Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

THIRTEENTH CHAPTER
Dhritarastra Quits Home
(Continued from Page 748 of the First Part)
Sri Suta uvacha
Vidura tirthayatrayam maitreyad atmane gatim
Jnatwaagat hastinapuram taya abapta vividsitah.
Sri Suta uvacha—Sri Suta Goswami said, Vidura—of the name,
Tirthayatrayam—while travelling at different pilgrimages, Maitreyad—from
the great sage Maitreya, Atmane—of the self, Gati—destination, Jnatwa—by
knowing it, Agat—went back, Hastinapuram—the city of Hastinapura,
Taya—by that knowledge, Abapta—sufficiently gainer, Vivitsitah—being
well versed in every thing knowable.
Sri Suta Goswami said that Vidura while travelling in the pilgrimages
received knowledge about the destination of the self from the great sage
Maitreya and thus came back to Hastinapur. He became well-versed in
the subject as fully as he wanted to have it.
Vidurah: is one of the prominent figure in the history of Mahabharat. He is
born by Vyasdeva in the womb of the maid servant of Ambika mother of
Maharaj Pandu. He is the incarnation of Yamaraj and being cursed by
Manduk Muni was to become a Sudra the less intelligent class of men in the
society. The story is narrated as follows. Once upon a time the state police
caught hold of some thieves who kept concealed themselves in the hermitage
of Manduk Muni. The police constables as usual arrested all the thieves as
also Manduk Muni along with them. The Magistrate specifically punished the
Muni to death being pierced by the lance. When he was just to be pierced the
news reached the king and he at once stopped the act on consideration of his
becoming a great Muni The king personally, begged his pardon for the
mistake of his men and the saint at once went to Yamaraj who prescribes the
destiny of the living being. Yamaraj being enquired by the Muni replied that
the Muni in his childhood pierced an ant by sharpen straw and for that reason
he was put into difficulty. The Muni thought it unwise on the part of
Yamaraja that he punished the Muni for his childish innocence and thus the
Muni cursed Yamaraj to become a Sudra and this Sudra incarnation of Yamraj
was known as Vidura the Sudra brother of Dhritarastra and Maharaj Pandu.
But this Sudra son of the Kuru dynasty was equally treated by Bhismadeva
along with his other nephews and in due course Vidura was married with a
girl who was also born in the womb of a Sudrani by a Brahmin. Although
Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of Bhismadeva)
still he was given sufficient state property by Dhritarstra the elder brother of
Vidura. Vidura was very much attached to his elder brother and all along he
tried to guide him in the right path. During fratricidal war of Kuruksherta,
Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice to the sons of Pandu
but Duryodhone did not like such interference by his uncle and thus Vidura
was practically insulted by his nephew Duryodhone which incidence resulted
in Vidura's leaving the home for pilgrimage and taking instructions from
Maitreya.
Yavatah kritavan prasnan kshatta kousharava agratah
Jata eka bhaktir govinde tebhyas cha upararama ha.
Yavatah—all that, Kritavan—did he put, Prasnan—questionaires, Kshatta—
the name of Vidur, Kaousharava—the name of Maitreya, Agratah—in the
presence of, Jata—having grown up, Eka—one Bhakti—transcendental loving
service, Govinde—unto Lord Krishna, Tebhyas—in the matter of further
questionaires, Upararama— retired from, ha—in the past.
Vidura did retire from putting qtestionaires before Maitreya Muni after
his enquiry by various questionaires and being fixed up in the
transcendental loving service unto Lord Sri Krishna.
Vidura retired from putting questionaires before Maitreya Muni when he was
convinced by Maitreya Rishi that Summum Bonum gain of life is to be finally
situated in the transcendental loving service of Lord Sri Krishna who is
Govinda or One who satisfies His devotees in all respects. The conditioned
soul or living being in material existence seeks after happiness of life by
employing his senses on the modes of material products but that cannot give
him satisfaction. He then searches after the supreme truth by emperic
philosophical speculative method by intellectual feats. But if he does not find
out the ultimate goal he again goes down to material activities and engages
himself in various philanthrophic and altruistic activities which also fail to
give him satisfaction, so neither fruitive activities nor dry philosophical
speculation can give one satisfaction: because by nature a living being is
eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and all the Vedic literatures
give him direction towards that ultimate end. The Bhagwat Geeta confirms
this statement (Bg. 15.15).
Like Vidura an inquisitive conditioned soul must approach a bonafide
spiritual master like Maitreya and by intelligent enquiries must try to know
everything about Karma (fruitive activities) Jnana (philosophical researches in
the matter of Supreme truth) Yoga (the linking process of spiritual
realisation). One who is not seriously inclined to put questionaires before a
spiritual master, need not accommodate a showbottle spiritual master neither a
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person, who may be the spiritual master for others, may pose to be so if he is
unable to engage his disciple ultimately in the transcendental loving service of
Lord Sri Krishna. Vidura was successful in the matter of approaching a
spiritual master like Maitreya and he got the ultimate goal of life Bhakti unto
Govinda and thus there was nothing to be known further in the matter of
spiritual progress of life.
Tam bandhum agatam dristwa dharmaputra sahanujah
Dhritarastra yuyutsus cha sutah saradvatah pritha (3)
Gandhari droupadi brahman subhadra cha uttara kripi
Anyas cha jamayah pandor jnatayoh sasutah striyah. (4)
Tam—him, Bandhum—relative. Agatam—having arrived there, Dristwa—by
seeing it, Dharmaputra—Yudhisthir, Sahanujah—along with his younger
brothers, Dhritarastra—of the name, yuyutsu—Satyaki, Cha—and, Sutah—
Sanjaya, Saradvatah—Kripacharya, Pritha—Kunti, Gandhari—of the name,
Droupadi—of the name, Brahman—oh the brahmins, Subhadra—of the name,
Cha—and, Uttara—of the name, Kripi—of the name, Anyas—others, Cha—
and, Jamayah— wives of other family members, Pandor—of the Pandavas,
Jnatayah—family members, Sasutah—along with their sons, Striyah—the
Ladies.
When they saw him (Vidura) come back again in the palace all the
inmates, Maharaj Yudhisthir along with younger brothers, Dhritarastra,
Satyaki, Sanjaya, Kripacharya, Kunti, Gandhari, Droupadi, Subhadra,
Uttara, Kripi, and many others who were wives of Kauravas and other
ladies with their children all hurriedly went towards him with great
delight and it so appeared that all of them regained consciousness after a
pretty long period.
Gandhari:—The ideal chaste lady in the history of the world. She was the
daughter of Maharaj Subal the king of Gandhar (now Kandahar in Kabul) and
in her maiden state she worshipped Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is worshipped
generally by the Hindu maidens for achieving good husband. Gandhari
satisfied Lord Shiva and by his benediction for obtaining one hundred sons,
she was bethrothed to Dhritarastra inspite of his becoming blind for ever.
When Gandhari came to know that her would-be-husband was a blindman,
she just to follow her life companion, decided to become voluntarily blind and
wrapped up her eyes with manyfold silk linen, and later she was married to
Dhritarastra under the guidance of her elder brother Sakuni. She was most
beautiful girl of her time and she was equally qualified by her womanly
qualities which endeared every member of the Kaurava court. But inspite of
her all good qualities she had the natural frailties of an woman and she was
envious of Kunti when the latter gave birth to a male child. Both the queens
were pregnant but Kunti first gave birth to a male child. And thus she became
angry and gave a blow on her abdomen. As a result of this she gave birth to a
lump of flesh only but as she was a devotee of Vyasdeva so by instruction of
Vyasdeva the lump became divided into one hundred parts and each part
gradually developed to become each a male child. Thus her ambition to
become the mother of one hundred sons was fulfilled and she began to
nourish all the children according to her exhalted position. When the intrigue
of the battlefield of Kurukshetra was going on she was not in favour fighting
with the Pandavas rather she blaimed Dhritarastra her husband for intriguing
such fratricidal war. She desired that the state may be divided into two parts,
for the sons of the Pandu and her own. She was too much affected when all
her sons died in the battle of Kurukshetra and she wanted to curse Bhimasena
and Yudhisthir but she was checked by Vyasdeva. Her pitious mourning over
the death of Duryodhone and Duhsasan before lord Krishna is very much
appealing and Lord Krishna pacified her by transcendental messages She was
equally agrieved on the death of Karna and she described before Lord Krishna
about the lamentation of Karna's wife. She was pacified by Srila Vyasdeva
when he showed her dead sons then promoted to the heavenly Kingdoms. She
died along with her husband in the jungles in the Himalaya near the mouth of
the Ganges; she burnt in the forest fire. Maharaj Yudhisthir performed death
ceremony of his uncle and aunt.
Pritha: Daughter of Maharaj Surasen and sister of Vasudeva Lord Krishan's
father. Later she was adopted by Maharaj Kuntibhoja and thence she is known
as Kunti. She is the incarnation of the Success Potency of the Personality of
Godhead. The heavenly denizens from the upper planets used to visit the
palace of the king Kuntibhoja and Kunti was engaged for their reception She
also served the great mystic sage Durbasa and being satisfied by her faithful
service Durbasa Muni gave her one chanting hymn by which it was possible
for her to call for any one of the demigods as she pleased. As a matter of
inquisitiveness she at once called for the Sun-god who desired couplement
with her which she declined. But the Sun-god assured her immunity from
virgin adulteration and she agreed to his proposal. As result of this
couplement she became pregnant and Karna was born by her. By the grace of
the sun she again turned to become a virgin girl but being afraid of her parents
she quited the newly born child Karna. After that when she actually selected
her own husband she preferred Pandu to be her husband. Maharaj Pandu later
on wanted to retire from family life and adopt the renounced order of life.
Kunti refused to allow her husband to adopt such life but at last Maharaj
Pandu gave her permission to become mother of sons by calling some other