SB 4.9.28 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

विदुर उवाच सुदुर्लभं यत्परमं पदं हरे- र्मायाविनस्तच्चरणार्चनार्जितम् । लब्ध्वाप्यसिद्धार्थमिवैकजन्मना कथं स्वमात्मानममन्यतार्थवित् ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

vidura uvāca sudurlabhaṁ yat paramaṁ padaṁ harer māyāvinas tac-caraṇārcanārjitam labdhvāpy asiddhārtham ivaika-janmanā kathaṁ svam ātmānam amanyatārtha-vit

Synonyms

viduraḥ uvāca — Vidura continued to inquire ; sudurlabham — very rare ; yat — that which ; paramam — is the supreme ; padam — situation ; hareḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; māyā — vinaḥ — very affectionate ; tat — His ; caraṇa — lotus feet ; arcana — by worshiping ; arjitam — achieved ; labdhvā — having attained ; api — although ; asiddha — artham — not fulfilled ; iva — as if ; eka — janmanā — in the duration of one life ; katham — why ; svam — own ; ātmānam — heart ; amanyata — he felt ; artha — vit — being very wise .

Translation

Śrī Vidura inquired: My dear brāhmaṇa, 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 Mahārāja achieved this position even in one life, and he was very wise and conscientious. Why, then, was he not very pleased?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Vidura said: Having attained the supreme abode of the merciful Lord which is rarely attained, through worshipping the Lord’s feet, within one lifetime, though he was knowledgeable, why did he consider himself unfulfilled? Hearing that Dhruva was not pleased, Vidura asks why. Māyāvināḥ means merciful. Arthavit means wise.

Purport

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 paramahaṁsa. A paramahaṁsa accepts only the active principle of everything. Just as a swan accepts only the milk from a mixture of water and milk, a paramahaṁsa accepts only the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his life and soul, neglecting all external, material things. Dhruva Mahārāja 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.