Vidura - The Moral Compass and Inquisitive Sage

This article presents a thematic survey of Vidura's instructions, inquiries, and statements. It organizes the profound teachings found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Vidura.

Vidura is an incarnation of Yamarāja, the lord of death and justice, who was cursed to take birth as a śūdra in the womb of a maidservant. Despite his social status, he was equal in wisdom to Bhīṣma and was the only member of the Kuru assembly who consistently stood for dharma against the atrocities of Duryodhana. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vidura plays two distinct roles: the detached instructor who saves Dhṛtarāṣṭra from illusion, and the humble student who hears the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Maitreya Ṛṣi on the bank of the Ganges. His conversation with Maitreya forms the bulk of the Third and Fourth Cantos, elucidating the science of creation and the pastimes of the Lord.

Instructions to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Vidura-nīti)

Upon returning from his pilgrimage, Vidura finds his blind brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra living comfortably under the protection of the Pāṇḍavas, the very nephews he had tried to destroy. Vidura preaches a blistering message of detachment, urging the old King to break the shackles of family affection and retire to the forest to prepare for death.

Reality of Old Age and Dependence

Vidura ruthlessly exposes the degradation of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's situation to smash his false prestige. He points out that living on the charity of those one has wronged is shameful for a kṣatriya, comparing such a dependent existence to that of a household dog waiting for scraps from its master.

  • "Vidura said to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: You have been blind from your very birth, and recently you have become hard of hearing. Your memory is shortened, and your intelligence is disturbed. Your teeth are loose, your liver is defective, and you are coughing up mucus."
  • "Alas, how powerful are the hopes of a living being to continue his life. Verily, you (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) are living just like a household dog and are eating remnants of food given by Bhīma."
  • "There is no need to live a degraded life and subsist on the charity of those whom you tried to kill by arson and poisoning. You (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) also insulted one of their wives and usurped their kingdom and wealth."
  • "Despite your (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) unwillingness to die and your desire to live even at the cost of honor and prestige, your miserly body will certainly dwindle and deteriorate like an old garment."
  • "Vidura said: Your (Dhṛtarāṣṭra's) father, brother, well-wishers and sons are all dead and passed away. You yourself have expended the major portion of your life, your body is now overtaken by invalidity, and you are living in the home of another."

A Call to Renunciation

Vidura urges his brother to leave immediately for the North (the Himalayas) before the force of time overcomes him completely. He defines a first-class man not as one who clings to family life until the end, but as one who awakens to the misery of material existence and voluntarily leaves home to depend fully on the Supreme Lord.

  • "Mahātmā Vidura knew all this, and therefore he addressed Dhṛtarāṣṭra, saying: My dear King, please get out of here immediately. Do not delay. Just see how fear has overtaken you."
  • "This frightful situation cannot be remedied by any person in this material world. My lord, it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal time (kāla) that has approached us all."
  • "Whoever is under the influence of supreme kāla (eternal time) must surrender his most dear life, and what to speak of other things, such as wealth, honor, children, land and home."
  • "He is certainly a first-class man who awakens and understands, either by himself or from others, the falsity and misery of this material world and thus leaves home and depends fully on the Personality of Godhead residing within his heart."
  • "Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men."
  • "One is called undisturbed who goes to an unknown, remote place and, freed from all obligations, quits his material body when it has become useless."

Chastisement of Envy

Vidura identifies Dhṛtarāṣṭra's deep-rooted attachment to his envious son Duryodhana as the cause of his spiritual blindness. He warns that maintaining a non-devotee brings inauspiciousness to the entire family and that one must reject even a son if he is an enemy of the Supreme Lord.

  • "You are devoid of all auspicious qualities because you are thus maintaining a nondevotee of Kṛṣṇa. Relieve yourself of this ill fortune as soon as possible and do good to the whole family."
  • "You are maintaining offense personified, Duryodhana, as your infallible son, but he is envious of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And because you are thus maintaining a nondevotee of Kṛṣṇa, you are devoid of all auspicious qualities."
  • "O gentle one, I simply lament for he (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) who rebelled against his brother after death. By him I was driven out of my own house, although I am his sincere well-wisher, because he accepted the line of action adopted by his own sons."
  • "Vidura said: You (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) must now return the legitimate share to Yudhiṣṭhira, who has no enemies and who has been forbearing through untold sufferings due to your offenses."
  • "Vidura said: He (Yudhiṣṭhira) is waiting with his younger brothers, among whom is the revengeful Bhīma, breathing heavily like a snake. Surely you (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) are afraid of him."

Meeting with Uddhava and Maitreya

After leaving the palace, Vidura travels as a pilgrim to purify himself. At Prabhaṣa, he meets Uddhava and hears of the destruction of the Yadu dynasty, after which he proceeds to the bank of the Ganges to meet Maitreya Ṛṣi, seeking solace and transcendental knowledge.

Inquiries to Uddhava

Vidura asks Uddhava about the welfare of Kṛṣṇa and the members of the Yadu dynasty. His questions reveal his deep affection for the Lord's family and his confidential knowledge of their divine identities as eternal associates of the Lord.

  • "Please tell me whether the original Personalities of God, who incarnated Themselves at the request of Brahmā (who is born out of the lotus flower) who increased the prosperity of the world by elevating everyone, are doing well in the house of Śūrasena."
  • "Please tell me whether the best friend of the Kurus, our brother-in-law Vasudeva, is doing well. He is very munificent. He is like a father to his sisters, and he is always pleasing to his wives."
  • "O Uddhava, please tell me (Vidura) how is Pradyumna, the commander-in-chief of the Yadus, who was Cupid in a former life? Rukmiṇī bore him as her son from Lord Kṛṣṇa, by the grace of brāhmaṇas whom she pleased."
  • "He (Sāmba) exactly resembles the son of the Personality of Godhead. In a previous birth he was born as Kārttikeya in the womb of the wife of Lord Śiva, and now he has been born in the womb of Jāmbavatī, the most enriched wife of Kṛṣṇa."
  • "May I (Vidura) inquire whether Aniruddha is doing well? He is the fulfiller of all the desires of the pure devotees and has been considered from yore to be the cause of the Ṛg Veda, the creator of the mind and the fourth Plenary expansion of Viṣṇu."
  • "Please tell me whether Akrūra, the son of Śvaphalka, is doing well. He is a faultless soul surrendered unto the Personality of Godhead."
  • "O Uddhava, does Yuyudhāna fare well? He learned the intricacies of the military art from Arjuna and attained the transcendental destination which is very difficult to reach even for great renouncers."

Approaching Maitreya

Vidura approaches Maitreya Ṛṣi with humility, declaring himself a distressed soul seeking the shelter of a spiritual master to cut the knot of attachment. He asks Maitreya to instruct him on the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, knowing that such topics are the only remedy for material suffering.

  • "Vidura said: O powerful sage, my lord, all my doubts about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities have now been removed by your convincing words. My mind is now perfectly entering into them."
  • "O great and learned one (Maitreya), my mind is greatly illusioned by the distress of this nescience, and I (Vidura) therefore request you to clear it up."
  • "My dear sage (Maitreya), I (Vidura) have put all these questions before you with a view to knowing the pastimes of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are the friend of all, so kindly describe them for all those who have lost their vision."
  • "O spotless one (Maitreya), your answers to all these questions will grant immunity from all material miseries. Such charity is greater than all Vedic charities, sacrifices, penances, etc."
  • "O best among the brāhmaṇas (Maitreya), those who are spiritual masters are very kind to the needy. They are always kind to their followers, disciples and sons, and without being asked by them, the spiritual master describes all that is knowledge."
  • "O great sage (Maitreya), please give me (Vidura) instruction on the transcendental devotional service of the Lord."

Inquiries on Creation (Cosmology)

Vidura asks detailed questions about the process of creation (sarga) and secondary creation (visarga). He wants to understand how the Supreme Lord, who is purely spiritual, interacts with the material modes to manifest the universe, the elements, and the various species of life.

Process of Creation

Vidura inquires about the manifestation of the mahat-tattva, the virāṭ-rūpa, and the specific engineering of the planetary systems. He asks Maitreya to explain the science of how the Lord expands into the universal form and maintains the cosmic order.

  • "O learned sage (Maitreya), your explanations are very good, as they should be. Disturbances to the conditioned soul have no other basis than the movement of the external energy of the Lord."
  • "O sage, kindly narrate how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the independent, desireless Lord of the three worlds the controller of all energies, accepts incarnations creates the cosmic manifestation with perfectly arranged regulative principles for its maintenance."
  • "O chief amongst the brāhmaṇas (Maitreya Ṛṣi), please also describe how Nārāyaṇa, the creator of the universe and the self-sufficient Lord, has differently created the natures, activities, forms, features and names of the different living creatures."
  • "O great brāhmaṇa, you (Maitreya) have told me (Vidura) that the gigantic virāṭ form His senses, sense objects ten kinds of life air exist with 3 kinds of life vigor. Now, if you will, kindly explain to me the different powers of the specific divisions."
  • "Please also describe the incarnations of the material modes of nature - Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara - and please describe the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His magnanimous activities."
  • "Please also explain the regulations for offering respects to the forefathers, the creation of the Pitṛloka, the time schedule in the planets, stars and luminaries, and their respective situations."
  • "O son of Mitra, kindly describe how the planets are situated above the earth as well as underneath it, and also please mention their measurement as well as that of the earthly planets."

Activities of the Prajāpatis

Vidura asks about the progenitors of mankind, specifically the lineage of Svāyambhuva Manu and the Pracetās, seeking to understand how the population of the universe was generated. He is interested in how these great kings balanced their administrative duties with their spiritual perfection.

  • "Vidura inquired: How did the Prajāpatis (such progenitors of living entities as Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu) create according to the instruction of Brahmā, and how did they evolve this manifested universe?"
  • "Did they evolve the creation in conjunction with their respective wives, did they remain independent in their action, or did they all jointly produce it?"
  • "Vidura said: Since you know of matters inconceivable to us, tell me, O holy sage, what did Brahmā do to create living beings after evolving the Prajāpatis, the progenitors of living beings?"
  • "O learned brāhmaṇa (Maitreya), please describe how the leader of all the demigods, namely Prajāpati, Brahmā, decided to establish the various Manus, the heads of the ages. Please describe the Manus also, and please describe the descendants of those Manus."
  • "O holy sage (Maitreya), tell me how the worshipful Ruci and Dakṣa, the son of Brahmā, generated children after securing as their wives the other two daughters of Svāyambhuva Manu."
  • "Sri Vidura said: O great sage, please let me know how Brahmā, the grandfather of the planetary inhabitants, created the bodies of the living entities from his own body and mind after the disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The Nature of the Soul and Time

Vidura poses fundamental theological questions about the nature of the living entity. He is perplexed as to why the soul, who is qualitatively one with the Lord, suffers in the material world, and he inquires about the force of Time which controls everything.

Suffering of the Soul

Vidura asks why the living entity engages in nescience and suffers, despite the presence of the Supersoul within the heart. He seeks to resolve the seeming contradiction between the Lord's all-pervading presence and the living entity's experience of misfortune.

  • "Sri Vidura said: O great brāhmaṇa, since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the complete spiritual whole and is unchangeable, how is He connected with the material modes of nature and their activities?"
  • "The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes. How then does he become engaged in nescience?"
  • "The Lord, as the Supersoul, is situated in every living being's heart. Why then do the living entities' activities result in misfortune and misery?"
  • "Vidura said: O great sage (Maitreya Ṛṣi), everyone in this world engages in fruitive activities to attain happiness, but one finds neither satiation nor the mitigation of distress."
  • "On the contrary, one is only aggravated by such activities. Please, therefore, give us directions on how one should live for real happiness."

The Force of Eternal Time (Kāla)

Vidura asks for a detailed description of eternal time, understanding it to be a form of the Supreme Lord that drives the cosmic manifestation. He wants to know how time influences the living entities and how the universe is periodically dissolved.

  • "Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O my lord, O greatly learned sage, kindly describe eternal time, which is another form of the Supreme Lord, the wonderful actor. What are the symptoms of that eternal time? Please describe them to us in detail."
  • "O spiritually powerful one, you can understand the movements of eternal time, which is the controlling form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because you are a self-realized person, you can see everything by the power of mystic vision."
  • "Now kindly inform me of the durations of life of those greatly learned living entities who are beyond the range of a kalpa."
  • "Please describe how many dissolutions there are for the elements of material nature and who survives after the dissolutions to serve the Lord while He is asleep."

Inquiries on Specific Incarnations

Vidura expresses an insatiable thirst to hear about the Lord's incarnations. He specifically asks about the Lord's appearance as Varāha (the Boar), Kapila, and the interactions of great devotees like King Pṛthu and the Pracetās with the Lord.

Lord Varāha

Vidura asks about the battle between Lord Varāha and the demon Hiraṇyākṣa, eager to hear how the Lord protected the earth.

  • "What was the reason, O brāhmaṇa, for the fight between the demon king and Lord Boar while the Lord was lifting the earth as His pastime?"
  • "Sri Vidura said: O chief amongst the great sages, I have heard by disciplic succession that Hiraṇyākṣa, the original demon, was slain by the same form of sacrifices, the Personality of Godhead (Lord Boar)."

Lord Kapila and Devahūti

Vidura inquires about the Sāṅkhya philosophy taught by Lord Kapila to His mother Devahūti, wishing to understand the path of self-realization.

  • "O holy brāhmaṇa, O sinless one, you have spoken of his daughter, known by the name Devahūti, as the wife of the sage Kardama, the lord of created beings."
  • "How many offspring did that great yogī beget through the princess, who was endowed with eightfold perfection in the yoga principles? Oh, pray tell me this, for I am eager to hear it."
  • "O great brāhmaṇa, how did Nārada Muni glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and what pastimes were described in that meeting? I (Vidura) am very eager to hear of them. Kindly explain fully about that glorification of the Lord."

King Pṛthu

Vidura is eager to hear about King Pṛthu, who milked the earth and established organized civilization, regarding him as a powerful śaktyāveśa-avatāra.

  • "The great saintly King, Mahārāja Pṛthu, received knowledge from Sanat-kumāra, who was the greatest Vedic scholar. After receiving knowledge to be applied practically in his life, how did the saintly King attain his desired destination?"
  • "Vidura said: My dear brāhmaṇa Maitreya, it is very enlightening to understand that King Pṛthu was enthroned by the great sages and brāhmaṇas."
  • "Vidura inquired from the great sage Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, since mother earth can appear in different shapes, why did she take the shape of a cow? And when King Pṛthu milked her, who became the calf, and what was the milking pot?"
  • "Prthu Mahārāja was a powerful incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa's potencies; consequently any narration concerning his activities is surely very pleasing to hear, and it produces all good fortune."
  • "As far as I am concerned, I am always your devotee as well as a devotee of the Lord, who is known as Adhokṣaja. Please therefore narrate all the stories of King Pṛthu, who, in the form of the son of King Vena, milked the cow-shaped earth."
  • "The surface of the earth is by nature low in some places and high in others. How did King Pṛthu level the surface of the earth, and why did the King of heaven, Indra, steal the horse meant for the sacrifice?"

The Pracetās and Lord Śiva

Vidura asks about the meeting between the Pracetās and Lord Śiva, seeking to understand how the great demigod instructed the princes in prayers to Lord Viṣṇu.

  • "Vidura asked Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, why did the Pracetās meet Lord Śiva on the way? Please tell me how the meeting happened, how Lord Śiva became very pleased with them and how he instructed them."
  • "My dear Bārhaspatya, what did the sons of King Barhiṣat, known as the Pracetās, obtain after meeting Lord Śiva, who is very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the bestower of liberation?"
  • "Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O brāhmaṇa, you formerly spoke about the sons of Prācīnabarhi and informed me that they satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead by chanting a song composed by Lord Śiva. What did they achieve in this way?"
  • "Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O greatly advanced devotee, who were the Pracetās? To which family did they belong? Whose sons were they, and where did they perform the great sacrifices?"

Hunger for Hari-kathā

Vidura repeatedly emphasizes that the ultimate goal of all questions is to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He rejects dry topics of sociology or politics in favor of the nectar of the Lord's incarnations, declaring that such topics are the only medicine for material existence.

Essence of All Topics

Vidura implores Maitreya to focus on the Lord's activities, as these alone bring satisfaction to the heart and cut the bondage of family affection.

  • "O Maitreya, O friend of the distressed, the glories of the Supreme Lord can alone do good for people all over the world. Therefore, just as bees collect honey from flowers, kindly describe the essence of all topics - the topics of the Lord."
  • "Who in human society can be satisfied without hearing sufficient talk of the Lord, whose lotus feet are the sum total of all places of pilgrimage and who is worshiped by great sages and devotees?"
  • "Our minds are never satisfied completely, although we continuously hear of His transcendental activities."
  • "The whole idea is to draw the attention of the mass of people to kṛṣṇa-kathā (Bhagavad-gītā) through their strong affinity for hearing mundane topics."
  • "For one who is anxious to engage constantly in hearing such topics, kṛṣṇa-kathā gradually increases his indifference towards all other things."
  • "Such topics can cut off one's bondage to family affection simply by entering the holes of one's ears."

Futility of Other Topics

Vidura pities those who waste their time on useless philosophical speculation or ritualistic ceremonies, missing the nectar of Kṛṣṇa consciousness which is the true purpose of life.

  • "I also pity them because I see how their duration of life is spoiled by eternal time while they involve themselves in presentations of philosophical speculation, theoretical ultimate goals of life, and different modes of ritual."
  • "O sage (Maitreya), persons who because of their sinful activities are averse to the topics of Transcendence and thus ignorant of the purpose of the Mahābhārata (Bhagavad-gītā) are pitied by the pitiable."
  • "I have repeatedly heard about these higher and lower statuses of human society from the mouth of Vyāsadeva, I am quite satiated with all these lesser subject matters and their happiness. They have not satisfied me with the nectar of topics about Kṛṣṇa."

Social Philosophy and Dharma

Vidura inquires about the structure of society (varṇāśrama), the duties of kings, and the principles of religion. He seeks to understand how the different orders of life are designed to satisfy the Supreme Lord and how a king should govern according to dharma.

Varṇāśrama and Duty

Vidura asks for a description of the divisions of society and the characteristics of civilized human life, wanting to know the specific duties that lead to spiritual elevation.

  • "Kindly describe the divisions and orders of human society in terms of symptoms, behavior and the characteristics of mental equilibrium and sense control. Also please describe the births of the great sages and the categorical divisions of the Vedas."
  • "Please also describe the expansions of different sacrifices and the paths of mystic powers, analytical study of knowledge, and devotional service, all with their respective regulations."
  • "O sinless one (Maitreya Ṛṣi), because the Personality of Godhead, the controller of all living entities, is the father of all religion and all those who are candidates for religious activities, kindly describe how He can be completely satisfied."
  • "You (Maitreya) may also describe the noncontradictory causes of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification salvation and also the different means of livelihood and different processes of law and order as mentioned in the revealed scriptures."

Value of Holy Places and Sādhus

Vidura reveals that the true purpose of pilgrimage is not merely to bathe in water, but to seek out pure devotees who carry the Lord in their hearts and can purify others by their association.

  • "O my lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord."
  • "Persons who hear from a spiritual master with great labor and for a long time must hear from the mouths of pure devotees about the character and activities of pure devotees."
  • "Pure devotees always think within their hearts of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, who awards His devotees liberation."
  • "Spotless devotees of the Lord have mentioned the source of such knowledge. How could one have knowledge of devotional service and detachment without the help of such devotees?"
  • "Persons whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees who are progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikuṇṭhas."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Vidura. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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