Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Thirteen
Dhrtarastra Quits Home
SB1.13.1
TEXT 1
suta uvaca
viduras tirtha-yatrayam
maitreyad atmano gatim
jnatvagad dhastinapuram
tayavapta-vivitsitah
SYNONYMS
sutah uvaca—Sri Suta Gosvami said; vidurah—Vidura; tirtha-yatrayam—while traveling to different places of pilgrimage; maitreyat—from the great sage Maitreya; atmanah—of the self; gatim—destination; jnatva—by knowing it; agat—went back; hastinapuram—the city of Hastinapura; taya—by that knowledge; avapta—sufficiently a gainer; vivitsitah—being well versed in everything knowable.
TRANSLATION
Sri Suta Gosvami said: While traveling on a pilgrimage, Vidura received knowledge of the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and then returned to Hastinapura. He became as well versed in the subject as he desired.
PURPORT
Vidura: One of the prominent figures in the history of the Mahabharata. He was conceived by Vyasadeva in the womb of the maidservant of Ambika, mother of Maharaja Pandu. He is the incarnation of Yamaraja. Being cursed by Manduka Muni, he was to become a sudra. The story is narrated as follows. Once upon a time the state police caught some thieves who had concealed themselves in the hermitage of Manduka Muni. The police constables, as usual, arrested all the thieves and Manduka 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 Yamaraja, who prescribes the destiny of the living beings. Yamaraja, 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 Yamaraja that he was punished for his childish innocence, and thus the muni cursed Yamaraja to become a sudra, and this sudra incarnation of Yamaraja was known as Vidura, the sudra brother of Dhrtarastra and Maharaja 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 brahmana. Although Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of Bhismadeva), still he was given sufficient state property by Dhrtarastra, 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 Kuruksetra, Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice to the sons of Pandu, 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. SB1.13.2 TEXT 2 yavatah krtavan prasnan ksatta kausaravagratah jataika-bhaktir govinde tebhyas copararama ha SYNONYMS yavatah—all that; krtavan—did he put; prasnan—questions; ksatta—a name of Vidura; kausarava—a name of Maitreya; agratah—in the presence of; jata—having grown up; eka—one; bhaktih—transcendental loving service; govinde—unto Lord Krsna; tebhyah—regarding further questions; ca—and; upararama—retired from; ha—in the past. TRANSLATION After asking various questions and becoming established in the transcendental loving service of Lord Krsna, Vidura retired from putting questions to Maitreya Muni. PURPORT Vidura retired from putting questions before Maitreya Muni when he was convinced by Maitreya Rsi that the summum bonum of life is to be finally situated in the transcendental loving service of Lord Sri Krsna, who is Govinda, or one who satisfies His devotees in all respects. The conditioned soul, the living being in material existence, seeks happiness by employing his senses in the modes of materialism, but that cannot give him satisfaction. He then searches after the Supreme Truth by the empiric philosophic speculative method and intellectual feats. But if he does not find the ultimate goal, he again goes down to material activities and engages himself in various philanthropic and altruistic works, which all fail to give him satisfaction. So neither fruitive activities nor dry philosophical speculation can give one satisfaction because by nature a living being is the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, and all the Vedic literatures give him direction towards that ultimate end. The Bhagavad-gita (15.15) confirms this statement. Like Vidura, an inquisitive conditioned soul must approach a bona fide spiritual master like Maitreya and by intelligent inquiries must try to know everything about karma (fruitive activities), jnana (philosophical research for the Supreme Truth) and yoga (the linking process of spiritual realization). One who is not seriously inclined to put questions before a spiritual master need not accommodate a show-bottle spiritual master, nor should a person who may be a spiritual master for others pose to be so if he is unable to engage his disciple ultimately in the transcendental loving service of Lord Sri Krsna. Vidura was successful in approaching such a spiritual master like Maitreya, and he got the ultimate goal of life: bhakti unto Govinda. Thus there was nothing to be known further about spiritual progress. SB1.13.3-4 TEXTS 3–4 tam bandhum agatam drstva dharma-putrah sahanujah dhrtarastro yuyutsus ca sutah saradvatah prtha gandhari draupadi brahman subhadra cottara krpi anyas ca jamayah pandor jnatayah sasutah striyah SYNONYMS tam—him; bandhum—relative; agatam—having arrived there; drstva—by seeing it; dharma-putrah—Yudhisthira; saha-anujah—along with his younger brothers; dhrtarastrah—Dhrtarastra; yuyutsuh—Satyaki; ca—and; sutah—Sanjaya; saradvatah—Krpacarya; prtha—Kunti; gandhari—Gandhari; draupadi—Draupadi; brahman—O brahmanas; subhadra—Subhadra; ca—and; uttara—Uttara; krpi—Krpi; anyah—others; ca—and; jamayah—wives of other family members; pandoh—of the Pandavas; jnatayah—family members; sa-sutah—along with their sons; striyah—the ladies. TRANSLATION When they saw Vidura return to the palace, all the inhabitants—Maharaja Yudhisthira, his younger brothers, Dhrtarastra, Satyaki, Sanjaya, Krpacarya, Kunti, Gandhari, Draupadi, Subhadra, Uttara, Krpi, many other wives of the Kauravas, and other ladies with children—all hurried to him in great delight. It so appeared that they had regained their consciousness after a long period. PURPORT Gandhari: The ideal chaste lady in the history of the world. She was the daughter of Maharaja Subala, the King of Gandhara (now Kandahar in Kabul), and in her maiden state she worshiped Lord Siva. Lord Siva is generally worshiped by Hindu maidens to get a good husband. Gandhari satisfied Lord Siva, and by his benediction to obtain one hundred sons, she was betrothed to Dhrtarastra, despite his being blind forever. When Gandhari came to know that her would-be husband was a blind man, to follow her life companion she decided to become voluntarily blind. So she wrapped up her eyes with many silk linens, and she was married to Dhrtarastra under the guidance of her elder brother Sakuni. She was the most beautiful girl of her time, and she was equally qualified by her womanly qualities, which endeared every member of the Kaurava court. But despite all her good qualities, she had the natural frailties of a 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. Thus Gandhari became angry and gave a blow to her own abdomen. As a result, she gave birth to a lump of flesh only, but since she was a devotee of Vyasadeva, by the instruction of Vyasadeva the lump was divided into one hundred parts, and each part gradually developed to become 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 exalted position. When the intrigue of the Battle of Kuruksetra was going on, she was not in favor of fighting with the Pandavas; rather, she blamed Dhrtarastra, her husband, for such a fratricidal war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of Pandu and her own. She was very affected when all her sons died in the Battle of Kuruksetra, and she wanted to curse Bhimasena and Yudhisthira, but she was checked by Vyasadeva. Her mourning over the death of Duryodhana and Duhsasana before Lord Krsna was very pitiful, and Lord Krsna pacified her by transcendental messages. She was equally aggrieved on the death of Karna, and she described to Lord Krsna the lamentation of Karna’s wife. She was pacified by Srila Vyasadeva when he showed her dead sons, then promoted to the heavenly kingdoms. She died along with her husband in the jungles of the Himalayas near the mouth of the Ganges; she burned in a forest fire. Maharaja Yudhisthira performed the death ceremony of his uncle and aunt. Prtha: Daughter of Maharaja Surasena and sister of Vasudeva, Lord Krsna’s father. Later she was adopted by Maharaja Kuntibhoja, and hence 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 King Kuntibhoja, and Kunti was engaged for their reception. She also served the great mystic sage Durvasa, and being satisfied by her faithful service, Durvasa Muni gave her a mantra by which it was possible for her to call for any demigod she pleased. As a matter of inquisitiveness, she at once called for the sun-god, who desired couplement with her, but she declined. But the sun-god assured her immunity from virgin adulteration, and so she agreed to his proposal. As a result of this couplement, she became pregnant, and Karna was born by her. By the grace of the sun, she again turned into a virgin girl, but being afraid of her parents, she quitted the newly born child, Karna. After that, when she actually selected her own husband, she preferred Pandu to be her husband. Maharaja Pandu later 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 Maharaja Pandu gave her permission to become a mother of sons by calling some other suitable personalities. Kunti did not accept this proposal at first, but when vivid examples were set by Pandu she agreed. Thus by dint of the mantra awarded by Durvasa Muni she called for Dharmaraja, and thus Yudhisthira was born. She called for the demigod Vayu (air), and thus Bhima was born. She called for Indra, the King of heaven, and thus Arjuna was born. The other two sons, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, were begotten by Pandu himself in the womb of Madri. Later on, Maharaja Pandu died at an early age, for which Kunti was so aggrieved that she fainted. Two co-wives, namely Kunti and Madri, decided that Kunti should live for the maintenance of the five minor children, the Pandavas, and Madri should accept the sati rituals by meeting voluntary death along with her husband. This agreement was endorsed by great sages like Satasrnga and others present on the occasion. Later on, when the Pandavas were banished from the kingdom by the intrigues of Duryodhana, Kunti followed her sons, and she equally faced all sorts of difficulties during those days. During the forest life one demon girl, Hidimba, wanted Bhima as her husband. Bhima refused, but when the girl approached Kunti and Yudhisthira, they ordered Bhima to accept her proposal and give her a son. As a result of this combination, Ghatotkaca was born, and he fought very valiantly with his father against the Kauravas. In their forest life they lived with a brahmana family that was in trouble because of one Bakasura demon, and Kunti ordered Bhima to kill the Bakasura to protect the brahmana family against troubles created by the demon. She advised Yudhisthira to start for the Pancaladesa. Draupadi was gained in this Pancaladesa by Arjuna, but by order of Kunti all five of the Pandava brothers became equally the husbands of Pancali, or Draupadi. She was married with five Pandavas in the presence of Vyasadeva. Kuntidevi never forgot her first child, Karna, and after Karna’s death in the Battle of Kuruksetra she lamented and admitted before her other sons that Karna was her eldest son prior to her marriage with Maharaja Pandu. Her prayers for the Lord after the Battle of Kuruksetra, when Lord Krsna was going back home, are excellently explained. Later she went to the forest with Gandhari for severe penance. She used to take meals after each thirty days. She finally sat down in profound meditation and later burned to ashes in a forest fire. Draupadi: The most chaste daughter of Maharaja Drupada and partly an incarnation of goddess Saci, the wife of Indra. Maharaja Drupada performed a great sacrifice under the superintendence of the sage Yaja. By his first offering, Dhrstadyumna was born, and by the second offering, Draupadi was born. She is therefore the sister of Dhrstadyumna, and she is also named Pancali. The five Pandavas married her as a common wife, and each of them begot a son in her. Maharaja Yudhisthira begot a son named Pratibhit, Bhimasena begot a son named Sutasoma, Arjuna begot Srutakirti, Nakula begot Satanika, and Sahadeva begot Srutakarma. She is described as a most beautiful lady, equal to her mother-in-law, Kunti. During her birth there was an aeromessage that she should be called Krsna. The same message also declared that she was born to kill many a ksatriya. By dint of her blessings from Sankara, she was awarded five husbands, equally qualified. When she preferred to select her own husband, princes and kings were invited from all the countries of the world. She was married with the Pandavas during their exile in the forest, but when they went back home Maharaja Drupada gave them immense wealth as a dowry. She was well received by all the daughters-in-law of Dhrtarastra. When she was lost in a gambling game, she was forcibly dragged into the assembly hall, and an attempt was made by Duhsasana to see her naked beauty, even though there were elderly persons like Bhisma and Drona present. She was a great devotee of Lord Krsna, and by her praying, the Lord Himself became an unlimited garment to save her from the insult. A demon of the name Jatasura kidnapped her, but her second husband, Bhimasena, killed the demon and saved her. She saved the Pandavas from the curse of Maharsi Durvasa by the grace of Lord Krsna. When the Pandavas lived incognito in the palace of Virata, Kicaka was attracted by her exquisite beauty, and by arrangement with Bhima the devil was killed and she was saved. She was very much aggrieved when her five sons were killed by Asvatthama. At the last stage, she accompanied her husband Yudhisthira and others and fell on the way. The cause of her falling was explained by Yudhisthira, but when Yudhisthira entered the heavenly planet he saw Draupadi gloriously present there as the goddess of fortune in the heavenly planet. Subhadra: Daughter of Vasudeva and sister of Lord Sri Krsna. She was not only a very dear daughter of Vasudeva, but also a very dear sister to both Krsna and Baladeva. The two brothers and sister are represented in the famous Jagannatha temple of Puri, and the temple is still visited by thousands of pilgrims daily. This temple is in remembrance of the Lord’s visit at Kuruksetra during an occasion of solar eclipse and His subsequent meeting with the residents of Vrndavana. The meeting of Radha and Krsna during this occasion is a very pathetic story, and Lord Sri Caitanya, in the ecstasy of Radharani, always pined for Lord Sri Krsna at Jagannatha Puri. While Arjuna was at Dvaraka, he wanted to have Subhadra as his queen, and he expressed his desire to Lord Krsna. Sri Krsna knew that His elder brother, Lord Baladeva, was arranging her marriage elsewhere, and since He did not dare to go against the arrangement of Baladeva, He advised Arjuna to kidnap Subhadra. So when all of them were on a pleasure trip on the Raivata Hill, Arjuna managed to kidnap Subhadra according to the plan of Sri Krsna. Sri Baladeva was very angry at Arjuna, and He wanted to kill him, but Lord Krsna implored His brother to excuse Arjuna. Then Subhadra was duly married with Arjuna, and Abhimanyu was born of Subhadra. At the premature death of Abhimanyu, Subhadra was very mortified, but on the birth of Pariksit she was happy and solaced. SB1.13.5 TEXT 5 pratyujjagmuh praharsena pranam tanva ivagatam abhisangamya vidhivat parisvangabhivadanaih SYNONYMS prati—towards; ujjagmuh—went; praharsena—with great delight; pranam—life; tanvah—of the body; iva—like; agatam—returned; abhisangamya—approaching; vidhi-vat—in due form; parisvanga—embracing; abhivadanaih—by obeisances. TRANSLATION With great delight they all approached him, as if life had returned to their bodies. They exchanged obeisances and welcomed each other with embraces. PURPORT In the absence of consciousness, the limbs of the body remain inactive. But when consciousness returns, the limbs and senses become active, and existence itself becomes delightful. Vidura was so dear to the members of the Kaurava family that his long absence from the palace was comparable to inactivity. All of them were feeling acute separation from Vidura, and therefore his return to the palace was joyful for all. SB1.13.6 TEXT 6 mumucuh prema-baspaugham virahautkanthya-katarah raja tam arhayam cakre krtasana-parigraham SYNONYMS mumucuh—emanated; prema—affectionate; baspa-ogham—emotional tears; viraha—separation; autkanthya—anxiousness; katarah—being aggrieved; raja—King Yudhisthira; tam—unto him (Vidura); arhayam cakre—offered; krta—performance of; asana—sitting accommodations; parigraham—arrangement of. TRANSLATION Due to anxieties and long separation, they all cried out of affection. King Yudhisthira then arranged to offer sitting accommodations and a reception. SB1.13.7 TEXT 7 tam bhuktavantam visrantam asinam sukham asane prasrayavanato raja praha tesam ca srnvatam SYNONYMS tam—him (Vidura); bhuktavantam—after feeding him sumptuously; visrantam—and having taken rest; asinam—being seated; sukham asane—on a comfortable seat; prasraya-avanatah—naturally very gentle and meek; raja—King Yudhisthira; praha—began to speak; tesam ca—and by them; srnvatam—being heard. TRANSLATION After Vidura ate sumptuously and took sufficient rest, he was comfortably seated. Then the King began to speak to him, and all who were present there listened. PURPORT King Yudhisthira was expert in reception also, even in the case of his family members. Vidura was well received by all the family members by exchange of embraces and obeisances. After that, bathing and arrangements for a sumptuous dinner were made, and then he was given sufficient rest. After finishing his rest, he was offered a comfortable place to sit, and then the King began to talk about all happenings, both family and otherwise. That is the proper way to receive a beloved friend, or even an enemy. According to Indian moral codes, even an enemy received at home should be so well received that he will not feel any fearful situation. An enemy is always afraid of his enemy, but this should not be so when he is received at home by his enemy. This means that a person, when received at home, should be treated as a relative, so what to speak of a family member like Vidura, who was a well-wisher for all the members of the family. Thus Yudhisthira Maharaja began to speak in the presence of all the other members. SB1.13.8 TEXT 8 yudhisthira uvaca api smaratha no yusmat- paksa-cchaya-samedhitan vipad-ganad visagnyader mocita yat samatrkah SYNONYMS yudhisthirah uvaca—Maharaja Yudhisthira said; api—whether; smaratha—you remember; nah—us; yusmat—from you; paksa—partiality towards us like the wings of a bird; chaya—protection; samedhitan—we who were brought up by you; vipat-ganat—from various types of calamities; visa—by administration of poison; agni-adeh—by setting on fire; mocitah—released from; yat—what you have done; sa—along with; matrkah—our mother. TRANSLATION Maharaja Yudhisthira said: My uncle, do you remember how you always protected us, along with our mother, from all sorts of calamities? Your partiality, like the wings of a bird, saved us from poisoning and arson. PURPORT Due to Pandu’s death at an early age, his minor children and widow were the object of special care by all the elderly members of the family, especially Bhismadeva and Mahatma Vidura. Vidura was more or less partial to the Pandavas due to their political position. Although Dhrtarastra was equally careful for the minor children of Maharaja Pandu, he was one of the intriguing parties who wanted to wash away the descendants of Pandu and replace them by raising his own sons to become the rulers of the kingdom. Mahatma Vidura could follow this intrigue of Dhrtarastra and company, and therefore, even though he was a faithful servitor of his eldest brother, Dhrtarastra, he did not like his political ambition for the sake of his own sons. He was therefore very careful about the protection of the Pandavas and their widow mother. Thus he was, so to speak, partial to the Pandavas, preferring them to the sons of Dhrtarastra, although both of them were equally affectionate in his ordinary eyes. He was equally affectionate to both the camps of nephews in the sense that he always chastised Duryodhana for his intriguing policy against his cousins. He always criticized his elder brother for his policy of encouragement to his sons, and at the same time he was always alert in giving special protection to the Pandavas. All these different activities of Vidura within the palace politics made him well-known as partial to the Pandavas. Maharaja Yudhisthira has referred to the past history of Vidura before his going away from home for a prolonged pilgrim’s journey. Maharaja Yudhisthira reminded him that he was equally kind and partial to his grown-up nephews, even after the Battle of Kuruksetra, a great family disaster. Before the Battle of Kuruksetra, Dhrtarastra’s policy was peaceful annihilation of his nephews, and therefore he ordered Purocana to build a house at Varanavata, and when the building was finished Dhrtarastra desired that his brother’s family live there for some time. When the Pandavas were going there in the presence of all the members of the royal family, Vidura tactfully gave instructions to the Pandavas about the future plan of Dhrtarastra. This is specifically described in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva 114). He indirectly hinted, “A weapon not made of steel or any other material element can be more than sharp to kill an enemy, and he who knows this is never killed.” That is to say, he hinted that the party of the Pandavas was being sent to Varanavata to be killed, and thus he warned Yudhisthira to be very careful in their new residential palace. He also gave indications of fire and said that fire cannot extinguish the soul but can annihilate the material body. But one who protects the soul can live. Kunti could not follow such indirect conversations between Maharaja Yudhisthira and Vidura, and thus when she inquired from her son about the purport of the conversation, Yudhisthira replied that from the talks of Vidura it was understood that there was a hint of fire in the house where they were proceeding. Later on, Vidura came in disguise to the Pandavas and informed them that the housekeeper was going to set fire to the house on the fourteenth night of the waning moon. It was an intrigue of Dhrtarastra that the Pandavas might die all together with their mother. And by his warning the Pandavas escaped through a tunnel underneath the earth so that their escape was also unknown to Dhrtarastra, so much so that after setting the fire, the Kauravas were so certain of the death of the Pandavas that Dhrtarastra performed the last rites of death with great cheerfulness. And during the mourning period all the members of the palace became overwhelmed with lamentation, but Vidura did not become so, because of his knowledge that the Pandavas were alive somewhere. There are many such instances of calamities, and in each of them Vidura gave protection to the Pandavas on one hand, and on the other he tried to restrain his brother Dhrtarastra from such intriguing policies. Therefore, he was always partial to the Pandavas, just as a bird protects its eggs by its wing. SB1.13.9 TEXT 9 kaya vrttya vartitam vas caradbhih ksiti-mandalam tirthani ksetra-mukhyani sevitaniha bhutale SYNONYMS kaya—by which; vrttya—means; vartitam—maintained your livelihood; vah—your good self; caradbhih—while traveling; ksiti-mandalam—on the surface of the earth; tirthani—places of pilgrimage; ksetra-mukhyani—the principal holy places; sevitani—served by you; iha—in this world; bhutale—on this planet. TRANSLATION While traveling on the surface of the earth, how did you maintain your livelihood? At which holy places and pilgrimage sites did you render service? PURPORT Vidura went out from the palace to detach himself from household affairs, especially political intrigues. As referred to hereinbefore, he was practically insulted by Duryodhana’s calling him a son of a sudrani, although it was not out of place to talk loosely in the case of one’s grandmother. Vidura’s mother, although a sudrani, was the grandmother of Duryodhana, and funny talks are sometimes allowed between grandmother and grandchildren. But because the remark was an actual fact, it was unpalatable talk to Vidura, and it was accepted as a direct insult. He therefore decided to quit his paternal house and prepare for the renounced order of life. This preparatory stage is called vanaprastha-asrama, or retired life for traveling and visiting the holy places on the surface of the earth. In the holy places of India, like Vrndavana, Hardwar, Jagannatha Puri, and Prayaga, there are many great devotees, and there are still free kitchen houses for persons who desire to advance spiritually. Maharaja Yudhisthira was inquisitive to learn whether Vidura maintained himself by the mercy of the free kitchen houses (chatras). SB1.13.10 TEXT 10 bhavad-vidha bhagavatas tirtha-bhutah svayam vibho tirthi-kurvanti tirthani svantah-sthena gadabhrta SYNONYMS bhavat—your good self; vidhah—like; bhagavatah—devotees; tirtha—the holy places of pilgrimage; bhutah—converted into; svayam—personally; vibho—O powerful one; tirthi-kurvanti—make into a holy place of pilgrimage; tirthani—the holy places; sva-antah-sthena—having been situated in the heart; gada-bhrta—the Personality of Godhead. TRANSLATION My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage. PURPORT The Personality of Godhead is omnipresent by His diverse potencies everywhere, just as the power of electricity is distributed everywhere within space. Similarly, the Lord’s omnipresence is perceived and manifested by His unalloyed devotees like Vidura, just as electricity is manifested in an electric bulb. A pure devotee like Vidura always feels the presence of the Lord everywhere. He sees everything in the potency of the Lord and the Lord in everything. The holy places all over the earth are meant for purifying the polluted consciousness of the human being by an atmosphere surcharged with the presence of the Lord’s unalloyed devotees. If anyone visits a holy place, he must search out the pure devotees residing in such holy places, take lessons from them, try to apply such instructions in practical life and thus gradually prepare oneself for the ultimate salvation, going back to Godhead. To go to some holy place of pilgrimage does not mean only to take a bath in the Ganges or Yamuna or to visit the temples situated in those places. One should also find representatives of Vidura who have no desire in life save and except to serve the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead is always with such pure devotees because of their unalloyed service, which is without any tinge of fruitive action or utopian speculation. They are in the actual service of the Lord, specifically by the process of hearing and chanting. The pure devotees hear from the authorities and chant, sing and write of the glories of the Lord. Mahamuni Vyasadeva heard from Narada, and then he chanted in writing; Sukadeva Gosvami studied from his father, and he described it to Pariksit; that is the way of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So by their actions the pure devotees of the Lord can render any place into a place of pilgrimage, and the holy places are worth the name only on their account. Such pure devotees are able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of a holy place. SB1.13.11 TEXT 11 api nah suhrdas tata bandhavah krsna-devatah drstah sruta va yadavah sva-puryam sukham asate SYNONYMS api—whether; nah—our; suhrdah—well-wishers; tata—O my uncle; bandhavah—friends; krsna-devatah—those who are always rapt in the service of Lord Sri Krsna; drstah—by seeing them; srutah—or by hearing about them; va—either; yadavah—the descendants of Yadu; sva-puryam—along with their residential place; sukham asate—if they are all happy. TRANSLATION My uncle, you must have visited Dvaraka. In that holy place are our friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the service of the Lord Sri Krsna. You might have seen them or heard about them. Are they all living happily in their abodes? PURPORT The particular word krsna-devatah, i.e., those who are always rapt in the service of Lord Krsna, is significant. The Yadavas and the Pandavas, who were always rapt in the thought of the Lord Krsna and His different transcendental activities, were all pure devotees of the Lord like Vidura. Vidura left home in order to devote himself completely to the service of the Lord, but the Pandavas and the Yadavas were always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna. Thus there is no difference in their pure devotional qualities. Either remaining at home or leaving home, the real qualification of a pure devotee is to become rapt in the thought of Krsna favorably, i.e., knowing well that Lord Krsna is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Kamsa, Jarasandha, Sisupala and other demons like them were also always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna, but they were absorbed in a different way, namely unfavorably, or thinking Him to be a powerful man only. Therefore, Kamsa and Sisupala are not on the same level as pure devotees like Vidura, the Pandavas and the Yadavas. Maharaja Yudhisthira was also always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna and His associates at Dvaraka. Otherwise he could not have asked all about them from Vidura. Maharaja Yudhisthira was therefore on the same level of devotion as Vidura, although engaged in the state affairs of the kingdom of the world.