SB 1.13.1 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 1
Sri Suta uvacha Vidura tirthayatrayam maitreyad atmane gatim Jnatwaagat hastinapuram taya abapta vividsitah.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Sri Suta uvacha—Sri Suta Goswami said, Vidura—of the name, Tirthayatrayam—while travelling at different pilgrimages, Maitreyad—from the great sage Maitreya, Atmane—of the self, Gati—destination, Jnatwa—by knowing it, Agat—went back, Hastinapuram—the city of Hastinapura, Taya—by that knowledge, Abapta—sufficiently gainer, Vivitsitah—being well versed in everything knowable.
TRANSLATION
Sri Suta Goswami said that Vidura while travelling in the pilgrimages received knowledge about the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and thus came back to Hastinapur. He became well-versed in the subject as fully as he wanted to have it.
PURPORT
Vidurah: is one of the prominent figures in the history of Mahabharat. He is born by Vyasdeva in the womb of the maid servant of Ambika mother of Maharaj Pandu. He is the incarnation of Yamaraj and being cursed by Manduk Muni was to become a Sudra the less intelligent class of men in the society. The story is narrated as follows. Once upon a time the state police caught hold of some thieves who kept concealed themselves in the hermitage of Manduk Muni. The police constables as usual arrested all the thieves as also Manduk Muni along with them. The Magistrate specifically punished the Muni to death being pierced by the lance. When he was just to be pierced the news reached the king and he at once stopped the act on consideration of his becoming a great Muni. The king personally, begged his pardon for the mistake of his men and the saint at once went to Yamaraj who prescribes the destiny of the living being. Yamaraj being enquired by the Muni replied that the Muni in his childhood pierced an ant by sharpen straw and for that reason he was put into difficulty. The Muni thought it unwise on the part of Yamaraja that he punished the Muni for his childish innocence and thus the Muni cursed Yamaraj to become a Sudra and this Sudra incarnation of Yamraj was known as Vidura the Sudra brother of Dhritarastra and Maharaj 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 Brahmin. Although Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of Bhismadeva) still he was given sufficient state property by Dhritarstra the elder brother of Vidura. Vidura was very much attached to his elder brother and all along he tried to guide him in the right path. During fratricidal war of Kuruksherta, Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice to the sons of Pandu but Duryodhone did not like such interference by his uncle and thus Vidura was practically insulted by his nephew Duryodhone which incidence resulted in Vidura's leaving the home for pilgrimage and taking instructions from Maitreya.