सुदुर्लभं यत्परमं पदं हरे
र्मायाविनस्तच्चरणार्चनार्जितम् ।
लब्ध्वाप्यसिद्धार्थमिवैकजन्मना
कथं स्वमात्मानममन्यतार्थवित् ॥२८॥
vidura uvÄca
sudurlabhaá¹ yat paramaá¹ padaá¹ harer
mÄyÄvinas tac-caraṇÄrcanÄrjitam
labdhvÄpy asiddhÄrtham ivaika-janmanÄ
kathaá¹ svam ÄtmÄnam amanyatÄrtha-vit
viduraḥ uvÄca - Vidura continued to inquire; sudurlabham - very rare; yat - that which; paramam - is the supreme; padam - situation; hareḥ - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mÄyÄ-vinaḥ - very affectionate; tat - His; caraṇa - lotus feet; arcana - by worshiping; arjitam - achieved; labdhvÄ - having attained; api - although; asiddha-artham - not fulfilled; iva - as if; eka-janmanÄ - in the duration of one life; katham - why; svam - own; ÄtmÄnam - heart; amanyata - he felt; artha-vit - being very wise.
ÅšrÄ« Vidura inquired: My dear brÄhmaṇa, the abode of the Lord is very difficult to attain. It can be attained only by pure devotional service, which alone pleases the most affectionate, merciful Lord. Dhruva MahÄrÄja achieved this position even in one life, and he was very wise and conscientious. Why, then, was he not very pleased?
Saint Vidura’s inquiry is very relevant. The word artha-vit, which refers to one who knows how to discriminate between reality and unreality, is very significant in this connection. An artha-vit is also called paramahaá¹sa. A paramahaá¹sa accepts only the active principle of everything. Just as a swan accepts only the milk from a mixture of water and milk, a paramahaá¹sa accepts only the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his life and soul, neglecting all external, material things. Dhruva MahÄrÄja was in this category, and due to his determination he achieved the result he desired, but still, when he returned home he was not very pleased.
