Further Inquiries by Vidura

Verse 1 (bhagavata.3.7.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच एवं ब्रुवाणं मैत्रेयं द्वैपायनसुतो बुधः । प्रीणयन्निव भारत्या विदुरः प्रत्यभाषत ॥ 7.1 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ bruvāṇaṁ maitreyaṁ dvaipāyana-suto budhaḥ prīṇayann iva bhāratyā viduraḥ pratyabhāṣata

Shri Sukadeva said: While Maitreya was speaking thus, Vidura, the learned son of Dvaipayana, spoke to him in a manner meant to please him, putting this question.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.3.7.2)

विदुर उवाच ब्रह्मन् कथं भगवतश्चिन्मात्रस्याविकारिणः । लीलया चापि युज्येरन्निर्गुणस्य गुणाः क्रियाः ॥ 7.2 ॥

vidura uvāca brahman kathaṁ bhagavataś cin-mātrasyāvikāriṇaḥ līlayā cāpi yujyeran nirguṇasya guṇāḥ kriyāḥ

Vidura said: O brahmana, Bhagavan is by nature pure consciousness itself, unchanging and beyond the modes of nature — how then, even under the name of pastime, can He come to be connected with the gunas and the activities they produce?

Verse 3 (bhagavata.3.7.3)

क्रीडायामुद्यमोऽर्भस्य कामश्चिक्रीडिषान्यतः । स्वतस्तृप्तस्य च कथं निवृत्तस्य सदान्यतः ॥ 7.3 ॥

krīḍāyām udyamo ’rbhasya kāmaś cikrīḍiṣānyataḥ svatas-tṛptasya ca kathaṁ nivṛttasya sadānyataḥ

A child throws himself into play, eager to play with others, only because desire moves him; but for one who is self-satisfied always and forever detached from everything else, how could any such desire arise?

Verse 4 (bhagavata.3.7.4)

अस्राक्षीद्भगवान् विश्वं गुणमय्यात्ममायया । तया संस्थापयत्येतद्भूयः प्रत्यपिधास्यति ॥ 7.4 ॥

asrākṣīd bhagavān viśvaṁ guṇa-mayyātma-māyayā tayā saṁsthāpayaty etad bhūyaḥ pratyapidhāsyati

Bhagavan brought this universe into being by His own maya, composed of the three gunas; by that same power He maintains it, and by it too He will draw it back into Himself once more.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.3.7.5)

देशतः कालतो योऽसाववस्थातः स्वतोऽन्यतः । अविलुप्तावबोधात्मा स युज्येताजया कथम् ॥ 7.5 ॥

deśataḥ kālato yo ’sāv avasthātaḥ svato ’nyataḥ aviluptāvabodhātmā sa yujyetājayā katham

That pure self, whose awareness is never truly extinguished — not by place, not by time, not by circumstance, not by dream, not by anything else — how, then, does it come to be bound up with ignorance at all?

Verse 6 (bhagavata.3.7.6)

भगवानेक एवैष सर्वक्षेत्रेष्ववस्थितः । अमुष्य दुर्भगत्वं वा क्लेशो वा कर्मभिः कुतः ॥ 7.6 ॥

bhagavān eka evaiṣa sarva-kṣetreṣv avasthitaḥ amuṣya durbhagatvaṁ vā kleśo vā karmabhiḥ kutaḥ

Bhagavan, one alone, dwells alike within every embodied being; whence, then, could the misfortune of the living entities, or the suffering born of their deeds, ever really arise?

Verse 7 (bhagavata.3.7.7)

एतस्मिन्मे मनो विद्वन् खिद्यतेऽज्ञानसङ्कटे । तन्नः पराणुद विभो कश्मलं मानसं महत् ॥ 7.7 ॥

etasmin me mano vidvan khidyate ’jñāna-saṅkaṭe tan naḥ parāṇuda vibho kaśmalaṁ mānasaṁ mahat

O learned one, my mind is troubled, caught in this very knot of confusion; therefore, O master, please dispel this great bewilderment of my mind.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.3.7.8)

श्रीशुक उवाच स इत्थं चोदितः क्षत्त्रा तत्त्वजिज्ञासुना मुनिः । प्रत्याह भगवच्चित्तः स्मयन्निव गतस्मयः ॥ 7.8 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca sa itthaṁ coditaḥ kṣattrā tattva-jijñāsunā muniḥ pratyāha bhagavac-cittaḥ smayann iva gata-smayaḥ

Shri Sukadeva said: Thus questioned by Vidura, eager to know the truth, the sage — his mind ever absorbed in the Lord — seemed for a moment struck with wonder, and then, all hesitation gone, replied to him.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.3.7.9)

मैत्रेय उवाच सेयं भगवतो माया यन्नयेन विरुध्यते । ईश्वरस्य विमुक्तस्य कार्पण्यमुत बन्धनम् ॥ 7.9 ॥

maitreya uvāca seyaṁ bhagavato māyā yan nayena virudhyate īśvarasya vimuktasya kārpaṇyam uta bandhanam

Shri Maitreya said: This very maya of the Lord is such a thing that it makes no logical sense to say that the ever-liberated Lord Himself suffers any kind of poverty or bondage because of it.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.3.7.10)

यदर्थेन विनामुष्य पुंस आत्मविपर्ययः । प्रतीयत उपद्रष्टुः स्वशिरश्छेदनादिकः ॥ 7.10 ॥

yad arthena vināmuṣya puṁsa ātma-viparyayaḥ pratīyata upadraṣṭuḥ sva-śiraś chedanādikaḥ

Without any real basis at all, the living being finds itself mistaken about its own true nature — just as a man, in a dream, might see his own head cut off, though nothing of the kind has actually occurred.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.3.7.11)

यथा जले चन्द्रमसः कम्पादिस्तत्कृतो गुणः । दृश्यतेऽसन्नपि द्रष्टुरात्मनोऽनात्मनो गुणः ॥ 7.11 ॥

yathā jale candramasaḥ kampādis tat-kṛto guṇaḥ dṛśyate ’sann api draṣṭur ātmano ’nātmano guṇaḥ

Just as the moon reflected in water seems, to the eye, to tremble with the water's own motion, though no such tremor truly belongs to it, so too does a quality belonging to something other than the self come to appear, quite falsely, as a quality of the self.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.3.7.12)

स वै निवृत्तिधर्मेण वासुदेवानुकम्पया । भगवद्भक्तियोगेन तिरोधत्ते शनैरिह ॥ 7.12 ॥

sa vai nivṛtti-dharmeṇa vāsudevānukampayā bhagavad-bhakti-yogena tirodhatte śanair iha

By the grace of Bhagavan Vasudeva, through the path of renunciation and the practice of bhakti-yoga, this very misconception gradually fades away within this world.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.3.7.13)

यदेन्द्रियोपरामोऽथ द्रष्ट्रात्मनि परे हरौ । विलीयन्ते तदा क्लेशाः संसुप्तस्येव कृत्स्नशः ॥ 7.13 ॥

yadendriyoparāmo ’tha draṣṭrātmani pare harau vilīyante tadā kleśāḥ saṁsuptasyeva kṛtsnaśaḥ

When the senses grow still and merge into that supreme Seer, Bhagavan Hari, then, as after a deep and dreamless sleep, every sorrow dissolves entirely.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.3.7.14)

अशेषसंक्लेशशमं विधत्ते गुणानुवादश्रवणं मुरारेः । किं वा पुनस्तच्चरणारविन्दपरागसेवारतिरात्मलब्धा ॥ 7.14 ॥

aśeṣa-saṅkleśa-śamaṁ vidhatte guṇānuvāda-śravaṇaṁ murāreḥ kiṁ vā punas tac-caraṇāravinda- parāga-sevā-ratir ātma-labdhā

The mere hearing of talk about the qualities of Murari has the power to bring every kind of suffering to an end — what then need be said of those who have already attained a natural love for serving the very dust of His lotus feet?

Verse 15 (bhagavata.3.7.15)

विदुर उवाच संछिन्नः संशयो मह्यं तव सूक्तासिना विभो । उभयत्रापि भगवन्मनो मे सम्प्रधावति ॥ 7.15 ॥

vidura uvāca sañchinnaḥ saṁśayo mahyaṁ tava sūktāsinā vibho ubhayatrāpi bhagavan mano me sampradhāvati

Vidura said: O powerful one, my doubt has been cut clean through by the sword of your well-spoken words; O Bhagavan, my mind now moves freely toward the understanding of both — the living being and the Supreme.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.3.7.16)

साध्वेतद् व्याहृतं विद्वन्नात्ममायायनं हरेः । आभात्यपार्थं निर्मूलं विश्वमूलं न यद्बहिः ॥ 7.16 ॥

sādhv etad vyāhṛtaṁ vidvan nātma-māyāyanaṁ hareḥ ābhāty apārthaṁ nirmūlaṁ viśva-mūlaṁ na yad bahiḥ

You have spoken well, O learned one — for it is true that this movement of Hari's own maya has no root or origin outside of the Lord Himself, and it is for that very reason that it appears without meaning or foundation.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.3.7.17)

यश्च मूढतमो लोके यश्च बुद्धेः परं गतः । तावुभौ सुखमेधेते क्लिश्यत्यन्तरितो जनः ॥ 7.17 ॥

yaś ca mūḍhatamo loke yaś ca buddheḥ paraṁ gataḥ tāv ubhau sukham edhete kliśyaty antarito janaḥ

In this world, both the utterly foolish man and the one who has gone beyond the reach of ordinary intelligence live in happiness; it is only the man caught between the two who suffers.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.3.7.18)

अर्थाभावं विनिश्चित्य प्रतीतस्यापि नात्मनः । तां चापि युष्मच्चरणसेवयाहं पराणुदे ॥ 7.18 ॥

arthābhāvaṁ viniścitya pratītasyāpi nātmanaḥ tāṁ cāpi yuṣmac-caraṇa- sevayāhaṁ parāṇude

I have now come to understand with certainty that this world, though it appears real, has no true substance at all; and by the service of your own feet, I trust that I shall soon cast off even this last misunderstanding.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.3.7.19)

यत्सेवया भगवतः कूटस्थस्य मधुद्विषः । रतिरासो भवेत्तीव्रः पादयोर्व्यसनार्दनः ॥ 7.19 ॥

yat-sevayā bhagavataḥ kūṭa-sthasya madhu-dviṣaḥ rati-rāso bhavet tīvraḥ pādayor vyasanārdanaḥ

It is by such service, O sage, that an intense and loving attachment arises for the feet of the unchanging Lord, the destroyer of Madhu, an attachment that itself dissolves all one's afflictions.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.3.7.20)

दुरापा ह्यल्पतपसः सेवा वैकुण्ठवर्त्मसु । यत्रोपगीयते नित्यं देवदेवो जनार्दनः ॥ 7.20 ॥

durāpā hy alpa-tapasaḥ sevā vaikuṇṭha-vartmasu yatropagīyate nityaṁ deva-devo janārdanaḥ

Those whose austerity is slight can hardly obtain the service of those devotees walking the path to Vaikuntha, in whose very midst the Lord of even the gods, Janardana, is forever glorified.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.3.7.21)

सृष्ट्वाग्रे महदादीनि सविकाराण्यनुक्रमात् । तेभ्यो विराजमुद्धृत्य तमनु प्राविशद्विभुः ॥ 7.21 ॥

sṛṣṭvāgre mahad-ādīni sa-vikārāṇy anukramāt tebhyo virājam uddhṛtya tam anu prāviśad vibhuḥ

Having thus first created, in due sequence, the mahat-tattva and the other elements together with their transformations, the all-pervading Lord drew forth from among them that gigantic form, and then entered into it.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.3.7.22)

यमाहुराद्यं पुरुषं सहस्राङ्घ्र्यूरुबाहुकम् । यत्र विश्व इमे लोकाः सविकाशं त आसते ॥ 7.22 ॥

yam āhur ādyaṁ puruṣaṁ sahasrāṅghry-ūru-bāhukam yatra viśva ime lokāḥ sa-vikāśaṁ ta āsate

That form is called the original Person, possessed of a thousand feet, thighs, and arms, and within Him all these worlds, together with all their development, have their being.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.3.7.23)

यस्मिन् दशविधः प्राणः सेन्द्रियार्थेन्द्रियस्त्रिवृत् । त्वयेरितो यतो वर्णास्तद्विभूतीर्वदस्व नः ॥ 7.23 ॥

yasmin daśa-vidhaḥ prāṇaḥ sendriyārthendriyas tri-vṛt tvayerito yato varṇās tad-vibhūtīr vadasva naḥ

You have already told me that within that gigantic form the ten kinds of vital air, together with the senses and their objects, exist in threefold vigor — now please tell me of the special powers of those very classes of men who arose from it.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.3.7.24)

यत्र पुत्रैश्च पौत्रैश्च नप्तृभिः सह गोत्रजैः । प्रजा विचित्राकृतय आसन् याभिरिदं ततम् ॥ 7.24 ॥

yatra putraiś ca pautraiś ca naptṛbhiḥ saha gotrajaiḥ prajā vicitrākṛtaya āsan yābhir idaṁ tatam

It seems to me, my lord, that this very process — manifest in the forms of sons and grandsons and kinsmen of every branch — has spread itself throughout the whole universe in a rich variety of forms.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.3.7.25)

प्रजापतीनां स पतिश्चक्लृपे कान् प्रजापतीन् । सर्गांश्चैवानुसर्गांश्च मनून्मन्वन्तराधिपान् ॥ 7.25 ॥

prajāpatīnāṁ sa patiś cakḷpe kān prajāpatīn sargāṁś caivānusargāṁś ca manūn manvantarādhipān

Please tell me too which Prajapatis were established by Brahma, the lord of the Prajapatis himself, and of the generations and later generations, and of the Manus who preside over each Manvantara.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.3.7.26)

उपर्यधश्च ये लोका भूमेर्मित्रात्मजासते । तेषां संस्थां प्रमाणं च भूर्लोकस्य च वर्णय ॥ 7.26 ॥

upary adhaś ca ye lokā bhūmer mitrātmajāsate teṣāṁ saṁsthāṁ pramāṇaṁ ca bhūr-lokasya ca varṇaya

O son of Mitra, describe also the arrangement and the measure of those worlds situated both above and below the earth, and describe too the region of Bhurloka.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.3.7.27)

तिर्यङ्मानुषदेवानां सरीसृपपतत्त्रिणाम् । वद नः सर्गसंव्यूहं गार्भस्वेदद्विजोद्भिदाम् ॥ 7.27 ॥

tiryaṅ-mānuṣa-devānāṁ sarīsṛpa-patattriṇām vada naḥ sarga-saṁvyūhaṁ gārbha-sveda-dvijodbhidām

Tell us also of the manifold order of creation among the beasts, the men, the gods, the crawling creatures and the birds, and among those born from the womb, from sweat, from the egg, and from the sprouting earth.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.3.7.28)

गुणावतारैर्विश्वस्य सर्गस्थित्यप्ययाश्रयम् । सृजतः श्रीनिवासस्य व्याचक्ष्वोदारविक्रमम् ॥ 7.28 ॥

guṇāvatārair viśvasya sarga-sthity-apyayāśrayam sṛjataḥ śrīnivāsasya vyācakṣvodāra-vikramam

Describe too the magnanimous prowess of the Lord of fortune, the creator, through His incarnations embodying the modes of nature, on whom rest the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of this universe.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.3.7.29)

वर्णाश्रमविभागांश्च रूपशीलस्वभावतः । ऋषीणां जन्मकर्माणि वेदस्य च विकर्षणम् ॥ 7.29 ॥

varṇāśrama-vibhāgāṁś ca rūpa-śīla-svabhāvataḥ ṛṣīṇāṁ janma-karmāṇi vedasya ca vikarṣaṇam

Describe also the divisions of varna and ashrama according to their form and character and nature, and the births and deeds of the great sages, and the various divisions of the Veda.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.3.7.30)

यज्ञस्य च वितानानि योगस्य च पथः प्रभो । नैष्कर्म्यस्य च सांख्यस्य तन्त्रं वा भगवत्स्मृतम् ॥ 7.30 ॥

yajñasya ca vitānāni yogasya ca pathaḥ prabho naiṣkarmyasya ca sāṅkhyasya tantraṁ vā bhagavat-smṛtam

O master, describe also the various forms of sacrifice, and the paths of yoga, and the disciplines of naishkarmya, of Sankhya, and of that devotional path known as the Bhagavata tantra.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.3.7.31)

पाषण्डपथवैषम्यं प्रतिलोमनिवेशनम् । जीवस्य गतयो याश्च यावतीर्गुणकर्मजाः ॥ 7.31 ॥

pāṣaṇḍa-patha-vaiṣamyaṁ pratiloma-niveśanam jīvasya gatayo yāś ca yāvatīr guṇa-karmajāḥ

Describe too the contradictions found in the heretical paths, the situation of mixed and crossbred classes, and all the many destinations to which the living being goes, born as they are from the interplay of the modes of nature and action.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.3.7.32)

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणां निमित्तान्यविरोधतः । वार्ताया दण्डनीतेश्च श्रुतस्य च विधिं पृथक् ॥ 7.32 ॥

dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣāṇāṁ nimittāny avirodhataḥ vārtāyā daṇḍa-nīteś ca śrutasya ca vidhiṁ pṛthak

Describe as well the mutually noncontradictory causes of dharma, artha, kama, and moksha, and separately, the principles of livelihood, of the rule of law, and of what the Vedic scriptures ordain.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.3.7.33)

श्राद्धस्य च विधिं ब्रह्मन् पितृणां सर्गमेव च । ग्रहनक्षत्रताराणां कालावयवसंस्थितिम् ॥ 7.33 ॥

śrāddhasya ca vidhiṁ brahman pitṝṇāṁ sargam eva ca graha-nakṣatra-tārāṇāṁ kālāvayava-saṁsthitim

O brahmana, describe too the rules of the shraddha rites, the origin of the Pitrs, and the arrangement in time of the planets, the constellations, and the stars.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.3.7.34)

दानस्य तपसो वापि यच्चेष्टापूर्तयोः फलम् । प्रवासस्थस्य यो धर्मो यश्च पुंस उतापदि ॥ 7.34 ॥

dānasya tapaso vāpi yac ceṣṭā-pūrtayoḥ phalam pravāsa-sthasya yo dharmo yaś ca puṁsa utāpadi

Describe the fruits of charity, of penance, and of works of public welfare, and describe the duty of a man living away from home, and also of a man fallen into misfortune.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.3.7.35)

येन वा भगवांस्तुष्येद्धर्मयोनिर्जनार्दनः । सम्प्रसीदति वा येषामेतदाख्याहि मेऽनघ ॥ 7.35 ॥

yena vā bhagavāṁs tuṣyed dharma-yonir janārdanaḥ samprasīdati vā yeṣām etad ākhyāhi me ’nagha

O sinless one, tell me also by what means Bhagavan Janardana, the very source of dharma, is pleased, or by what means He becomes fully gracious toward His own devotees.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.3.7.36)

अनुव्रतानां शिष्याणां पुत्राणां च द्विजोत्तम । अनापृष्टमपि ब्रूयुर्गुरवो दीनवत्सलाः ॥ 7.36 ॥

anuvratānāṁ śiṣyāṇāṁ putrāṇāṁ ca dvijottama anāpṛṣṭam api brūyur guravo dīna-vatsalāḥ

O best of the twice-born, gurus who are truly kind to the humble tell even their own followers, disciples, and sons whatever they need to know, even without being asked — so tell me all of this as well.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.3.7.37)

तत्त्वानां भगवंस्तेषां कतिधा प्रतिसंक्रमः । तत्रेमं क उपासीरन् क उ स्विदनुशेरते ॥ 7.37 ॥

tattvānāṁ bhagavaṁs teṣāṁ katidhā pratisaṅkramaḥ tatremaṁ ka upāsīran ka u svid anuśerate

O great sage, how many times does the dissolution of the elements of nature occur, and who, in that hour, remains to worship the Lord, and who continues to lie beside Him as He sleeps?

Verse 38 (bhagavata.3.7.38)

पुरुषस्य च संस्थानं स्वरूपं वा परस्य च । ज्ञानं च नैगमं यत्तद्गुरुशिष्यप्रयोजनम् ॥ 7.38 ॥

puruṣasya ca saṁsthānaṁ svarūpaṁ vā parasya ca jñānaṁ ca naigamaṁ yat tad guru-śiṣya-prayojanam

Describe also the true condition of the living being and the nature of the Supreme, and that knowledge found in the Vedas which concerns the necessary relationship between guru and disciple.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.3.7.39)

निमित्तानि च तस्येह प्रोक्तान्यनघसूरिभिः । स्वतो ज्ञानं कुतः पुंसां भक्तिर्वैराग्यमेव वा ॥ 7.39 ॥

nimittāni ca tasyeha proktāny anagha-sūribhiḥ svato jñānaṁ kutaḥ puṁsāṁ bhaktir vairāgyam eva vā

Spotless and wise devotees have themselves already described the sources of this knowledge — for how, indeed, without their help, could ordinary men come by devotion and detachment on their own?

Verse 40 (bhagavata.3.7.40)

एतान्मे पृच्छतः प्रश्नान् हरेः कर्मविवित्सया । ब्रूहि मेऽज्ञस्य मित्रत्वादजया नष्टचक्षुषः ॥ 7.40 ॥

etān me pṛcchataḥ praśnān hareḥ karma-vivitsayā brūhi me ’jñasya mitratvād ajayā naṣṭa-cakṣuṣaḥ

I have asked you all these questions out of a desire to know the deeds of Hari; and since you are my true friend, please, for my sake, tell all this to one so ignorant, whose sight has been destroyed by illusion.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.3.7.41)

सर्वे वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च तपो दानानि चानघ । जीवाभयप्रदानस्य न कुर्वीरन् कलामपि ॥ 7.41 ॥

sarve vedāś ca yajñāś ca tapo dānāni cānagha jīvābhaya-pradānasya na kurvīran kalām api

O sinless one, all the Vedas together, all sacrifices, all penances, all charities, could never equal even the smallest fraction of the merit gained by giving a living being the gift of fearlessness.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.3.7.42)

श्रीशुक उवाच स इत्थमापृष्टपुराणकल्पः कुरुप्रधानेन मुनिप्रधानः । प्रवृद्धहर्षो भगवत्कथायां सञ्चोदितस्तं प्रहसन्निवाह ॥ 7.42 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca sa ittham āpṛṣṭa-purāṇa-kalpaḥ kuru-pradhānena muni-pradhānaḥ pravṛddha-harṣo bhagavat-kathāyāṁ sañcoditas taṁ prahasann ivāha

Shri Sukadeva said: Thus questioned by that foremost of the Kurus concerning the ancient lore of the Puranas, that foremost of sages, Maitreya, his joy swelling at the thought of speaking on the Lord's own deeds, replied to him with a gentle smile.