Shloka 1
Vidura’s Questions on Devotion and Sarga; Maitreya Begins the Account of Creation
श्री शुक उवाच द्वारि द्युनद्या ऋषभ: कुरूणां मैत्रेयमासीनमगाधबोधम् । क्षत्तोपसृत्याच्युतभावसिद्ध: पप्रच्छ सौशील्यगुणाभितृप्त: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca dvāri dyu-nadyā ṛṣabhaḥ kurūṇāṁ maitreyam āsīnam agādha-bodham kṣattopasṛtyācyuta-bhāva-siddhaḥ papraccha sauśīlya-guṇābhitṛptaḥ
Śukadeva said: Vidura, the foremost of the Kurus, perfected in devotion to Acyuta, came to the gateway of the celestial Gaṅgā (Hardwar), where the great sage Maitreya, of unfathomable wisdom, was seated. Gentle and inwardly satisfied, Vidura approached and inquired.
Vidura was already perfect due to his unalloyed devotion to the infallible Lord. The Lord and the living entities are all qualitatively the same by nature, but the Lord is quantitatively much greater than any individual living entity. He is ever infallible, whereas the living entities are prone to fall under the illusory energy. Vidura had already surpassed the fallible nature of the living entity in conditional life due to his being acyuta-bhāva, or legitimately absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord. This stage of life is called acyuta-bhāva-siddha, or perfection by dint of devotional service. Anyone, therefore, who is absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord is a liberated soul and has all admirable qualities. The learned sage Maitreya was sitting in a solitary place on the bank of the Ganges at Hardwar, and Vidura, who was a perfect devotee of the Lord and possessed all good transcendental qualities, approached him for inquiry.
FAQs
This verse shows Vidura respectfully approaching the realized sage Maitreya and inquiring from him—highlighting that spiritual understanding deepens through humble questions to a truly wise devotee.
Vidura, perfected in devotion to Acyuta, sought deeper understanding and therefore went to meet Maitreya, whose wisdom was profound; the Yamunā setting marks a sacred place for such devotional inquiry.
Seek guidance from authentic, principled teachers; approach with humility, ask sincere questions, and value character—gentleness and virtue—along with knowledge.