, all of them disintegrated from Him in the usual course.
3.4.30
asmal lokad uparate
mayi jnanam mad-asrayam
arhaty uddhava evaddha
sampraty atmavatam varah
SYNONYMS
asmat—from this (universe); lokat—earth; uparate—having disappeared; mayi—of Myself; jnanam—knowledge; mat-asrayam—concerning Myself; arhati—deserves; uddhavah—Uddhava; eva—certainly; addha—directly; samprati—at the present moment; atmavatam—of the devotees; varah—foremost.
TRANSLATION
Now I shall leave the vision of this mundane world, and I see that Uddhava, the foremost of My devotees, is the only one who can be directly entrusted with knowledge about Me.
PURPORT
Jnanam mad-asrayam is significant in this verse.
Transcendental knowledge has three departmental divisions, namely knowledge of impersonal Brahman, knowledge of the all-pervading Supersoul and knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.
Out of the three, transcendental knowledge of the Personality of Godhead has special significance and is known as bhagavat-tattva-vijnana, specific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.
This specific knowledge is realized by pure devotional service and no other means.
Bhagavad-gita (18.55) confirms this: bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah Only persons engaged in devotional service can factually know the transcendental position of the Lord Uddhava was considered to be the best amongst all devotees of that time, and therefore he was directly instructed by the Lord’s grace, so that people might take advantage of Uddhava’s knowledge after the disappearance of the Lord from the vision of the world.
This is one of the reasons why Uddhava was advised to go to Badarikasrama, where the Lord is personally represented by the Nara-Narayana Deity.
One who is transcendentally advanced can gain direct inspiration from the temple Deity, and thus a devotee of the Lord always takes shelter of a recognized temple of the Lord in order to make tangible advancement in transcendental knowledge by the grace of the Lord.
3.4.31
noddhavo ’nv api man-nyuno
yad gunair narditah prabhuh
ato mad-vayunam lokam
grahayann iha tisthatu
SYNONYMS
na—not; uddhavah—Uddhava; anu—slightly; api—also; mat—to Myself; nyunah—inferior; yat—because; gunaih—by the modes of material nature; na—nor; arditah—affected; prabhuh—master; atah—therefore; mat-vayunam—knowledge of Me (the Personality of Godhead); lokam—the world; grahayan—just to disseminate; iha—in this world; tisthatu—may remain.
TRANSLATION
Uddhava is not inferior to Me in any way because he is never affected by the modes of material nature.
Therefore he may remain in this world in order to disseminate specific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The specific qualification for becoming the representative of the Lord is to be unaffected by the material modes of nature.
The highest qualification of a person in the material world is to be a brahmana.
But since a brahmana is in the mode of goodness, to be a brahmana is not sufficient for becoming a representative of the Lord.
One has to transcend the mode of goodness also and be situated in unalloyed goodness, unaffected by any of the qualities of material nature.
This stage of transcendental qualification is called suddha-sattva, or vasudeva, and in this stage the science of God can be realized.
As the Lord is not affected by the modes of material nature, so a pure devotee of the Lord is also not affected by the modes of nature.
That is the primary qualification for being one with the Lord.
A person who is able to attain this transcendental qualification is called jivan-mukta, or liberated, even though he is apparently in material conditions.
This liberation is achieved by one who constantly engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.187) it is stated:
iha yasya harer dasye
karmana manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-muktah sa ucyate
Anyone who, by his actions, mind and words, lives only for the transcendental loving service of the Lord, is certainly a liberated soul, even though he may appear to be in a condition of material existence Uddhava was in such a transcendental position, and thus he was selected to be the factual representative of the Lord in His bodily absence from the vision of the world.
Such a devotee of the Lord is never affected by material strength, intelligence or even renunciation.
Such a devotee of the Lord can withstand all onslaughts of material nature, and therefore he is known as gosvami.
Only such gosvamis can penetrate the mysteries of the Lord’s transcendental loving relationships.
3.4.32
evam tri-loka-guruna
sandistah sabda-yonina
badaryasramam asadya
harim ije samadhina
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; tri-loka—three worlds; guruna—by the spiritual master; sandistah—being perfectly taught; sabda-yonina—by one who is the source of all Vedic knowledge; badaryasramam—in the pilgrimage site of Badarikasrama; asadya—reaching; harim—unto the Lord; ije—satisfied; samadhina—by trance.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami informed the King that Uddhava, being thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of all Vedic knowledge and the spiritual master of the three worlds, reached the pilgrimage site of Badarikasrama and engaged himself there in trance to satisfy the Lord.
PURPORT
Lord Sri Krsna is factually the spiritual master of the three worlds, and He is the original source of all Vedic knowledge.
It is very difficult, however, to understand the personal feature of the Absolute Truth, even from the Vedas.
His personal instructions are needed in order to understand the Personality of Godhead as the Supreme Absolute Truth.Bhagavad-gita is the evidence of such transcendental knowledge in gist.
One cannot know the Supreme Lord unless one is graced by the Lord Himself.
Lord Krsna exhibited this specific mercy towards Arjuna and Uddhava while He was in the material world.
Undoubtedly Bhagavad-gita was spoken by the Lord on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra just to encourage Arjuna to fight, and yet to complete the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, the Lord instructed Uddhava.
The Lord wanted Uddhava to fulfill His mission and disseminate knowledge which He had not spoken even in Bhagavad-gita.
Persons who are attached to the words of the Vedas may also know from this verse that the Lord is the source of all Vedic knowledge.
One who is unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by going through the pages of the Vedas may take shelter of one of the Lord’s devotees, such as Uddhava, in order to advance further in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Brahma-samhita says that it is very difficult to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the Vedas, but He is easily understood from a pure devotee like Uddhava.
Taking mercy on the great sages who lived at Badarikasrama, the Lord authorized Uddhava to speak on His behalf.
Unless one has such authorization, one cannot understand or preach the devotional service of the Lord.
While present on this earth, the Lord executed many uncommon activities, even traveling in space to bring down the parijata from heaven and recovering the son of His teacher (Sandipani Muni) from the regions of death.
Uddhava was certainly informed of the conditions of life on other planes, and all the sages were anxious to know of them, just as we are anxious to know about the planes in space.
Uddhava was particularly deputed to carry a message to Badarikasrama, not only to the sages of that place of pilgrimage but also to the Nara-Narayana Deities.
Such a message must have been more confidential than the knowledge described in the pages of the Vedas.
The Lord is undoubtedly the source of all knowledge, and the messages dispatched through Uddhava to Nara-Narayana and other sages were also part of the Vedic knowledge, but they were more confidential and could be sent or understood only through such a pure devotee as Uddhava.
Since such confidential knowledge was known only to the Lord and Uddhava, it is said that Uddhava was as good as the Lord Himself.
Every living entity can, like Uddhava, also become a confidential messenger on the same level as the Lord, provided he becomes confidential himself by dint of loving devotional service.
Such confidential knowledge is entrusted, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita only to pure devotees like Uddhava and Arjuna, and one has to learn the mystery through them, and not otherwise.
One cannot understand Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam without the help of such confidential devotees of the Lord.
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, that confidential message must have concerned the mystery of His departure and the annihilation of His dynasty after the end of His appearance in the mundane world for one hundred years.
Everyone must have been very anxious to know about the mystery of the annihilation of the Yadu dynasty, and that message must have been explained by the Lord to Uddhava and dispatched to Badarikasrama for the information of Nara-Narayana and other pure devotees of the Lord.
3.4.33
viduro ’py uddhavac chrutva
krsnasya paramatmanah
kridayopatta-dehasya
karmani slaghitani ca
SYNONYMS
vidurah—Vidura; api—also; uddhavat—from the source of Uddhava; srutva—having heard; krsnasya—of Lord Krsna; parama-atmanah—of the Supersoul; kridaya—for the sake of pastimes in the mortal world; upatta—extraordinarily accepted; dehasya—of the body; karmani—transcendental activities; slaghitani—most glorious; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Vidura also heard from Uddhava about the appearance and disappearance of Lord Krsna, the Supersoul, in the mortal world, which is a subject matter sought after with great perseverance by the great sages.
PURPORT
The subject matter of the appearance and disappearance of the Supersoul, Lord Sri Krsna, is a mystery even for the great sages.
The word paramatmanah is significant in this verse.
An ordinary living being is generally called the atma, but Lord Krsna is never an ordinary living being because He is paramatma, the Supersoul.
Yet His appearance as one of the human beings and His disappearance again from the mortal world are subject matters for the research workers who execute research work with great perseverance.
Such subject matters are certainly of increasing interest because the researchers have to search out the transcendental abode of the Lord, which He enters after finishing His pastimes in the mortal world.
But even the great sages have no information that beyond the material sky is the spiritual sky where Sri Krsna eternally resides with His associates, although at the same time He exhibits His pastimes in the mortal world in all the universes one after another.
Brahma-samhita (5.37): goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah The Lord, by His inconceivable potency, resides in His eternal abode, Goloka, yet at the same time, as the Supersoul, He is present everywhere—in both the spiritual and material skies—by His multivarieties of manifestation Therefore His appearance and disappearance are simultaneously going on, and no one can say definitely which of them is the beginning and which is the end.
His eternal pastimes have no beginning or end, and one has to learn of them from the pure devotee only and not waste valuable time in so-called research work.
3.4.34
deha-nyasam ca tasyaivam
dhiranam dhairya-vardhanam
anyesam duskarataram
pasunam viklavatmanam
SYNONYMS
deha-nyasam—entering the body; ca—also; tasya—His; evam—also; dhiranam—of great sages; dhairya—perseverance; vardhanam—increasing; anyesam—for others; duskara-taram—very difficult to ascertain; pasunam—of the beasts; viklava—disturbed; atmanam—of such a mind.
TRANSLATION
The Lord’s glorious acts and His acceptance of various transcendental forms for the performance of extraordinary pastimes in the mortal world are very difficult for anyone other than His devotees to understand, and for the beasts they are simply a mental disturbance.
PURPORT
The transcendental forms and pastimes of the Lord, as described in Bhagavad-gita, are difficult subject matters for those who are not devotees to understand.
The Lord never reveals Himself to persons like the jnanis and yogis.
And there are others who, because of their envying the Lord from the bottom of their hearts, are classified amongst the beasts, and for such envious beasts the subject matter of the Lord’s appearance and disappearance is simply a mental disturbance.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (7.15), the miscreants who are simply concerned with material enjoyment, who work very hard like beasts of burden, can hardly know the Personality of Godhead at any stage due to asurika-bhava, or a spirit of revolt against the Supreme Lord.
The transcendental bodily expansions manifested by the Lord for His pastimes in the mortal world, and the appearance and disappearance of such transcendental expansions, are difficult subject matters, and those who are not devotees are advised not to discuss the Lord’s appearance and disappearance, lest they commit further offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord.
The more they discuss the transcendental appearance and disappearance of the Lord in the asuric spirit, the more they enter into the darkest region of hell, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (16.20).
Anyone who is against the transcendental loving service of the Lord is more or less a beastly creature, as confirmed in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
3.4.35
atmanam ca kuru-srestha
krsnena manaseksitam
dhyayan gate bhagavate
ruroda prema-vihvalah
SYNONYMS
atmanam—himself; ca—also; kuru-srestha—O best amongst the Kurus; krsnena—by Krsna; manasa—by the mind; iksitam—remembered; dhyayan—thus thinking of; gate—having gone; bhagavate—of the devotee; ruroda—cried loudly; prema-vihvalah—overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love.
TRANSLATION
Understanding that he was remembered by Lord Krsna (while quitting this world), Vidura began to cry loudly, overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love.
PURPORT
Vidura was overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love when he understood that Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thought of him at the last moment.
Although he thought of himself as insignificant, he was remembered by the Lord, by His causeless mercy.
Vidura accepted this as a great favor, and thus he cried.
This crying is the last word in the progressive path of devotional service.
One who can cry for the Lord in love is certainly successful in the line of devotional service.
3.4.36
kalindyah katibhih siddha
ahobhir bharatarsabha
prapadyata svah-saritam
yatra mitra-suto munih
SYNONYMS
kalindyah—on the bank of the Yamuna; katibhih—a few; siddhe—being so passed; ahobhih—days; bharata-rsabha—O best of the Bharata dynasty; prapadyata—reached; svah-saritam—the celestial water of the Ganges; yatra—where; mitra-sutah—the son of Mitra-; munih—sage.
TRANSLATION
After passing a few days on the bank of the River Yamuna, Vidura, the self-realized soul, reached the bank of the Ganges, where the great sage Maitreya was situated.