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Sridharāya namah

Under the tutelage of Maharishi Sāndipani, Krishna began his formal education. Krishna was ‘eka sandhāgrāhi’ which means He learnt lessons merely by listening to them once! There was absolutely no need for repetition in any subject, such was His capacity. In this way Srikrishna mastered Vedas together with its six limbs.

Maharishi Sāndipani had lost his beloved son in a much earlier period of time. Srikrishna tore apart the stomach of Demon Panchajanya and brought back to life Guru Sāndīpani’s son. This was the Guru- dakshina (fees) He offered.

When Rukmi announced the svayamvara (where the bride chooses the groom) of his sister Rukmini, who was the daughter of King Bheeshmaka, many powerful princes such as Shishupala were invited for the ceremony. Rukmini Devi resembled Goddess Lakshmi in every aspect. Fascinated by her overpowering beauty, many princes belonging to various kingdoms thronged there desiring her hand in marriage. In reality, Rukmini Devi is the eternal companion of Srikrishna, the incarnation of Lord Srihari. Therefore Srikrishna decided to marry her in the Gandharva style. Mounting a powerful chariot He arrived in Bheeshmaka’s kingdom. In public view he carried her away in his chariot, defeating Shishupala and other kings who attacked him.

Taming seven bulls, whose noses were not pierced, Srikrishna married Nagnajit during her swayamvara. All the other kings who had assembled there hoping to win her hand in marriage felt deeply humiliated seeing Krishna’s victory. Out of sheer ignorance and infatuated with Princess Nagnajit’s beauty, these kings took up weapons and attacked Krishna. Very deftly Srikrishna, while ensuring that he remains unhurt, defeated and killed them all.

Like an ordinary lover seeking to please his wife, the Supreme Lord Srikrishna brought the Pārijata tree from heaven to please his dearest wife Satyabhama. This deed of Srikrishna left Indra, the Lord of heaven, seething in anger. The deluded Indra took up his weapon, the thunderbolt, and together with his huge army attacked Srikrishna. It was his wife who had instigated him to wage a war against Srikrishna. Indra, who was thus instigated by his wife, was a toy in the hands of women”.

Uddhava further continued, “In the war Srikrishna using his discus killed Demon Narakasura, who with his mammoth body appeared to cover the entire space. Hearing the prayers of his mother Dharitri (mother earth), Krishna then handed over the remaining kingdom to Narakasura’s son Bhagadatta and allowed him to return to his home.

The damsels who had been kidnapped by Narakasura, the son of mother earth, were grieving within the house of Narakasura. They rejoiced greatly when they saw Srikrishna. They looked at him with love coupled with shyness and mentally accepted him as their husband. The Supreme Lord Srikrishna, then through his power of illusion assumed thousands of forms and matched each form to suit to that respective princess. In those forms Srikrishna, by visiting their respective accommodations, simultaneously married all the princesses strictly per Vedic traditions.

Who apart from Paramatma can manifest simultaneously in varied forms and make himself present in different locations at the same time? This is no ordinary feat!

With this illusory form of his, Krishna then begot from each of them ten children, who resembled Srikrishna in every possible way. In that way creation expanded.

Kālayavana, Jarāsandha who was the king of Magadha and King Shalva, together with their vast armies attacked Mathura and Dwaraka. Using His army as His instruments it was Srikrishna who defeated them.

To Arjuna and other devotees He granted divine prowess. Śambara, Dvivida, Bāna, Mura, Balvala, Dantavaktra and others were demons whom Srikrishna either killed personally or had them vanquished by others.

O Vidura! Thereafter He involved himself in the war pertaining to your nephews the Pandavas and Kauravas and caused the killing of the kings. When those kings together with their armies were proceeding to Kurukshetra for the war, earth trembled under their weight. Duryodhana who listened to the ill-advice of Karna, Dusśāsana and Shakuni lost all his prosperity. In addition he even lost his life. When he, with his broken thighs was lying in the battlefield together with his followers, Krishna who saw him was not at all happy.

He thought within himself, “Arjuna, Bheeshma, Drona, Bhima and others have destroyed armies consisting of 18 akshohini (each akshohini army consists of 21870 chariots, 21870 elephants, 65610 cavalry and 109350 foot soldiers) and reduced the burden of earth. Yet, in no way this can be called an extraordinary accomplishment! After all, the powerful burdensome Yadava clan still continues to exist.

These Yadavas, having consumed intoxicating liquor, will, with reddened eyes fight amongst themselves, and destroy each other. There is no other method apart from this through which they can be destroyed. When I begin to prepare for my departure from earth, Yadavas will get routed out completely due to their own doing.

Thinking thus, Srikrishna crowned Yudhisthira as the emperor who through his actions demonstrated to the world the right way of life. He caused joy to all friends and relatives.

When the son of Abhimanyu, the descendant of the Kuru lineage was growing in Uttara’s womb, Ashwattthama, the son of Drona, destroyed the child through his powerful weapon. At that moment Srikrishna revived the child and brought him back to life.

Srikrishna the Supreme Lord got Yudhisthira to perform three Ashwamedha Yāgas. Yudhisthira who ruled the kingdom along with his brothers, followed Srikrishna with total devotion and he lived happily”.

Sridharaya Namah.

Om Vāmanāya namah

Uddhava continued, “

Aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī

Lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-ucitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

With the intent of killing infant Krishna, the wicked demoness Putana applied deadly poison to her breasts and fed Him her milk. For having breast fed him, Putana, although being wicked, was bestowed with the same levels of merit (punya) that his mother Yashoda had earned for raising Him. Aha! What wonder! What more can be said about His compassion! Who else apart from Him can be our refuge?

Srikrishna smaraṇam mama– I eternally think of Srikrishna. I think of Him and seek shelter in Him alone!

Even those wicked demons who detested and deplored Sri Mahavishnu, the Lord of the three worlds, are his devotees. This is my firm opinion. This is because during the war they were able to see Lord Mahavishnu, who holds the discus in his hand and who sits on the shoulders of Kashyapa’s son Garuda. Can there be any fortune greater than this? From this we should conclude that even demons are his devotees.

Vasudevasya devakyāṁ jāto bhojendra-bandhane

Cikīrṣur bhagavān asyāḥ śam ajenābhiyācitaḥ

 Hearing the pleas of Lord Brahma, with the intent of reducing the burden of earth and causing her great delight, Sri Mahavishnu, took birth as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva in the prison of Kamsa.

Thereafter, terrified of Kamsa, his father Vasudeva took him to Nanda-vraja. With great caution, Krishna while ensuring that his glory goes unnoticed lived here for eleven years along with his brother Balarama.

Amidst the forests on the banks of River Yamuna, Krishna surrounded by the cowherds spent his time grazing the cattle. Those forests were abounding with tall trees and chirping birds. With his childhood plays he stole the hearts of all the residents. At times he would weep, at others times he would laugh and with his innocent gaze he looked adorable like a small lion cub.

As he grew up he began to take the herds of cattle for grazing. Melodiously playing the flute he would bring great joy to all his companions. In that herd were bulls as well as cows of every colour.

In order to kill Krishna, Kamsa sent demons who possessed the capacity take on any form per their will. Playfully, just as the children break their toys, Krishna killed them all.

Vipannān viṣa-pānena nigṛhya bhujagādhipam

Utthāpyāpāyayad gāvas tat toyaṁ prakṛti-sthitam 

The serpent-king Kaliya poisoned the waters of the lake due to which many cows and cowherds, who drank the waters of the lake, suddenly lost their life. At that moment Krishna punished Kaliya and revived the dead cows and cowherds back to life. He drove Kaliya out of that lake. With this, the waters of that lake turned pure and were fit for consumption.

Lord Krishna desired that the great wealth of that land be utilized properly. Through the help of learned Vedic scholars He got his father King Nanda to worship the cows. Displeased and angered with this, Indra showered thunderous rains on that land. In order to protect the residents of Nanda-vraja together with their cattle from these horrendous rains that were destroying the place, Krishna playfully lifted up the Mountain Govardhan. Holding it like an umbrella over their heads, he protected them all.

It was winter. The pleasant cool moonlight lit up the entire forest. Srikrishna was fascinated with this serene atmosphere. He desired to augment its serenity and grandeur. Srikrishna, who was the jewel that decorated all the Gopi and Gopikas of Vrindavan, melodiously played his flute while dancing amidst these Gopis and Gopikas”.

With this the second chapter of the third canto of Srimad Bhagawatam comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Three

The divine transcendental plays demonstrated by the Lord in Dwaraka and Mathura will be now told. Srikrishna visiting Prabhasa Kshetra is also covered.

In response to Vidura’s questions, Uddava began recounting Srikrishna’s childhood deeds. He now continued, “To give joy to his parents Devaki and Vasudeva, Krishna together with his brother Balarama left Nanda-gokula and reached Mathura. There he encountered the terrible Kamsa, who was the leader of all his enemies. He pounced on Kamsa, beat him and threw him down from his throne and then killed him.

Sāndīpaneḥ sakṛt proktaṁ brahmādhītya sa-vistaram

Tasmai prādād varaṁ putraṁ mṛtaṁ pañca-janodarāt

Thereafter Srikrishna, for His formal education, went and resided in the hermitage of Maharishi Sāndipini as his student”.

Om Vāmanāya Namah

Om Trivikramaya namah.

Uddhava continued, “What can I say about the ill-luck of the human beings in this world? Amongst all the people, the most unfortunate are those who are born in the Yadu lineage. This is because they couldn’t recognize the presence of the Lord amidst them.

Just as fish swimming in the ocean do not recognize the presence of the Moon, those belonging to the Yadu clan were fooled because they could not recognize His divinity. By nature the Yadavas were quick to grasp the feelings and emotions of others. These Yadavas lived along with Srikrishna and spent all their time with Him but yet they failed to recognize that He was the Supreme Lord who is the sole shelter for all beings. They considered Him to be the most supreme amongst the Yadavas but they could not realize that He was none other than the Supreme Lord himself!

Due to illusion cast by the Supreme Lord, these Yadavas were deluded into believing that this illusory world was of real existence. As a result, they did not attach much weightage to the greatness of Srikrishna.

This being the case, what more can be said about fools like Shishupala and others who, for no apparent reason, developed animosity towards Krishna? They spoke about Him in very derogatory manner. Derogatory words fail to bewilder the true devotees because true devotees live with the intense faith that Srikrishna is none other than Sri Mahavishnu, the all pervading Self!

Even after performing severe austerities it is impossible to have the vision of that Supreme Lord. Such a Lord, purely out of His compassion graced these people with His presence, even without them having performed any austerities.

The beauty of the three worlds fades in front of His divine beauty! Not being satisfied with the darshan that they have had of this divine beautiful form, some who were fortunate enough to have seen Him, retained His form in their memory and continue to remember it eternally. When all devotees were thus admiring Him, this Lord withdrew His form from earth.

Having decided to show His transcendental power to the inhabitants of earth, the Supreme Lord took on a form that was ideally suited for human pastimes. Auspiciousness in entirety culminates in this divine form! The Supreme Lord was wonder-struck seeing His own wonderous, resplendent form! The illumination from His limbs outshone His jewellery!

During Yudhisthira’s Rājasuya Yagna inhabitants of all the three planes who had assembled there were deeply wonder-struck seeing the beauty and radiance in the bodily features of this Divine Lord, who causes happiness to one and all. They thought that the entire expertise of Lord Brahma, who creates all the Devatas and the humans, had culminated completely in the gross form of Krishna!

With His charming smile coupled with feelings of tender love, with His words that brought laughter and with His playful glances He entertained the Gopikas of Vrindavan. With this, not only their eyes but also their hearts were deeply fixed upon Him. Leaving their household chores incomplete, they would go to Srikrishna and keep gazing at Him.

The Divine Lord has two forms peaceful (śānta) and ferocious (ghora). Peaceful and noble beings are his peaceful forms while demons are his ferocious forms. The Lord found it unbearable that the ferocious forms were torturing his peaceful forms. Compassion towards noble souls surged in Him.

The truth is that He is birthless! He is the cause behind all the causes. Although this is the supreme truth, for the sake of the noble beings, He decided to incarnate on earth together with Balarama, who was an aspect of His. Like fire that emerges from firewood, He was born to Mother Devaki.

The Lord, who inherently is devoid of birth, took birth in the house of Vasudeva. This was a playful pastime He exhibited. Pretending as if He was terrified of His enemies in Mathura, He went to Nanda-gokula and resided there. Although His prowess is indescribable, he enacted as if He had run away from His enemies in fear. When I recollect these astonishing playful human pastimes of the Lord, my heart sinks in grief.

After killing Kamsa, Krishna while offering obeisance to the feet of his parents Devaki-Vasudeva said in all humility, “O Mother and father! Fearful of the terrible Kamsa I could not offer my services to you. Kindly pardon me for my mistake. Please bless me.” Recollecting those words my mind is submerged in sorrow.

Ko vā amuṣyāṅghri-saroja-reṇuṁ vismartum īśīta pumān vijighran

Yo visphurad-bhrū-viṭapena bhūmer bhāraṁ kṛtāntena tiraścakāra

Which devotee, who has even once smelt the fragrance of the lotus feet of that Lord, who with the mere movement of his deathly eyebrows caused death of all those who were a burden to Earth, can ever forget Him?

During the Rājasuya yagna, Shishupala despised Srikrishna as a result Krishna killed Him. While everyone was watching, in the form of an illumination, the Self within Shishupala merged into Krishna. Spiritual aspirants through the medium of Spiritual Knowledge seek to merge into that Lord. Yogis and spiritual practitioners cannot withstand the grief of separation from that Lord.

In the Kurukshetra war, many valiant soldiers, with their gaze steadily fixed on the lotus face of that Lord, continued to fight bravely. They succumbed to Arjuna’s powerful arrows and attained hero’s death. All of them attained the supreme abode of that Lord!

There is none who is equal to Srikrishna! There is none who is greater than Him! He is the Lord of the Nature (Prakriti) together with its three components (trigunas). He is the Lord of all the three planes of existence. He is Self-illuminating. He is eternally blissful. There is nothing left for Him to achieve. The Lords of the various universes offer Him tributes. They bow before Him and with the crowns on their head touching those feet they offer Him obeisance.

O Vidura! It was purely due to Krishna’s grace that Ugrasena could be crowned the King. When Ugrasena was seated on the throne, Krishna in all humility would stand beside him and respectfully address him, “O my king”. Recollecting all those instances when he thus behaved like a humble servant, servants like me feel deeply distressed. Through every deed of His, Srikrishna would eternally preach the rules of righteousness (dharma) to the world. This is merely one such example.

Aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī

Lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-ucitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema”

Om Vāmanāya namah

Om Madhusudanaya namah.

Vidura continued, “O Uddhava, I deeply worry about Dhritarashtra. This is because he cheated his deceased brother and accumulated heaps of sin. He has made it a vow to listen to the words of his sons and walk on that path. When I, his younger brother, sought to advice him rightly seeking his welfare, he threw me out of the city.

I was neither depressed nor astonished when Dritharastra threw me out of the city. This is because I firmly believe that the Supreme Lord Mahavishnu, who regulates this entire universe, has taken on a human form and incarnated as Krishna. He is causing these delusions in people.

With Srikrishna’s grace I am able to see His greatness pervading everything in this creation. Taking care that I am not recognized by anyone, I am silently walking all over the earth visiting holy pilgrim centres.

Srikrishna wanted to destroy all those kings who behaved arrogantly due to their pride of wealth, lineage or knowledge and who proclaimed wars on the strength of their strong military force causing the earth to tremble. He intended to bring the welfare of Pandavas and of those others who had sought refuge in Him. For this reason, even though he possessed utmost prowess, he silently disregarded the mistakes and offences of the Kurus. It was his plan that the credit of having destroyed the wicked should go to his devotees, the Pandavas. This is undoubtedly true.

Ajasya janmotpatha-nāśanāya karmāṇy akartur grahaṇāya puṁsām

Nanv anyathā ko ’rhati deha-yogaṁ paro guṇānām uta karma-tantram

O Uddhava! The Supreme Lord is birthless. Even then He incarnates for blessing those devotees who have sought shelter in Him and for punishing those who tread the path of unrighteousness. It is wrong to bind Him to any of His actions. This is because He is not the doer. Yet, for the purposes of causing an attraction in humans towards the path of righteousness and for the well-being of the universe, He appears as if He is involved in actions.

These worldly bondages originate out of the three attributes of Nature (trigunas). He who possesses transcendental knowledge (jnani) is beyond these worldly bondages. The Supreme Lord is the ultimate Jnani. How then can he be associated with actions or with the body? It is impossible.

O Uddhava! Indra and other deities, abiding by the orders of that Lord, complete the tasks assigned to them. Hearing the pleas of these Lords and for the purposes of ensuring the well-being of this world, the Supreme Lord who inherently is birthless, incarnated as Srikrishna in the Yadu clan.

Those who sing His divine stories and glorify him at all times are rendered totally pure! Therefore O Uddhava, please tell me about Lord Srikrishna.”

With this the first chapter in third Canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Two

The first chapter was exclusively dedicated to Vidura’s questions. Vidura remembered every noble soul and every devotee of the Lord and enquired about each of them individually. From this we come to know that even talking about ardent devotees of the Lord brings auspiciousness. In this chapter Uddhava while replying to Vidura’s questions, recounts the childhood deeds of Srikrishna.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “By the time Vidura and Uddhava met, Uddhava was deeply grieving his separation from Srikrishna. When Vidura, the best amongst devotees (bhāgavattotama), questioned Uddhava desiring to know about Srikrishna, Uddhava, the ardent devotee, was submerged in total devotion. His heart surged with love. He became emotional and anxious. Hence he was unable to reply immediately.

Uddhava was not an ordinary devotee! Even at the tender age of 5, he would make dolls of Srikrishna and would be deeply engrossed in offering services and worship to them. Forgetting even hunger and thirst, Uddhava, at that early age, was eternally absorbed in devotion towards Srikrishna.

One day Uddhava did not come for food even though it was well past lunch time. When his mother called out to him little Uddhava did not agree to set aside his worship to have his food. In this way right from his childhood, Uddhava was eternally absorbed in worshipping Krishna, offering Him services, singing His glories and contemplating upon Him!

Now at this ripened old age, when Vidura enquired about Krishna, his mind fixed itself exclusively upon the lotus feet of the Lord. His devotion significantly intensified. Uddhava, who was enjoying the nectar attained by being absorbed in meditation upon the lotus feet of the Lord, was silent for almost an hour. His body experienced deep horripilation. He remained like a statue with eyes closed. From those eyes tears of joy were flowing profusely without inhibition. His body was drenched in those tears and he was bathing blissfully in those waters. Vidura considered himself fortunate for having met this ardent devotee Uddhava!

After some time Uddhava gradually came out of devotional trance and became conscious of this world. Wiping those tears, recollecting the divine plays of the Lord in astonishment, he said, “O Vidura! The Sun called Srikrishna has set. The python called time has swallowed our homes. Our prosperity has dwindled completely. What then can I say about our welfare?

Durbhago bata loko ’yaṁ yadavo nitarām api

Ye saṁvasanto na vidur hariṁ mīnā ivoḍupam

What can I say about the ill-luck of the human beings in this world? Amongst all the people, the most unfortunate are those who are born in the Yadu lineage.”

Om Vishnave namah. Madhusudanaya namah

Om Viṣṇave namah

Upon reaching Prabhāsa teertha, Vidura came to know that just as a fire caused due to the friction of bamboo trees destroys the entire forest, a violent war between the kinsmen had destroyed the entire Kuru lineage. Deeply aggrieved upon hearing this news, Vidura took up the vow of silence and silently walked towards the banks of River Saraswati.

Reaching the banks of River Saraswati he visited and served the sacred pilgrim centres popularly known as Trita, Uśana, Manu, Pṛthu, Agni, Asita, Vāyu, Sudāsa, Go, Guha and Sraddhadeva.

In this world, in the temples of Lord Mahavishnu consecrated by Devatas and Maharishis, the discus (chakra), which is the most important amongst all His weapons, will be retained decoratively. Merely by visiting such temples people remember Lord Srikrishna. Vidura visited many such temples.

As he visited these temples, he passed through Sauraśtra, Suvīra, Matsya and Kurujānga provinces and at last reached the banks of River Yamuna. Here he happened to meet Uddhava, the great devotee of Lord Srikrishna.

Uddhava, the ardent devotee, had strictly adhered to the instructions given by Srikrishna He was of peaceful nature. He was formerly a student of Lord Brihaspati. Seeing Uddhava, Vidura with great joy embraced him and enquired from Him the well-being of Srikrishna and all other relatives.

Vidura said, “Uddhava, due to the prayer of Brahma, who was born from the navel of that Supreme Lord, the original Gods Krishna and Balarama incarnated upon earth. They have reduced the burden of Mother Earth and thus brought well-being to this universe. I presume that now they have with them the time to relax and rest.

Are they both safe and doing well in the house of Vasudeva? How is the venerable Vasudeva, who is so dear to our Kuru lineage? He was always concerned about the well-being of Kunti and his other sisters and of his brothers-in-law. Is he happy?

How is Pradyumna, the leader of the Yadava army? In his previous birth this valourous warrior was Manmatha, the Lord of desire. Rukmini devi worshipped eminent Vedic Brahmins and obtained Pradyumna as her son from Lord Srikrishna.  Is Pradyumna comfortable and happy?

How is Ugrasena, the King of Sātvata and other Yadava clans? He was never hopeful or desirous of becoming the king. Yet Srikrishna installed him as the king and seated him on the throne.

Jāmbhavati Devi performed severe austerities and obtained Lord Subrahmanya as her son. He was Sāmba. He resembles Srikrishna in every aspect. He is the greatest amongst all the great warriors. How is Sāmba?

How is Satviki, who had learnt the secrets of archery from Arjuna? Through his devotional service he pleased Supreme Lord Srikrishna and obtained from him that ultimate state of devotion (bhāgawata sthithi) which even supreme yatis (saints) find it hard to scale.

At one time Akrura was walking when he saw the footprints of Lord Srikrishna in the middle of the path. Just by seeing those footprints, Arkura’s heart swelled with devotion. Forgetting himself in the devotional love that had surged in him, Akrura fell on that dusty path and rolled in it. How is Akrura, the son of Swaphalaka? This supreme scholar is absolutely sinless and has totally surrendered to the Lord. Is he happy?

How is Devaki, the daughter of Devaka who belonged to the Bhoja clan? She, who is like Aditi the mother of all the Devatas, obtained the original Supreme Lord Mahavishnu as her son. Just as the Vedas retain the Yagnas and Karmas within them she retained the Supreme Lord in her womb. Is she doing well?

Aniruddha is none other than the Supreme Almighty. He is the one who has fulfilled the desires of his devotees who belonged to the Yadu lineage. The fourth aspect of that Supreme Lord Mahavishnu, from whom Vedas originated, is Aniruddha. This is what learned scholars state. He is the presiding deity for the mind. Is Aniruddha happy and comfortable?

O Uddhava, how are other warriors such as Hṛdika and Chārudeṣṇa the son of Satyabhāma? Are they all doing well? The reason I enquire about them is because they possess profound devotion towards Srikrishna, who is the form of the Self.

Krishna and Arjuna are like the two arms to Yudhisthira. Is he, with their help ruling this entire world in a righteous manner? Duryodhana was very jealous of Yudhisthira’s supreme victories and of the extraordinary and astounding palace that Maya had built for him. He was also jealous of the services that Arjuna would render to Yudhisthira. Is Yudhisthira happy and comfortable?

Bheema is known for his intense anger. Mistakes of people cause him to get infuriated. Like a snake he hisses with this anger for long periods. Tossing the mace in his hand when he furiously walks in the war field it appears as if earth will crumble under his pressure. Is Bheema hale and hearty? Has he discarded his anger?

Arjuna had achieved great fame as the best warrior amongst all great warriors and army leaders. At one time when he was performing severe austerities Lord Shiva appeared in front of him disguised as a hunter. When Arjuna overpowered him with his arrows, the Supreme Shiva was so deeply pleased with his valour and might that He blessed Arjuna with the Pāśupata weapon. Is this supreme warrior Arjuna, peaceful and happy, having defeated all his enemies?

The twins Nakula and Sahadeva lost their mother when they were very young. Kunti devi lovingly raised them as if they were her own sons. Yudhisthira, Bheema and Arjuna protected them as zealously as the eyelid protects the eye. Just as Garuda snatched from Indra the bowl of nectar, are these twins, having snatched away from Duryodhana their rightful kingdom, happy and joyful?

O Uddhava, Emperor Pāndu was an expert in wars. Seated in his chariot and with his profound skills in archery he single-handedly conquered all the four directions. His wife Kunti continues to live even after his demise, solely for the sake of her children. This is such a noble trait. How is Kunti?

O Uddhava, I deeply worry about Dhritarashtra. This is because he cheated his deceased brother and accumulated heaps of sin. He has made it a vow to listen to the words of his sons and walk on that path. When I, his younger brother, sought to advice him rightly seeking his welfare, he threw me out of the city’.

In this way Vidura was enquiring about everyone’s welfare. Whether he entertained some doubts about their welfare or was grieving within about the war or whether he wanted to know all the survivors of the war or whether he wanted to highlight the greatness of everyone- we do not know the reason, but he was enquiring individually about them all.

Om Vishnave namah.