SB 1.15.49 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 49
- Vidura api paritajya prabhase dehamatmanah
- Krishna avesena tat chittah pitribhih sakshayam yayou.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Vidura—uncle of Maharaj Yudhisthira, Api—also, Paritajya—after quitting the body, Prabhase—in the pilgrimage of Prabhasa, Dehamatmanah—his body, Krishna—the Personality of Godhead, Avesena—being absorbed in that thought, Tat—his, Chittah—thoughts and actions. Pitribhih—along with the residents of Pitriloka, Sakshayan—his own abode, Yayou—departed.
TRANSLATION
Vidura, also while he was on pilgrimage, left his body at Pravash; and because he was full in thought of Lord Krishna he was received by the denizens of Pitriloka planet where he returned back in his original post.
PURPORT
The difference between the Pandavas and Vidura is that the formers are eternal associates of the Lord Personality of Godhead, whereas Vidura is one of the administrative demigods in charge of the Pitriloka planet as Yamaraja. Everyone is afraid of Yamaraja because it is he only who awards punishments to the miscreants of the material world but those who are devotees of the Lord have nothing to fear from him. To the devotees he is a cordial friend but to the non-devotees he is the fear personified. As we have already discussed about Vidura, it is understood that Yam Raja was cursed by Manduk Muni to be degraded as Sudra and therefore Vidura was an incarnation of Yamaraj. As eternal servitor of the Lord he displayed his devotional activities very ardently and lived a life of a high class pious man so much so that a materialistic man like Dhritarastra also got salvation by his instruction. So by his pious activities in devotional service of the Lord he was able to remember always about the lotus feet of the Lord by which he became washed off from all contamination of a Sudra born-life and at the end he was again received by the denizens of pitriloka and posted on his original place. The demigods are also associates of the Lord without any personal touch while the direct associates of the Lord are in constant personal touch with Him. The Lord and the personal associates do incarnate in many universes without any stoppage. The Lord remembers them all while the associates forget due to their being very minute parts and parcel of the Lord; they are apt to forget such incidences on account of being infinitesimal. This is corroborated in the Bhagwat Geeta (Bg. 4.5)