Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
like Yidura specially in his dealing with the beloved Pandavas it was almost
impossible to disclose unpalatable piece of news like the annihilation of the
Yadu dynasty. Therefore purposely he refrained from it.
Kanchit kalam atha abatsit satkrito devabat sukham
Bhratur jyesthasya sreyaskrit sarvesam sukham abahan.
Kanchit--for a few days, Kalam--time, Atha--thus, Abatsit--resided, Satkritobeing
well treated, Devavat--just like a godly personality, Sukham--amenities,
Bhratur--of the brother, Jyesthasya--of the elder brother, Sreyaskrit--for doing
good to him, Sarvesam--all others, Sukham--happiness, Abahan--made it
possible.
Thus Mahatma Vidura being well treated by his kinsmen just like a godly
person, he remained there for a certain period just for the sake of
rectifying the mentality of his eldest brother and by the way happiness
was invited for all others.
Saintly person like Vidura must be treated well as much as a denizen from the
heaven is received. In those days denizens of heavenly planets used to visit
the home like that of Maharaj Yudhisthira and sometimes persons like Arjuna
and others also used to visit higher planets. Narada is a spaceman who can
travel unrestrictedly not only within the material universes but also he can
travel in the spiritual universes. Even Narada also used to visit the palace of
Maharaj Yudhisthira and what to speak of other celestial demigods. It depends
only on spiritual culture of the people concerned that makes it possible
interplanetary travel even by presont body. Maharaj Yudhisthira therefore
recived Vidura in the manner of reception offered to the demigods.
Mahatma Vidura had already adopted the renounced order of life and
therefore he did not return to his paternal palace for enjoying some material
comforts. He accepted out of his own mercy what was offered to him by
Maharaj Yudhisthira but purpose of living in the palace was to deliver his too
much materially attached elder brother Dhritarastra. Dhritarastra lost all his
state and descendants in the fight with Maharaj Yudhisthira and still due to his
sense of helplessness he did not feel ashamed to accept charity and hospitality
of Maharaj Yudhisthira. From the part of Maharaj Yudhisthir it was quite in
order to maintain his uncle in a befitting manner, but acceptance of such
magnanimons hospitality by Dhritarastra was not at all desirable. He accepted
it because he thought it there was no other alternative. Vidura particularly
came to enlighten Dhritarastra from his inferior complex and to give him a lift
to the higher status of spiritual cognition. It is the duty of enlightened souls to
deliver the fallen ones and Vidura came there from that point of view. But
talks of spiritual enlightenment is so much refreshing that while instructing
Dhritarastra Vidura attracted the attention of all the members of the family
and all of them took pleasure to hear him patiently. This is the way of spiritual
realisation. The message shall be given an attentive aural reception and being
spoken by a realised soul it will act on the dormant heart of the conditioned
soul. And a continuous practice of such bonafide aural reception will raise the
hearer to the perfect stage of self-realisation.
Avibhrad aryama dandam yathabat agharkishu
Yavat dadhana sudratwam sapadvarsa satam yamah.
Avibhrad--administered, Aryama--of the name, Dandam--punishment,
Yathabat--as it was suitable, Agharkishu--unto the persons who committed
sins, Yava--as long as, Dadhana--accepted, Sudratwam--the tabernacle of a
Sudra, Sapad--as the result of curse, Varsasatam--for one hundred years,
Yamah--of the name.
As long as Vidura played the part of so called Sudra being cursed by
Manduk Muni (see page 750) Aryama officiated the post of Yamaraj to
punish those who committed sinful acts.
Vidura born in the womb of a Sudra woman was forbidden even to be a party
of royal heritage along with his brothers Dhritarastra and Pandu and then how
could he occupy the post of a preacher to instruct such learned kings and
Kshatriyas like Dhritarastra and Maharaj Yudhisthira. There may be a
question like this. The first answer is that even though it is accepted that he
was Sudra by birth but because he renounced the world for being spiritually
enlightened by such authority like Rishi Moitreya and he was thoroughly
educated by him in the transcedental knowledge, he was quite competent to
occupy the post of an Acharya or spiritual preceptor. According to Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu any one who is conversant in the transcendental
knowledge or the science of Godhead may he be a Brahmin, or a Sudra, a
householder or a Sanyasi, is elligible to become a spiritual master. Even in the
ordinary moral codes (as it is said by Canakya Pandit the great politician and
moralist) there in no harm to take lessons from a person who may be by birth
less than a Sudra. This is one part of the answer. The other answer is Vidura
was not actually Sudra. He was to play the part of a so called Sudra for one
hundred years being cursed by Manduk Muni. He was the incarnation of
Yamaraj one of the twelve Mahajans on the level of such exhalted
personalities as Brahma, Narada, Shiva, Kapila, Bhisma, Prahlada etc. Being a
Mahajan it is the duty of Yamaraj to preach the cult of devotion to the people
of the world as Narada, Brahma and other Mahajans do it. But Yamaraja is
always busy in his plutonic kingdom for punishing the doers of sinful acts.
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Yamaraja is deputed by the Lord in a particular planet some lacs of miles
away from the planet of earth to take away the corrupted souls after death and
convict them in accordance with their respective sinful activities. As such
Yamaraja has very little time to take leave from his respomsible office of
punishing the wrongdoers. The number of wrongdoers is more than that of
righteous men. Therefore, Yamaraja has to do more work than other demigods
authorised agents of the Supreme Lord. But he wanted to preach the glories of
the Lord and therefore by the will of the Lord he got cursed by Manduk Muni
to take a chance of coming over the world in the incarnation of Vidura and
worked very hard as a great devotee. Such devotee is neither a Sudra nor a
Brahmin. They are transcendental to such divisions of the mundane society as
much as the Personality of Godhead assumes His incarnation like a hog but he
is neither a hog nor a Brahma. He is above all mundane creatures. The Lord
and His different authorised devotees sometimes have to play the role of many
lower creatures for claiming the conditioned souls but both the Lord and His
pure devotees are always in the transcendental position. When Yamaraj thus
incarnated himelf as Vidura his post was officiated by acting Aryama one of
the many sons of Kasyapa and Aditi. The Adityas are sons of Aditi and there
are twelve Adityas. Aryama is one of the twelve Adityas and therefore it was
quite possible for him to take charge of the office of Yamaraj during his one
hundred years of absence in the form of Vidura. The conclusion is that Vidura
was never a Sudra but he was more than the most purest type of a Brahmin.
Yudhisthira labdharajyo dristwa poutram kulandharam
Bhratrivir lokapalabhair mumude paraya shriya.
Yudhisthira--the king of the Name, Labdharajyo--being possessed of his
paternal kingdom, Dristwa--by seeing, Poutram--the grandson, Kulandharam-
-just apt to the dynasty, Bhratrivir--by the brothers, Lokapalabhair--who were
all expert administrators, Mumude--enjoyed life, Paraya--uncommon, Shriyaopulence.
Maharaj Yudhisthir after achieving his kingdom and having observed
the existence of one grandsom just competent to continue the noble
tradition of his family, reigned peacefully to enjoy uncommon opulence in
co-operation with his younger brothers each of whom was all perfect
administrators for the mass of population.
Both Maharaj Yudhisthira and Arjuna were unhappy from the beginning of
the battle of Kurukshetra but even they were unwilling to kill their own men
in the fight, the thing had to be done as a matter of duty and as it was planned
by the Supreme Will of Lord Sri Krishna. After the battle also specially
Maharaj Yudhisthir was unhappy for such mass-killing of human being and
animals and practically there were none to continue the Kuru dynasty after
them, the Pandavas The only remaining hope about the child in the womb of
his daughter-in-law, Uttara was also attacked by Aswtthama but by the Grace
of the Lord the child was saved. So after settlement of all disturbing
conditions and re-establishment of peaceful order of the state and seeing the
surviving child Parikshit well satisfied Maharaj felt some relief as human
being although he had very little attraction for material happiness which is
always illusory and temporary.
Ebam grihesu saktanam pramattanam tadihaya
Atyakramad avijnatah kalah parama dustarah.
Ebam--thus, Grihesu--in the matter of family affairs, Saktanam--of person too
much attached, Pramattanam--insanely attached, Tadihaya--engrossed by such
thoughts, Atyakramad--surpassed, Avijnatah--eternal time, Kalah--eternal
time, Parama--supremely, Dustarah--insurmountable.
Thus the insurmountable eternal time imperceptibly surpasses persons
who are insanely too much attached in the matter of family affairs, for
their being so engrossed in the thought.
Family satisfaction that, I am now happy, I have got everything in order, my
bank balance is quite enough, I can give my children now enough estate I am
now successful, the poor beggar Sannyasins depend on God but come to beg
from me; therefore, I am more than the Supreme God (?) etc are some of the
thoughts which engross the insanely attached householder who is blind to see
the passing away of eternal time imperceptibly. Our duration of life is
measured and no body is able to enhance it even by a second against the
scheduled time ordained by the Supreme Will. Such valuable time specially
for the human being should be cautiously spent because even a second passed
away imperceptibly cannot be replaced even in exchange of crores of golden
coins amassed by hard labour of life. Every second of human life is meant for
a making an ultimate solution of the problems of life i.e. repetition of birth
and death and revolving in the cycle of 84 lacs of different species of life. The
material body which is subject to birth and death, diseases and old age, is the
cause of all sufferings of the living being; otherwise the living being is
eternal: he is never born nor dies ever. Foolish person forgets this problem of
life or does not know at all how to solve the problems of life but becomes
engrossed in the temporary family affairs without knowing it that the eternal
time is passing away imperceptibly and his measured duration of life is
diminishing every second without any solution of the big problem namely
repetition of birth and death, diseases and oldage. This is called illusion.