Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 3

(10) When Vidura by his elder brother [Dhritarâshthra], was called to the palace for consultation and entered there, he with his instructions gave such an excellent advice that all men of state still speak about it: (11) 'Return now the legitimate share to the one who has no enemy [Yudhishthhira] and who was so patient with your unbearable offenses. You should be afraid of him and his younger brothers, of whom we know Bhîma to be as angry and wrathful as a snake. (12) The sons of Prithâ are now adopted by the Supreme Lord of Liberation who at present, being supported by the brahmins and the godly souls, resides with His family, the honorable Yadu dynasty, that together with Him as their Lord has defeated an unlimited amount of kings. (13) He [Duryodhana], this bad guy you consider your son, stepped forward in your household as an enemy of the Original Person. You who in supporting him thus have turned yourself against Krishna are therefore bereft of all goodness - to that inauspiciousness you must, for the sake of the family, put an end as soon as possible.'

(14) After he had said this Duryodhana addressed Vidura on the spot. Swollen with anger and with trembling lips, he insulted the respectable one of good qualities in the company of Karna, his younger brothers and S'akuni [a maternal uncle] saying: (15) 'Who asked him to be here, this bastard son of a maid-servant who grew up living on the cost of those he betrays as an enemy spy? Throw him immediately out of the palace to be left with his breath only!' (16) Vidura in his turn immediately put his bow at the door and left the palace of his brother, being hurt in the core of his heart by the violence aimed at him. But despite these arrows so painful to the ear, he was unperturbed for he thought that a great opportunity had been offered.

(17) After having left the Kauravas he departed from Hastinâpura and piously sought the salvation of pilgrimages. With the thousands of idols [he saw thus] all that he wanted was the highest degree of purity. (18) He traveled to holy places of devotion where the air, the hills and the orchards, waters, rivers and lakes are clear and the temples are decorated with the appearances of the One Unlimited. Visiting these sites he proceeded alone through the holy lands. (19) Traversing the earth independently in the spirit of sacrifice, he was sanctified by the ground he slept upon. One could not recognize him, who without his familiar clothes was dressed like a mendicant and performed according to the vows to please the Lord. (20) Thus traveling through India, he arrived at the holy land of Prabhâsa, that at the time was under the reign of King Yudhishthhira who by the mercy of the Invincible Lord ruled the world under one military force and flag [see 1.13]. (21) There he heard how all his kinsmen had perished [at Kurukshetra] in a violent passion, the way a bamboo forest burns down because of igniting by its own friction. Thereupon he, grieving, went westward heading for the river Sarasvatî. (22) On the bank of the river he visited the holy places called Trita, Us'anâ, Manu, Prithu, Agni, Asita, Vâyu, Sudâsa, Go, Guha and S'râddhadeva and duly was of worship there. (23) Also other places had been established there by the twice-born godly souls and the devotees of the various forms of Lord Vishnu. He as the leading personality marked each and every part of the temples, the very sight of which made one think of Lord Krishna. (24) From there passing through the wealthy kingdoms of Surat, Sauvîra and Kurujângala [west of India], he, after some time reaching the Yamunâ river, happened to meet Uddhava, the Supreme Lord's greatest devotee [see also Canto 11].

(25) He embraced the sober and gentle constant companion of Vâsudeva who was a former student of Brihaspati, the master of all rituals, and with great love and affection he questioned him about the family of the Supreme Lord. (26) 'Are the original personalities of Godhead [Krishna and Balarâma] doing well in the house of S'ûrasena [the father of Queen Kuntî, aunt Prithâ], they who, on the request of the Creator who was born from the lotus, descended in the world for the elevation and well-being of everyone? (27) And, Uddhava, is our greatest Kuru and brother-in-law, Vasudeva [the father of Lord Krishna] happy? He is truly like a father to his sisters and, to the pleasure of his wives, munificent in providing everything they desire. (28) Please Uddhava, tell me how the military commander-in-chief of the Yadus, Pradyumna, is doing. He in his previous life was the god of love and is now the great hero who as the prince of the Supreme Lord was born from Rukminî after she had pleased the brahmins. (29) And is Ugrasena happy, the king of the Sâtvatas, Vrishnis, Dâs'ârhas and Bhojas? He had to give up the hope of the throne after being put aside [by uncle Kamsa], but Krishna restored his position. (30) Oh grave one, is the son of the Lord, Sâmba, faring well? He, so much alike Him, is the foremost and best behaved one among the warriors. Born from Jâmbavatî [another wife of Krishna] who is so rich in her vows, he in his previous life was the godly Kârttikeya who took birth from the wife of S'iva. (31) And how is Yuyudhâna [Sâtyaki] faring, he who learned from Arjuna and fulfilled his purpose as someone understanding the intricacies of the military art and, on top of that, in his service directly attained the destination of the Transcendence that even for the greatest renouncers is so difficult to achieve? (32) And the scholarly impeccable son of S'vaphalka, Akrûra, how is he? He is the one who in his surrender to the Lord on the path marked with the prints of Krishna's lotus feet lost his composure and, with symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, rolled about in the dust. (33) Is everything all right with the daughter of King Devaka-Bhoja? The same way the purpose of sacrifice originated from the Vedas and the mother of the demigods [Aditi] gave birth to the godhead, she [Devakî] gave birth to Lord Vishnu. (34) And is also Aniruddha, the Personality of Godhead all happy? He, as the fulfiller of the desires of the devotees, is traditionally considered to be the birth channel for the Rig-Veda, to be the creator of the mind and to be the transcendental fourth plenary expansion of the Reality Principle [of Vishnu-tattva]. (35) And others like Hridîka, Cârudeshna, Gada and the son of Satyabhâmâ, who with an absolute faith follow His divinity [Krishna] as the essence of their self, oh humble one, are also they all doing fine?

(36) Does Yudhishthhira, ruling with the principles of humanity, maintain the religious connectedness under the protection of the arms of Arjuna and the Infallible One? It was he who with the opulence of his royal entourage and the service of Arjuna, raised the envy of Duryodhana. (37) And did the unconquerable Bhîma, who is like a cobra, vent his long-cherished fury upon the sinners? The way he with the wonderful play of his club operated on the battlefield, he could not be opposed. (38) Is Arjuna doing well, he, the famous one among the chariot fighters who with his bow the Gândîva vanquished so many enemies? He once satisfied Lord S'iva covering him with arrows when Śiva presented himself unrecognizable as a hunter. (39) And are the twin sons of Prithâ [Nakula and Sahadeva] free from worries? They were by their brothers protected as eyelids covering eyes when they reclaimed their property in the fight with the enemy, just like Garuda [the carrier of Vishnu] did [with the nectar] from the mouth of Indra. (40) Oh dear one, is Prithâ still alive? She dedicated her life to the care for the fatherless children when she had to live without King Pându, he who, alone as a commanding warrior, could master the four directions with a second bow only.

(41) Oh gentle one, I pity him [Dhritarâshthra] who fell down by turning against his brother [Pându] after his death. By driving me, his well-wisher, out of my own house he has adopted the same line of action as his sons. (42) Therefore I travel by the grace of His [Krisna's] feet incognito through this world of the Lord that is so bewildering for others to be engaged in. I never missed to see His feet being doubtless in this matter. (43) He as the Supreme Lord willing to relieve the distress of the surrendered souls, waited, despite the offenses of the Kurus, to [directly] kill these kings who strayed from the path because of the three kinds of false pride [about wealth, education and followers] and who constantly agitated mother earth with the movements of their troops. (44) The birth and activities of the Unborn One, of Him who has no obligations in the world, is there to put an end to the upstarts and attract the people towards Him. Who else transcendental to the modes of nature would assume a body and take upon himself all kinds of karma? (45) Oh my friend, sing the glories and discuss the topics of the Lord worshiped in all sacred places who, from His unborn position, took birth in the family of the Yadus for the sake of all the rulers of the universe who surrendered to Him and [the devotional culture of] His self-control.'

S'uka said: 'This is what Vidura formerly asked His Grace Maitreya Rishi after he had entered the forest upon renouncing his prosperous home:

S'uka said: 'This is what formerly Vidura asked His Grace Maitreya Rishi when he entered the forest after renouncing his prosperous home: (Vedabase)

Text 2

'What to say about the house [of the Pândavas] I am identified with? S'rî Krishna, the Supreme Lord and master of all, was accepted as the minister of its people and had given up entering the house of Duryodhana.'

'What to say of the house [of the Pândava's] I am identified with? S'rî Krishna, the Supreme Lord and master of all, was accepted as the minister of its people and had given up entering the house of Duryodhana.' (Vedabase)

Text 3

The king said: 'Please tell us master, where and when Vidura met His Grace Maitreya Rishi to discuss this?

The king said: 'Please tell us master, where and when did Vidura meet with His Grace Maitreya Muni to discuss this? (Vedabase)

Text 4

Certainly the questions Vidura asked the holy man cannot have been unimportant, they must have been full of the highest purpose as is approved by the seekers of truth.'

Certainly the questions Vidura asked the holy man cannot have been unimportant, they must have been full of the highest purpose as approved by the seekers of truth.' (Vedabase)

Text 5

Sûta said: "He, the great sage S'ukadeva thus being questioned by King Parîkchit, fully satisfied replied, speaking from his great expertise: 'Please listen to this.'

Sûta said: "He, the great sage S'ukadeva thus being questioned by King Parîkchit, fully satisfied replied him from his great expertise: 'Please listen to this'. (Vedabase)"

Text 6

S'rî S'ukadeva said: 'During the time King Dhritarâshthra was raising his dishonest sons, he, who never walked the straight path and had lost his sight, was the guardian of the sons of his younger brother [the deceased Pându, see family tree]. He made them enter the laquer house that he next set on fire [see Mahâbhârata I 139-148].

S'rî S'ukadeva said: 'At the time when King Dhritarâshthra was nourishing his dishonest sons he, never being on the right path, had lost his sight with the sons of his younger brother [the deceased Pându, see family tree] in being their guardian. He made them enter the laquer house which he set on fire [see Mahâbhârata I 139-148]. (Vedabase)

Text 7

When in the assembly the wife of the saintly Kurus [Draupadî] was insulted by his son [Duhs'âsana] who grabbed her by her hair, the king did not forbid this, although his daughter-in-law shed tears that washed away the kumkuma on her breasts [see Mahâbhârata II 58-73].

When in the assembly the wife of the saintly Kurus [Draupadî] was insulted by his son [Duhs'âsana] who grabbed her by her hair, the king did not forbid this, although his daughter-in-law shed tears that washed the red dust of her breast [see Mahâbhârata II 58-73]. (Vedabase)

Text 8

After he who had no enemies [Yudhishthhira] by unfair means was defeated in a game of gambling and as an honest man went into the forest, he, upon his return, was never allotted the share that was promised by him who was overcome by illusion [Dhritarâshthra].

When by unfair means he who was without an enemy [Yudhishthhira] was defeated in a game of gambling and as one loyal to the truth went to the forest, he upon returning in due course never was given his right share by him who was overcome by illusion [Dhritarâshthra]. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Also Lord Krishna, when He on the plea of Arjuna for their sake appeared in the assembly as the teacher of the world, was, with His words as good as nectar, by the king not taken seriously among all the men whose last bit of piety was dwindling.

Also Lord Krishna, when He on the plea of Arjuna came for them into the assembly as the teacher of the world, was, with His words as good as nectar, of all men of sense by the king not taken seriously in the dwindling of the last of their piety. (Vedabase)

Text 10

When Vidura by his elder brother [Dhritarâshthra], was called to the palace for consultation and entered there, he with his instructions gave such an excellent advice that all men of state still speak about it:

When [formerly] called to the palace Vidura entered there for consultation upon the request of of course the elder brother [Dhritarâshthra] and the advice that he then gave was exactly suitable for what the ministers of state with his instructions knew to appreciate: (Vedabase)

Text 11

'Return now the legitimate share to the one who has no enemy [Yudhishthhira] and who was so patient with your unbearable offenses. You should be afraid of him and his younger brothers, of whom we know Bhîma to be as angry and wrathful as a snake.

'Return now the legitimate share to the one who has no enemy [Yudhishthhira] who was so forbearing to your unbearable offenses together with his younger brothers, of which we know Bhîma of anger wrathful like a snake and of whom you verily should be afraid. (Vedabase)

Text 12

The sons of Prithâ are now adopted by the Supreme Lord of Liberation who at present, being supported by the brahmins and the godly souls, resides with His family, the honorable Yadu dynasty, that together with Him as their Lord has defeated an unlimited amount of kings.

The sons of Prithâ have now been taken in by the Supreme Lord of Liberation who, together with the brahmins and the godly, is now here along with His family, the worshipful Yadu dynasty, that conquered with Him an unlimited amount of kings. (Vedabase)

Text 13

He [Duryodhana], this bad guy you consider your son, stepped forward in your household as an enemy of the Original Person. You who in supporting him thus have turned yourself against Krishna are therefore bereft of all goodness - to that inauspiciousness you must, for the sake of the family, put an end as soon as possible.'

He [Duryodhana], this offense in person, stepped, with the idea of him as your son, forward in your household as an enemy of the Original One, while he, bereft of all goodness, opposes Krishna - that inauspiciousness you must, for the sake of the family, give up as soon as possible.' (Vedabase)

Text 14

After he had said this Duryodhana addressed Vidura on the spot. Swollen with anger and with trembling lips, he insulted the respectable one of good qualities in the company of Karna, his younger brothers and S'akuni [a maternal uncle] saying:

After Vidura spoke thus he was there addressed by Duryodhana who, swollen with anger and with trembling lips, insulted the respectable one of good qualities in the company of Karna, his younger brothers and S'akuni [a maternal uncle]: (Vedabase)

Text 15

'Who asked him to be here, this bastard son of a maid-servant who grew up living on the cost of those he betrays as an enemy spy? Throw him immediately out of the palace to be left with his breath only!'

'Who asked him to be here, this crooked son of a mistress, who grew up living on the subsistence of those with whom he's taking the position of an enemy spy? Throw him immediately out of the palace to be left with his breath only!' (Vedabase)

Text 16

Vidura in his turn immediately put his bow at the door and left the palace of his brother, being hurt in the core of his heart by the violence aimed at him. But despite these arrows so painful to the ear, he was unperturbed for he thought that a great opportunity had been offered.

Vidura on his turn consequently put his bow at the door and left the palace of his brother, being afflicted in the core of his heart with the external energy; but despite of these to the ear so severe arrows, about which he didn't feel sorry, he felt great. (Vedabase)