विदुरस्तीर्थयात्रायां मैत्रेयादात्मनो गतिम् ।
ज्ञात्वागाद्धास्तिनपुरं तयावाप्तविवित्सितः ॥१॥
sÅ«ta uvÄca
viduras tÄ«rtha-yÄtrÄyÄá¹
maitreyÄd Ätmano gatim
jñÄtvÄgÄd dhÄstinapuraá¹
tayÄvÄpta-vivitsitaḥ
1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: SB(1)
sÅ«taḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« SÅ«ta GosvÄmÄ« said; viduraḥ - Vidura; tÄ«rtha-yÄtrÄyÄm - while traveling to different places of pilgrimage; maitreyÄt - from the great sage Maitreya; Ätmanaḥ - of the self; gatim - destination; jñÄtvÄ - by knowing it; ÄgÄt - went back; hÄstinapuram - the city of HastinÄpura; tayÄ - by that knowledge; avÄpta - sufficiently a gainer; vivitsitaḥ - being well versed in everything knowable.
ÅšrÄ« SÅ«ta GosvÄmÄ« said: While traveling on a pilgrimage, Vidura received knowledge of the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and then returned to HastinÄpura. He became as well versed in the subject as he desired.
Vidura: One of the prominent figures in the history of the MahÄbhÄrata. He was conceived by VyÄsadeva in the womb of the maidservant of AmbikÄ, mother of MahÄrÄja PÄṇá¸u. He is the incarnation of YamarÄja. Being cursed by Maṇá¸Å«ka Muni, he was to become a śūdra. The story is narrated as follows:
Once upon a time the state police caught some thieves who had concealed themselves in the hermitage of Maṇá¸Å«ka Muni. The police constables, as usual, arrested all the thieves and Maṇá¸Å«ka Muni along with them. The magistrate specifically punished the muni to death by being pierced with a lance. When he was just to be pierced, the news reached the king, and he at once stopped the act on consideration of his being a great muni. The king personally begged the muni’s pardon for the mistake of his men, and the saint at once went to YamarÄja, who prescribes the destiny of the living beings. YamarÄja, being questioned by the muni, replied that the muni in his childhood pierced an ant with a sharpened straw, and for that reason he was put into difficulty. The muni thought it unwise on the part of YamarÄja that he was punished for his childish innocence, and thus the muni cursed YamarÄja to become a śūdra, and this śūdra incarnation of YamarÄja was known as Vidura, the śūdra brother of Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra and MahÄrÄja PÄṇá¸u. But this śūdra son of the Kuru dynasty was equally treated by BhÄ«á¹£madeva, along with his other nephews, and in due course Vidura was married with a girl who was also born in the womb of a śūdrÄṇī by a brÄhmaṇa. Although Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of BhÄ«á¹£madeva), still he was given sufficient state property by Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra, the elder brother of Vidura. Vidura was very much attached to his elder brother, and all along he tried to guide him on the right path. During the fratricidal war of Kuruká¹£etra, Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice to the sons of PÄṇá¸u, but Duryodhana did not like such interference by his uncle, and thus he practically insulted Vidura. This resulted in Vidura’s leaving home for pilgrimage and taking instructions from Maitreya.
