Vidura returns
Vidura was disgusted when criticized by his nephew, and immediately left the royal palace for good.
Taking nothing from his previous life, he went on pilgrimage to purify his consciousness. It was then that he heard the news of Krishna’s departure. Soon after he returned to Hastinapura the capital of the Yadus.
Thirty years had passed so no-one in the family knew whether Vidura was still alive. Pious King Yudhisthira was overjoyed to see his dear uncle once more.
But Vidura had come for a reason. It was to convince his elder brother, Dhrtarastra, to follow his example.
Although blind from birth Dhrtarastra wanted to rule. He transferred his ambitions to his sons, who became bitter rivals of the Pandavas, who has the rights to the throne. This led to intrigues, murder plots and finally a massive battle in which all his sons were killed.
Yudhisthira accepted responsibility for his elderly uncle and aunt and supported them comfortably. Vidura wanted them to wake up to the danger of impending death and remove themselves to the forest for self-realization.
This is the scene:
Vidura is using different tactics to shake the complacency of his elder brother.
The Bhagavatam in general is very powerful as a tonic to remove complacency. But it is unlimitedly more than that as well. The Bhagavatam plants the seed of transcendental reality, which blossoms into the Tenth Canto pastimes of Krishna.
Back to Vidura:
Let’s listen in. This might be some medicine we require?
“My dear King, [a sarcastic address for his old, blind, ambitious, elder brother] Please get out of here immediately. Just see how fear has overtaken you.”
“This frightening situation, [the arrival of old age and death] cannot be remedied by any person in this world. It is the Lord who approaches us all in the form of time.”
If a young person reads this, they might not feel it’s relevance, but for someone my age, it is starting to become clearer
Vidura continues his arguements
“Everyone in your family has been killed in the war, and the major portion of your life has already passed. Look at you. Your teeth are loose, your hearing is poor, and your memory is short. You cough up mucous and your liver is weak.”
Shall we add that your hair is falling out, your face has become wrinkled, your back aches, and your rheumatism has become very painful ?
Next Vidura adds a cutting remark.
He compares his elder brother to a household dog for accepting scraps of food given by the person who killed all his sons! Bhima.
Here Srila Prabhupada tells us that a sadhu should not flatter rich people. He should be prepared to speak the naked truth. His service is to awaken blind persons and help them to go where life is eternal. We can just imagine how responsible a task is entrusted to a sadhu like Vidura.
More instructions:
“A firstclass man awakens, and understands, either by himself or through the guidance of others, the falsity and misery of this world. Thus he leaves home, and depends fully on the Lord within his heart.”
Whilst we are not asked to leave our homes, we are invited to understand the falsity of the world through our own experience. Like Dhrtarastra, we need to become introspective.
Vidura warns the old King
“Leave right now. There is no time to spare. Soon the time is coming which will diminish the good qualities of men.”
Vidura knew the urgency - Kali Yuga was about to begin.
He warned his brother than the atmosphere created by his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away, due to the influence of the age, which was fast approaching.
The influence of the age:
How easy it is to recognize the effects of Kali Yuga on modern society. How easy it is to see how diluted or dishonest modern spiritualism has become. How easy it is to see the degredation which is snowballing the world.
Yet to maintain a powerful atmosphere like that created by Vidura or Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, is not easy now. As old age merely gets worse, so will Kali Yuga. Therefore Srila Prabhupad and all sadhus emphatically warn us to move foreward in our spiritual life as quickly as we can.
Vidura was successful. He managed to convince his brother to leave the palace secretly to go to the forest. There he practised yoga and quit his body. Vidura, being affected by delight and grief, then went on pilgrimage.
May we all be fortunate to receive the blessings of the instructions of Vidura.
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