sūtaḥ uvāca - Sūta Gosvāmī said; tat - that; ādi-rājasya - of the original king; yaśaḥ - reputation; vijṛmbhitam - highly qualified; guṇaiḥ - by qualities; aśeṣaiḥ - unlimited; guṇa-vat - fittingly; sabhājitam - being praised; kṣattā - Vidura; mahā-bhāgavataḥ - the great saintly devotee; sadaḥ-pate - leader of the great sages; kauṣāravim - unto Maitreya; prāha - said; gṛṇantam - while talking; arcayan - offering all respectful obeisances.

Sūta Gosvāmī continued: O Śaunaka, leader of the great sages, after hearing Maitreya speak about the various activities of King Pṛthu, the original king, who was fully qualified, glorified and widely praised all over the world, Vidura, the great devotee, very submissively worshiped Maitreya Ṛṣi and asked him the following question.