Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.13.1 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Feb 8, 2025
ŚB 1.13.1
सूत उवाच
विदुरस्तीर्थयात्रायां मैत्रेयादात्मनो गतिम् ।
ज्ञात्वागाद्धास्तिनपुरं तयावाप्तविवित्सित: ॥ १ ॥
sūta uvāca
viduras irtha-yātrāyāṁ
maitreyād ātmano gatim
jñātvāgād dhāstinapuraṁ
tayāvāpta-vivitsitaḥ
Synonyms
sūtaḥ uvāca — Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said; viduraḥ — Vidura; tīrtha–yātrāyām — while traveling to different places of pilgrimage; maitreyāt — from the great sage Maitreya; ātmanaḥ — of the self; gatim — destination; jñātvā — by knowing it; āgāt — went back; hāstinapuram — the city of Hastināpura; tayā — by that knowledge; avāpta — sufficiently a gainer; vivitsitaḥ — being well versed in everything knowable.
Translation
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: While traveling on a pilgrimage, Vidura received knowledge of the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and then returned to Hastināpura. He became as well versed in the subject as he desired.
Purport
Vidura: One of the prominent figures in the history of the Mahābhārata. He was conceived by Vyāsadeva in the womb of the maidservant of Ambikā, mother of Mahārāja Pāṇḍu. He is the incarnation of Yamarāja. Being cursed by Maṇḍūka Muni, he was to become a śūdra. The story is narrated as follows:
Once upon a time the state police caught some thieves who had concealed themselves in the hermitage of Maṇḍūka Muni. The police constables, as usual, arrested all the thieves and Maṇḍūka Muni along with them. The magistrate specifically punished the muni to death by being pierced with a lance. When he was just to be pierced, the news reached the king, and he at once stopped the act on consideration of his being a great muni. The king personally begged the muni’s pardon for the mistake of his men, and the saint at once went to Yamarāja, who prescribes the destiny of the living beings. Yamarāja, being questioned by the muni, replied that the muni in his childhood pierced an ant with a sharpened straw, and for that reason he was put into difficulty. The muni thought it unwise on the part of Yamarāja that he was punished for his childish innocence, and thus the muni cursed Yamarāja to become a śūdra, and this śūdra incarnation of Yamarāja was known as Vidura, the śūdra brother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Mahārāja Pāṇḍu. But this śūdra son of the Kuru dynasty was equally treated by Bhīṣmadeva, along with his other nephews, and in due course Vidura was married with a girl who was also born in the womb of a śūdrāṇī by a brāhmaṇa. Although Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of Bhīṣmadeva), still he was given sufficient state property by Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the elder brother of Vidura. Vidura was very much attached to his elder brother, and all along he tried to guide him on the right path. During the fratricidal war of Kurukṣetra, Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice to the sons of Pāṇḍu, but Duryodhana did not like such interference by his uncle, and thus he practically insulted Vidura. This resulted in Vidura’s leaving home for pilgrimage and taking instructions from Maitreya.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So, here we have a summary of Vidura’s history. So Vidura was actually a great devotee. Also, he was an incarnation of Yamarāja. And Yamarāja is a great devotee. However, Vidura’s history is a little different because he was actually cursed by a sage as Yamarāja, and then he became born of a Sūḍra woman. Of course, in theory, we say that we don’t judge a person by his birth, but his qualities, still we see in those times of Mahabharata, they took birth into consideration. So, in qualities, he was the greatest devotee, and thus the most respectable person. But because of his birth from a Sūḍra woman, then somehow that respect was, let’s say, not complete. And that gave opportunity for Duryodhana and others to criticize him.
Of course, Krishna himself greatly honoured Vidura. The Pandavas gave great respect to Vidura. So, he was recognized as a great devotee of Krishna. But because of the society at that time, he was also disrespected. And so his miserable condition of being born from a Sūḍra woman was a result of a curse by a sage. So, the result of curses is that you have to suffer.
So, Nārada Muni cursed the two brothers, the sons of Kuvera, and they became trees [Laughs]. But we know that that curse also was a blessing, because after they became trees, they got the association of Krishna. So, the same in this case, though born from a Sūḍra woman, he got disrespected. Still, he was very fortunate to have the association of great devotees like the Pandavas and also get the association of Krishna. Thus, these curses had two different results. So, Vidura, because he was insulted by Duryodhana, he left the palace. And the reason for the insult, of course, was that Vidura was trying to give good advice. So, Dhrtarashtra didn’t listen, Duryodhana didn’t listen. And Duryodhana insulted him, so therefore he left the palace and went on pilgrimage.
While he was on pilgrimage, he met Maitreya. And later on, we’ll see in the Bhagavatam, third canto, there’s the whole description of their conversation. Ultimately, of course, Vidura was a greater devotee than Maitreya. But Maitreya had the opportunity to hear the last instructions of Krishna, etc. So, Maitreya taught Vidura, even though Vidura really didn’t need teaching. And then he returned to Hastinapur.
So, all of this is a preparation for another topic that will be described in the Bhagavatam, the first canto. So, this ultimately introduces the subject of the disappearance of Krishna, disappearance of the Pandavas, and then who was left? Pariksit [Laughs]. Already, there’s been a description of Vyasadeva and a description of Sukadeva Goswami. And then the last chapter was a description of the birth of Pariksit, after his attempt on his life by the Brahmastra, etc. And then finally, Sukadeva Goswami meets Pariksit. And that meeting produces Srimad Bhagavatam.
So, the whole of the first canto ultimately is simply to introduce the characters to begin recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam [Laughs]. So, technically, Srimad Bhagavatam will start in the second canto. That is where Sukadeva begin speaking to Pariksit. So, we can also say, well, ultimately, Bhagavatam should not have twelve cantos, it should have ten and a half[Laughs], maybe, eleven cantos, because the first canto is not Bhagavatam [Laughs ]. In spite of the fact that the first canto is not spoken by Sukadeva to Pariksit, therefore it’s not the Bhagavatam in that sense, it has been traditionally accepted as the first part of the Bhagavatam, and therefore we study it. One reason is that it contains very essential philosophical points.
Of course, in the first canto, we get ultimately ‘kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam’ [SB_1.3.28]. We also get the idea that Supreme Lord has three aspects, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan [SB_1.2.11]. We also get a description of the process of Bhakti from Shraddha to Prema in the story of Narada Muni [SB_1.6]. So, many of the basic ideas that will be presented later by Sukadeva are also summarized in the first canto.
We see here that this knowledge, Vidura got the knowledge from Maitreya. Similarly, Pariksit got knowledge from Sukadeva Goswami. Similarly, we get the sage of Naimisaranya getting the topic from Suta Goswami. So the idea here is that the knowledge is passed on from one devotee to another devotee. And this is the traditional system. Of course, we can extend that further and we have a whole line of teachers teaching. Which we call Parampara. So, this is how the knowledge is transmitted. So, in this way, we can trace a lineage, a Parampara through Siksha. And we see that Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, he traced our Parampara through a Siksha line. One reason, of course, is that the Siksha is very important, because it gives us knowledge of Bhagavatam.
The other way of tracing a Parampara is through Diksha. What is the difference? So we are not really tracing Siksha in Diksa parampara, we are teaching who gave you the deity mantras, that’s all. And some people, they prefer to trace their Diksha line. Of course, we see that Caitanya Mahaprabhu took Diksha, he got mantra, and Nityānanda got mantra, etc, Advaita Acharya had mantra etc, so they all took Diksha.
And after that, the process of Diksha continued. And in fact, it became maybe over-emphasized. And the main way you would trace the line is by the Diksha line. So, people would trace their lineage through Janava, Nityānanda, or through Advaita Acharya, or through some other Srinivasa Acharya. In this way it was Diksha, the mantra, who gave the mantra. So, mantra is useful for deity worship, and for meditation. However, instead of deity worship, we have Nama Sankirtana in Kali Yuga, that’s the Yuga Dharma. Its also the best meditation. And it doesn’t require Diksha.
So, though the Diksha line was emphasized, nevertheless, the real process for spiritual advancement is Nama Sankirtana, which doesn’t require Diksha, or anything. It doesn’t even require a parampara [Laughs], even the Siksha parampara, it doesn’t require. However, for chanting the name to get Prema, we do need knowledge. And therefore, the Siksha parampara becomes important. And for that reason, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur traced our line through Siksha, rather than Diksha. He also did not avoid Diksha. He took Diksha, he gave Diksha. But he also said, one who takes shelter of the holy name is superior to one who takes shelter of the mantras [Laughs] – Diksha mantras [Laughs]. I think at one place he says, Diksha is for people who do not have full faith in Nama Sankirtana [Laughs].
So, in any case, we don’t need Diksha for chanting the holy name, but we do need knowledge, and therefore we still trace a parampara of Siksha. So, the knowledge is there in the scriptures. Of course, in ancient times, the scriptures were not much available to the common people. So, their main process of learning was hearing. But there were no tape recordings, there were no other types of things. They had to hear directly from a person [Laughs].
But, hearing directly from a person had a great advantage. If you hear indirectly, there is all possibility of misunderstanding or you distort the teaching. If you hear directly, you will get thorough knowledge. And, the speaker will also inspect and see if you are qualified to receive the knowledge and pass it on. So, in this way, there was some guarantee that the teaching would be passed on authentically. So, that is the importance of having a Siksha line of teaching.
So, Vidura took the teachings from Maitreya, and then he was fully satisfied, and then he returned to Hastinapura and, he was qualified to teach. So, who did he teach? He taught Dhrtarashtra. Dhrtarashtra was the one who wouldn’t accept his teachings [Laughs]. But, Vidura was very, very merciful, and still he tried to save him. So, this shows the great compassion of Vidura. And, later on, we see that he succeeded. Dhrtarashtra finally understood what he was teaching. So, he was not only merciful, but his teaching had a very great effect.
Hare Krishna.
Q&A
1) Hare Krishna, Maharaj. We see in the third canto, in the beginning, when Vidura also heard Bhagavatam from Maitreya, and Maitreya has given the summary, it’s given in the third canto, first part. So, is it the same Bhagavatam what we are hearing or not? What Vidura heard from Maitreya?
Well, everything that is written in the Bhagavatam, we consider Bhagavatam. So, it’s not changed in any way. So, whatever Maitreya spoke to Vidura, that’s part of Bhagavatam itself, and it was spoken by Sukadeva to Parikshit. There are a few places where Suta Goswami speaks a little bit, but most of it is not him. Most of it, is the conversation between Sukadeva and Parikshit. And then within that, we get other histories.
2) What Maitreya was telling to this Vidura, that parampara was a little bit different., that Shankarsana, that parampara, you know that? It’s not the same parampara than Sukadeva and Parikshit.
So, there are different lines of teaching that come down, but some are more prominent than the others. So, he does mention this other line, but we don’t have any details of who taught who, and what they taught.
3) If we accept that Srimad Bhagavatam is eternal, and 18,000 verses, which is mentioned in different Puranas also, that means, if Vidura heard it from Maitreya, or you know Parikshit heard it from Sukadeva Goswami, that means, their name is also included there.
So, name, name, like Parikshit, Sukadeva, and Maitreya. Because if we accept this Bhagavatam is eternal, 18,000 verses, so their name is also there. So, that means, what do you think that time when their name comes? This is a question for many people.
In one sense, all scripture is eternal, because it’s spiritual, and everything spiritual is eternal. But, we also say, the Shrutis, or the Vedas, are more eternal. The actual sounds and syllables never change.
Whereas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Smritis, they are composed within the day of Brahma, by different sages, and they may change in every day of Brahma, slightly. But, ultimately, teaching is same as Vedas, in that sense, it’s eternal.
So, in every Bhagavatam, in every day of Brahma, Krishna will be there. It’s not going to be different [Laughs]. Krishna will be there. And most of the same personalities will be there. There will be some changes also, a few changes. But, the teaching will remain the same.
4) Hare Krishna. Maharaj, we see, like, some of our Acharyas, they had their Ishtadev. Some had Kurmadev, Narsinghadev. They are teaching philosophy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu – Krishna, but they have their Ishtadev.
So, how to understand, just like common man, they have their Kuladevata. So, is it like, this is their Kuladevata, Ishtadev? And in that case, they worship them and they teach about Krishna. So, what is their final object of meditation in that case?
They could be family deities or they could be an object of worship given by a Guru.
And in many cases, that becomes their main object of worship. But, if they happen to change, they become devotees of Lord Caitanya, then they may change their ultimate deity [Laughs].
5) Thank you, Maharaj. Maharaj. This is related to Siksha and Diksha. We hear from scriptures, we hear from all the Acharyas, that if a person wants to take some teachings, so he takes Siksha from other, and then he has to take permission from Diksha Guru.
However, sometime one may actually approach and he may not get the permission. I mean to say, the person tries his best, but he doesn’t get some or other. So, what the person does in that case? Should he continue praying to the Lord multiple times or should he go to that Guru again and again and humbly request or serve? What should be the approach?
So, this is a rule mentioned in the Krishna Bhajanamrta.
And the purpose of that rule is to guarantee that any Siksha that you take is authorized in the proper Sampradaya. In other words, what he teaches should not be in contradiction to what the Diksha Guru is teaching. So, this was quite important in ancient times, because they didn’t have so much communications. But they didn’t have so much information available.
Of course, if the person is qualified, if the person is in the proper Sampradaya, etc., there should be no objection from a Diksha Guru. So, we have to see the particular case why the Diksha Guru is refusing.
Devotee: Maharaj, in that case, suppose the Diksha Guru later on passes away. So, can this disciple go to the Siksha Guru and take teachings because the Diksha Guru has anyway passed away now?
Well, it’s not only ISKCON, it’s around the world [Laughs]. Everybody passes away ultimately.
Devotee: So, in that case, you can go to the Siksha Guru and take the teachings?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah, well, you can go before then also.
Devotee: But that person is not somehow getting the permission.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Oh, I see. He doesn’t get permission. Well, I don’t know. As I said, we have to see the particular condition. But usually, within ISKCON, all the devotees are teaching the same thing. So, there’s no reason to refuse.
6) Hare Krishna Maharaj, you mentioned that we see that all knowledge is present in scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam.
But you mentioned that personally the disciple has to learn from the Guru. The Guru will teach the disciple personally. But now in current generation and future generations, all the disciples may not have direct contact with great Acharyas like Prabhupada or great Acharyas. So, in that case, even though they are sincerely trying to follow some of them, how they will get the knowledge?
If they don’t have physical contact, how will the knowledge be revealed to them even though they read the scriptures?
So, we have the great authorities or the Acharyas who may not be present now, we have the original scriptures and then we have present devotees who will be Gurus. So, both the present Guru and the previous Acharyas are necessary. So, that’s why I was saying that we have teachings and they go through a person who speaks, a person who receives. And the ability of the person who speaks is there. He can judge the level of understanding of the person who receives. And he can make sure that the person has the proper understanding.
Of course, the Acharyas and Srila Prabhupada have written so many explanations. It looks like, well, it’s all explained already. There’s nothing to imagine or speculate on. But in spite of that, still people speculate. They read one thing, they come up with a completely different idea [Laughs]. Or they take an idea from one place, they don’t see some other idea in some other place. So, they don’t see the total. So, one who has greater experience through studying scripture, then he will be able to advise what is the conclusion.
7) Pure devotees are equal in both honour and dishonour being the case how do we understand Vidura leaving the palace when Dhuryodhana disrespected him?
So, that is one quality of a devotee, not only of a devotee, even of a Jnani or a Yogi. Another quality of a devotee is he does what is favorable for his devotional service and he avoids what is unfavorable. So, he found that situation unfavorable and going on pilgrimage was more favorable. So, that’s what he did.
8) In the previous Yugas, whether we had the other four Sampradayas, these bona fide Sampradayas, whether they were present in the previous Yugas?
In one sense, they are all eternal and they all have eternal founders like Lakshmi or the Kumaras, etc. So, in that sense, they are always present. But they may not manifest the particular teachings and particularly now we see that these Sampradayas have become active in presenting the teachings in Kali Yuga. So, we see that of course Supreme Lord teaches Brahma and Brahma teaches Narada Muni maybe at the beginning of Brahma’s life [Laughs], whatever like that. So it’s going on. But as far as we’re concerned, the actual teachings are coming out much, much later than that, particularly with Pariksit receiving from Sukhadev and after that.
9) Out of those four, which were Diksha Parampara and which were Siksha Parampara?
I can’t really speak for the other Sampradayas but they do have Diksha lines and usually it looks like they’re tracing their lines through a Diksha, though it’s different from our Diksha.
Of course, a little difference is that we have emphasis on Nama Sankirtan and those Sampradayas don’t.
10) We get knowledge from a person who is more advanced than us. But here, we see that Vidura is getting knowledge from Maitreya Maharishi. So how do we understand this?
Of course, to get knowledge from any source, if it is genuine knowledge, there’s no problem for that.
But the other point was that Maitreya was actually senior. He was a disciple of Vyasadeva. So because of seniority, then Vidura took teachings from him.
11) How to understand that Vidura teaching to Dhrtarashtra doesn’t come under Nama aparadha, preaching to faithless?
Well, because he was a step-brother, then he felt duty bound to give him good instructions.
Many of these instructions, of course, were, we can say, political instructions. And his instruction was that you should not persecute the Pandavas. Here, in this chapter, then he instructs Dhrtarashtra on spiritual matters.
Previously, Dhrtarashtra was not really qualified, and he wouldn’t listen. But now he had lost everything, and he had no sons, he had no family, nothing, and he was simply sitting there. So, in a miserable position, he became more qualified to hear the instructions.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham Ki Jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki Jai!!!