Shloka 30
Nārada Instructs the Pracetās: Bhakti as the Goal of All Paths
श्रीशुक उवाच इत्यानम्य तमामन्त्र्य विदुरो गजसाह्वयम् । स्वानां दिदृक्षु: प्रययौ ज्ञातीनां निर्वृताशय: ॥ ३० ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca ity ānamya tam āmantrya viduro gajasāhvayam svānāṁ didṛkṣuḥ prayayau jñātīnāṁ nirvṛtāśayaḥ
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thus Vidura bowed to the great sage Maitreya and, having taken his permission, departed for Gajasāhvaya—Hastināpura—to see his own kinsmen, though his heart was free from material desire.
When a saintly person wants to see his kinsmen, he has no material desire to see them. He simply wants to give them some instructions so that they can benefit. Vidura belonged to the royal family of the Kauravas, and although he knew that all the family members were destroyed at the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he nonetheless wanted to see his elder brother, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, to see if he could deliver Dhṛtarāṣṭra from the clutches of māyā. When a great saintly person like Vidura sees his relatives, he desires only to deliver them from the clutches of māyā. Vidura thus offered his respectful obeisances to his spiritual master and departed for the city of Hastināpura, the kingdom of the Kauravas.
FAQs
After offering respects and taking leave, Vidura left for Hastināpura to see his relatives, with a heart made peaceful through spiritual realization.
This verse is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī while narrating Vidura’s movements and state of mind.
It suggests that when one’s mind is spiritually grounded, duties and relationships can be approached without anxiety—acting from inner steadiness rather than restlessness.