Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 28
Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama and Vidura’s Turn Toward Maitreya
राजोवाच निधनमुपगतेषु वृष्णिभोजे- ष्वधिरथयूथपयूथपेषु मुख्य: । स तु कथमवशिष्ट उद्धवो यद्धरि- रपि तत्यज आकृतिं त्र्यधीश: ॥ २८ ॥
rājovāca nidhanam upagateṣu vṛṣṇi-bhojeṣv adhiratha-yūthapa-yūthapeṣu mukhyaḥ sa tu katham avaśiṣṭa uddhavo yad dharir api tatyaja ākṛtiṁ tryadhīśaḥ
Der König fragte: Als die Spiele des Herrn der drei Welten, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, zu Ende gingen und die Angehörigen der Vṛṣṇi- und Bhoja-Dynastien, die besten unter den großen Heerführern, verschwanden—warum blieb allein Uddhava zurück? Warum verließ selbst Hari ihn nicht?
According to Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, nidhanam means the transcendental abode of the Lord. Ni means the highest, and dhanam means opulence. And because the abode of the Lord is the highest manifestation of transcendental opulence, His abode can therefore be called nidhanam. Apart from the grammatical elucidation, the real purpose of the word nidhanam is to indicate that all the members of the Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja dynasties were direct associates of the Lord, and after the end of His pastimes, all the associates were dispatched to their respective positions in the transcendental abode.
FAQs
This verse raises Parīkṣit’s inquiry: Uddhava remained because he was especially dear and entrusted with the Lord’s message—fit to carry Kṛṣṇa’s final instructions and continue devotion after the Yadu destruction.
Parīkṣit is asking about the Lord’s apparent departure from visible earthly pastimes. The verse points to Kṛṣṇa ending His manifest līlā, not to any loss of divinity—He remains the Lord of the three worlds.
When outward supports fall away, a devotee holds to the Lord’s teachings and service. Like Uddhava, one can become a carrier of dharma and bhakti by preserving sacred wisdom and living it steadily.