Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Four
Vidura Approaches Maitreya
SB3.4.1
TEXT 1
uddhava uvāca
atha te tad-anujñātā
bhuktvā pītvā ca vāruṇīm
tayā vibhraṁśita-jñānā
duruktair marma paspṛśuḥ
SYNONYMS
uddhavaḥ uvāca—Uddhava said; atha—thereafter; te—they (the Yādavas); tat—by the brāhmaṇas; anujñātāḥ—being permitted; bhuktvā—after partaking; pītvā—drinking; ca—and; vāruṇīm—liquor; tayā—by that; vibhraṁśita-jñānāḥ—being bereft of knowledge; duruktaiḥ—with harsh words; marma—the core of the heart; paspṛśuḥ—touched.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, all of them [the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja], being permitted by the brāhmaṇas, partook of the remnants of prasāda 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 brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are sumptuously fed, the host partakes of the remnants of foodstuff after the guest has given permission. So the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja formally took permission from the brāhmaṇas and ate the prepared foodstuff. Kṣatriyas 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 Vṛṣṇi 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.
SB3.4.2 TEXT 2 teṣāṁ maireya-doṣeṇa viṣamīkṛta-cetasām nimlocati ravāv āsīd veṇūnām iva mardanam SYNONYMS teṣām—of them; maireya—of intoxication; doṣeṇa—by the faults; viṣamīkṛta—became unbalanced; cetasām—of those of whom the minds; nimlocati—sets; ravau—the sun; āsīt—takes place; veṇūnām—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-anujñāta.
SB3.4.3 TEXT 3 bhagavān svātma-māyāyā gatiṁ tām avalokya saḥ sarasvatīm upaspṛśya vṛkṣa-mūlam upāviśat SYNONYMS bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; sva-ātma-māyāyāḥ—by His internal potency; gatim—the end; tām—that; avalokya—foreseeing; saḥ—He (Kṛṣṇa); sarasvatīm—the River Sarasvatī; upaspṛśya—after sipping water; vṛkṣa-mūlam—at the foot of a tree; upāviśat—sat down.
TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, after foreseeing the end [of His family] by His internal potency, went to the bank of the River Sarasvatī, 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 (svātma-māyāyāḥ). The Lord’s family members were either incarnations of His plenary expansions or demigods from the heavenly planets, 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 Prabhāsa, 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 anujñāta, 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. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments on these incidents as magical performances.
SB3.4.4 TEXT 4 ahaṁ cokto bhagavatā prapannārti-hareṇa ha badarīṁ tvaṁ prayāhīti sva-kulaṁ sañjihīrṣuṇā SYNONYMS aham—I; ca—and; uktaḥ—was told; bhagavatā—by the Supreme Lord; prapanna—of the surrendered; ārti-hareṇa—by He who is the vanquisher of the distresses; ha—indeed; badarīm—to Badarī; tvam—you; prayāhi—should go; iti—thus; sva-kulam—His own family; sañjihīrṣuṇā—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 Badarikāśrama. PURPORT While at Dvārakā, 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 Badarikāśrama because there he could associate with the devotees of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and in their association of devotional service he could increase his eagerness for chanting, hearing, knowledge and detachment.
SB3.4.5 TEXT 5 tathāpi tad-abhipretaṁ jānann aham arindama pṛṣṭhato ’nvagamaṁ bhartuḥ pāda-viśleṣaṇākṣamaḥ SYNONYMS tathā api—yet, in spite of; tat-abhipretam—His desire; jānan—knowing; aham—I; arim-dama—O subduer of the enemy (Vidura); pṛṣṭhataḥ—behind; anvagamam—followed; bhartuḥ—of the master; pāda-viśleṣaṇa—separation from His lotus feet; akṣamaḥ—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. SB3.4.6 TEXT 6 adrākṣam ekam āsīnaṁ vicinvan dayitaṁ patim śrī-niketaṁ sarasvatyāṁ kṛta-ketam aketanam SYNONYMS adrākṣam—I saw; ekam—alone; āsīnam—sitting; vicinvan—deeply thinking; dayitam—patron; patim—master; śrī-niketam—the shelter of the goddess of fortune; sarasvatyām—on the bank of the Sarasvatī; kṛta-ketam—taking shelter; aketanam—being situated without a shelter.
TRANSLATION Thus following, I saw my patron and master [Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa] sitting alone and deeply thinking, taking shelter on the bank of the River Sarasvatī 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.
SB3.4.7 TEXT 7 śyāmāvadātaṁ virajaṁ praśāntāruṇa-locanam dorbhiś caturbhir viditaṁ pīta-kauśāmbareṇa ca SYNONYMS śyāma-avadātam—beautiful with black color; virajam—formed of pure goodness; praśānta—peaceful; aruṇa—reddish; locanam—eyes; dorbhiḥ—by the arms; caturbhiḥ—four; viditam—being recognized; pīta—yellow; kauśa—silken; ambareṇa—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. SB3.4.8 TEXT 8 vāma ūrāv adhiśritya dakṣiṇāṅghri-saroruham apāśritārbhakāśvattham akṛśaṁ tyakta-pippalam SYNONYMS vāme—on the left; ūrau—thigh; adhiśritya—placed on; dakṣiṇa-aṅghri-saroruham—the right lotus foot; apāśrita—taking rest against; arbhaka—young; aśvattham—banyan tree; akṛśam—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 Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the Lord’s sitting posture—keeping His back against the newly grown banyan tree—is also meaningful. Aśvattha, 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 planet and sets in another simultaneously but does not change its own situation.
SB3.4.9 TEXT 9 tasmin mahā-bhāgavato dvaipāyana-suhṛt-sakhā lokān anucaran siddha āsasāda yadṛcchayā SYNONYMS tasmin—then; mahā-bhāgavataḥ—a great devotee of the Lord; dvaipāyana—of Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa; suhṛt—a well-wisher; sakhā—a friend; lokān—the three worlds; anucaran—traveling; siddhe—in that āśrama; āsasāda—arrived; yadṛcchayā—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 Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, reached that spot out of his own perfect accord. PURPORT Maitreya was one of the disciples of Maharṣi Parāśara, the father of Vyāsadeva. Thus Vyāsadeva and Maitreya were friends and mutual well-wishers. By some fortunate accident, Maitreya reached the place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa 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 ajñāta-sukṛti, 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.
SB3.4.10 TEXT 10 tasyānuraktasya muner mukundaḥ pramoda-bhāvānata-kandharasya āśṛṇvato mām anurāga-hāsa- samīkṣayā viśramayann uvāca SYNONYMS tasya—his (Maitreya’s); anuraktasya—although attached; muneḥ—of the sage; mukundaḥ—the Lord who awards salvation; pramoda-bhāva—in a pleasing attitude; ānata—lowered; kandharasya—of the shoulder; āśṛṇvataḥ—while thus hearing; mām—unto me; anurāga-hāsa—with kind smiling; samīkṣayā—particularly seeing me; viśra-mayan—allowing me complete rest; uvāca—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 jñāna-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 gopīs in Vṛndāvana were neither highly learned scholars nor mystic yogīs. They had spontaneous love for the Lord, and thus He became their heart and soul, and the gopīs also became the heart and soul of the Lord. Lord Caitanya approved the relationship of the gopīs with the Lord as supreme. Herein the Lord’s attitude towards Uddhava was more intimate than with Maitreya Muni.
SB3.4.11 TEXT 11 śrī-bhagavān uvāca vedāham antar manasīpsitaṁ te dadāmi yat tad duravāpam anyaiḥ satre purā viśva-sṛjāṁ vasūnāṁ mat-siddhi-kāmena vaso tvayeṣṭaḥ SYNONYMS śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead said; veda—know; aham—I; antaḥ—within; manasi—the mind; īpsitam—what you desired; te—your; dadāmi—I give you; yat—which is; tat—that; duravāpam—very difficult to achieve; anyaiḥ—by others; satre—in the sacrifice; purā—in the days of yore; viśva-sṛjām—of those who expanded this creation; vasūnām—of the Vasus; mat-siddhi-kāmena—with a desire to achieve My association; vaso—O Vasu; tvayā—by you; iṣṭaḥ—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 planetary 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 Paramātmā, 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-gītā confirms this fact in various ways: ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (Bg. 4.11), sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ 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.
SB3.4.12 TEXT 12 sa eṣa sādho caramo bhavānām āsāditas te mad-anugraho yat yan māṁ nṛlokān raha utsṛjantaṁ diṣṭyā dadṛśvān viśadānuvṛttyā SYNONYMS saḥ—that; eṣaḥ—of those; sādho—O honest one; caramaḥ—the ultimate; bhavānām—of all your incarnations (as Vasu); āsāditaḥ—now achieved; te—unto you; mat—My; anugrahaḥ—mercy; yat—as it is; yat—because; mām—Me; nṛ-lokān—the planets of the conditioned souls; rahaḥ—in seclusion; utsṛjantam—while quitting; diṣṭyā—by seeing; dadṛśvān—what you have seen; viśada-anuvṛttyā—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, Vaikuṇṭha, 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 Vaikuṇṭha planets 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 Vaikuṇṭha. 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 Vaikuṇṭha and everywhere within and without Vaikuṇṭha.
SB3.4.13 TEXT 13 purā mayā proktam ajāya nābhye padme niṣaṇṇāya mamādi-sarge jñānaṁ paraṁ man-mahimāvabhāsaṁ yat sūrayo bhāgavataṁ vadanti SYNONYMS purā—in the days of yore; mayā—by Me; proktam—was said; ajāya—unto Brahmā; nābhye—out of the navel; padme—on the lotus; niṣaṇṇāya—unto the one situated on; mama—My; ādi-sarge—in the beginning of creation; jñānam—knowledge; param—sublime; mat-mahimā—My transcendental glories; avabhāsam—that which clarifies; yat—which; sūrayaḥ—the great learned sages; bhāgavatam—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; vadanti—do say.
TRANSLATION O Uddhava, in the lotus millennium in the days of yore, at the beginning of the creation, I spoke unto Brahmā, who is situated on the lotus that grows out of My navel, about My transcendental glories, which the great sages describe as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. PURPORT The explanation of the Supreme Self, as given to Brahmā and already explained in the Second Canto of this great literature, is further clarified herein. The Lord said that the concise form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as explained to Brahmā was meant to elucidate His personality. The impersonal explanation of those four verses in the Second Canto is nullified herewith. Śrīdhara Svāmī also explains in this connection that the same concise form of the Bhāgavatam concerned the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and was never meant for impersonal indulgence.
SB3.4.14 TEXT 14 ity ādṛtoktaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ pratikṣaṇānugraha-bhājano ’ham snehottha-romā skhalitākṣaras taṁ muñcañ chucaḥ prāñjalir ābabhāṣe SYNONYMS iti—thus; ādṛta—being favored; uktaḥ—addressed; paramasya—of the Supreme; puṁsaḥ—Personality of Godhead; pratikṣaṇa—every moment; anugraha-bhājanaḥ—object of favor; aham—myself; sneha—affection; uttha—eruption; romā—hairs on the body; skhalita—slackened; akṣaraḥ—of the eyes; tam—that; muñcan—smearing; śucaḥ—tears; prāñjaliḥ—with folded hands; ābabhāṣe—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. SB3.4.15 TEXT 15 ko nv īśa te pāda-saroja-bhājāṁ sudurlabho ’rtheṣu caturṣv apīha tathāpi nāhaṁ pravṛṇomi bhūman bhavat-padāmbhoja-niṣevaṇotsukaḥ SYNONYMS kaḥ nu īśa—O my Lord; te—Your; pāda-saroja-bhājām—of the devotees engaged in the transcendental loving service of Your lotus feet; su-durlabhaḥ—very difficult to obtain; artheṣu—in the matter of; caturṣu—in the four objectives; api—in spite of; iha—in this world; tathā api—yet; na—do not; aham—I; pravṛṇomi—prefer; bhūman—O great one; bhavat—Your; pada-ambhoja—lotus feet; niṣevaṇa-utsukaḥ—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 Vaikuṇṭha planets achieve all the bodily features of the Lord and appear to be the same as Lord Viṣṇu. Such liberation is called sārūpya-mukti, which is one of the five kinds of liberation. The devotees engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord never accept the sāyujya-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 planets. 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.
SB3.4.16 TEXT 16 karmāṇy anīhasya bhavo ’bhavasya te durgāśrayo ’thāri-bhayāt palāyanam kālātmano yat pramadā-yutāśramaḥ svātman-rateḥ khidyati dhīr vidām iha SYNONYMS karmāṇi—activities; anīhasya—of one who has no desire; bhavaḥ—birth; abhavasya—of one who is never born; te—your; durga-āśrayaḥ—taking shelter of the fort; atha—thereafter; ari-bhayāt—out of fear of the enemies; palāyanam—flee; kāla-ātmanaḥ—of He who is the controller of eternal time; yat—that; pramadā-āyuta—in the association of women; āśramaḥ—household life; sva-ātman—in Your own Self; rateḥ—one who enjoys; khidyati—is disturbed; dhīḥ—intelligence; vidām—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 Devakī? He is fearful even to kāla, the supreme fear, and yet the Lord is afraid of fighting Jarāsandha 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-gītā (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 Bhīṣmadeva (Bhāg. 1.9.16) as follows:
na hy asya karhicid rājan SB3.4.17 TEXT 17 mantreṣu māṁ vā upahūya yat tvam akuṇṭhitākhaṇḍa-sadātma-bodhaḥ pṛccheḥ prabho mugdha ivāpramattas tan no mano mohayatīva deva SYNONYMS mantreṣu—in consultations; mām—unto me; vai—as either; upahūya—by calling; yat—as much as; tvam—Your Lordship; akuṇṭhita—without hesitation; akhaṇḍa—without being separated; sadā—eternally; ātma—self; bodhaḥ—intelligent; pṛccheḥ—asked; prabho—O my Lord; mugdhaḥ—bewildered; iva—as if it were so; apramattaḥ—although never bewildered; tat—that; naḥ—our; manaḥ—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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Jarāsandha and others and when He executed great sacrifices as part of His routine royal work as Lord of Dvārakā. 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.
SB3.4.18 TEXT 18 jñānaṁ paraṁ svātma-rahaḥ-prakāśaṁ provāca kasmai bhagavān samagram api kṣamaṁ no grahaṇāya bhartar vadāñjasā yad vṛjinaṁ tarema SYNONYMS jñānam—knowledge; param—supreme; sva-ātma—own self; rahaḥ—mystery; prakāśam—enlightening; provāca—said; kasmai—unto Ka (Brahmājī); bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; samagram—in sum total; api—if so; kṣamam—able; naḥ—unto me; grahaṇāya—acceptable; bhartaḥ—O my Lord; vada—say; añjasā—in detail; yat—that which; vṛjinam—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 Brahmājī. 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 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as previously instructed to Brahmājī.
SB3.4.19 TEXT 19 ity āvedita-hārdāya mahyaṁ sa bhagavān paraḥ ādideśāravindākṣa ātmanaḥ paramāṁ sthitim SYNONYMS iti āvedita—thus being prayed to by me; hārdāya—from the core of my heart; mahyam—unto me; saḥ—He; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; paraḥ—Supreme; ādideśa—instructed; aravinda-akṣaḥ—the lotus-eyed; ātmanaḥ—of Himself; paramām—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 paramāṁ sthitim are significant in this verse. The Lord’s transcendental situation was not even spoken of to Brahmā when the four verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.33–36) were explained. This transcendental situation comprises His dealings with devotees engaged in transcendental loving service, as exhibited at Dvārakā and Vṛndāvana. When the Lord explained His specific transcendental situation, it was meant for Uddhava only, and therefore Uddhava particularly said mahyam (“unto me”), 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.
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