Mahatma Vidura [from iskcondc.org]

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

One of the most endearing figures in the epic Mahabharata is Vidura, the

strong but often helpless uncle of the Pandavas who tries to protect them

from all the intrigue perpetrated by the evil minded Duryodhana and at the

same time striving to serve King Dhrtarastra, the doting and ambitious

father of the Duryodhana. Vidura occupies a unique position in

Mahabharata, being constantly tossed between his duty as a minister to the

king, his loyalty to the throne, his affection for his family and his

adherence to religious principles.

 

Vidura is none other than Yamaraja (or Dharmaraja), the demigod

responsible for punishing or rewarding people based on their actions.

Yamaraja, as the lord of death, is one of the most powerful demigod and as

the dispenser of justice one of the wisest. Yamaraja is one of the twelve

Mahajans, and has complete understanding of the Vedic scriptures and their

conclusions, and is on the level of such exalted personalities as Brahma,

Narada, Siva, Kapila, Bhisma, Prahlada, etc.

 

Yamaraja cursed

**************

Once there was a great ascetic named Manduka Muni who lived in the forests

performing austerities. On a particular day, while the sage was deep in

meditation, a band of robbers being pursued by the soldiers, hid their

loot in his hut and also tried to hide in there. Eventually the soldiers

tracked the thieves and arrested them. Since the loot and the thieves were

found in the hut of Manduka Muni, they arrested him also.

 

As was the law at the time, the thieves as well as Manduka Muni were

sentenced to die, by being pierced by lances. However just as the sentence

was about to be executed, the king heard of this and immediately stopped

the execution. Then on behalf of his soldiers, who were ignorant of the

position of Manduka Muni, the king humbly apologized and begged for

forgiveness. Manduka Muni, enlightened after long austerities, understood

that all that is happening to him was a result of his own past karma, and

thus readily forgave the king and his subjects.

 

However, curious about what sins he had done for which he was to be

punished in this way, Manduka Muni went to the abode of Yamaraja and

inquired about this. At this time Yamaraja revealed that when Manduka Muni

was a child he had once killed an ant by piercing it with a thorn, thus he

was to be punished in this way. However Manduka Muni considered the

punishment not commensurate to the activities of an innocent young child.

Considering that Yamaraja had acted in a way befitting one who has no

knowledge, Manduka Muni cursed him to take birth as a sudra. As per the

curse, Yamaraja fell from his position and took birth as Vidura, a sudra.

In his absence, Aryama, one of the twelve Adityas (sons of Kasyapa Muni

and Aditi) officiated at the post of Yamaraja.

 

One may wonder that how is it possible for Yamaraja, the Lord of justice,

a Mahajana, to make such an error of judgment? The acaryas reveal the

hidden reason for this pastime. As the Lord of justice, Yamaraja is always

busy dealing with the sinners and does not get an opportunity to associate

with the Lord and His devotees. However as Vidura, he got the personal

association of Krishna and His pure devotees. He also got an opportunity

to witness and preach the glories of the Lord and to purify himself. After

living his life as Vidura he returned to his planet, Pitraloka and resumed

his duties as Yamaraja. Thus the curse by Manduka Muni was really a

benediction arranged by the Lord as a special favor to His devotee.

 

Birth of Vidura

************

Emperor Santanu, the king of the Kuru dynasty, was once very much taken by

the beauty of Satyavati, the daughter of a chief of fishermen. The

ambitious father of Satyavati placed the condition that the son of

Satyavati would be future king. Since Santanu had already crowned the

eminently qualified Bhisma (born from the union of Santanu with Ganga

devi, the presiding deity of the holy river Ganages), as the prince

regent, he refused to accept this condition. However, driven by the love

for his father, Bhisma voluntarily gave up all claims to the throne and

vowed to forever serve the throne. Since one of the requirements of

becoming a king is to marry and produce an heir, Bhishma effectively

relinquished all claims to the throne by taking the vow of celibacy.

 

From Satyavati, Santanu had two sons, Citrangada and Vicitravirya.

Citrangada was killed in a fight by the Gandharva king also bearing the

same name. Vicitravirya later married Ambika and Ambalika, the two

daughter of King Kasiraja. However he also died in an untimely manner,

without producing any heirs. Satyavati requested Bhisma to produce heirs

from the womb of Ambika and Ambalika, since at the time the Vedic

scriptures permitted a man to produce offsprings from the widow of his

brother (this is however forbidden in the present age). However Bhisma

declined because of his vows.

 

Satyavati then summoned Vyasa deva, who was also her son, produced by a

previous mystical union with Parasara Muni. Vyasa deva, was a perfected,

completely self-realized brahman and an empowered incarnation of Lord

Krishna. He agreed to his mother's request and approached the wives of his

deceased brother. Shocked by the austere appearance of Vyasadeva, Ambika

refused to open her eyes during the union and thus Dhrtarastra was born

blind. Similarly Ambalika was trembling with fear at the approach of Vyasa

deva, and thus her son Pandu was born very pale. When Satyavati requested

Ambalika to try again, the terrified queen instead send a maid servant, a

sudra woman.

 

Vyasadeva was very respectfully served by this woman. Pleased by her,

Vyasa deva gave her the benediction that the very personality of religion

would take birth in her womb, and thus from their union was born Vidura.

Since at the time, the child took the caste of his mother, Vidura was

considered to be a sudra. He was maintained by the royal family and

because of his keen intellect he became on of the closest minister of King

Dhrtarastra. He later married a woman with a similar lineage.

 

 

Vidura's role in Mahabharata

************************

Vidura was the personification of religion and treated every one fairly.

He always spoke out strongly against his evil minded nephew Duryodhana and

he always criticized Dhrtarastra for allowing his attachment for the

throne and his son to override his duties as a king and protector. In

other words he treated every one equitably. He saw that Pandavas as pious

and without a protector, so he sheltered them. In Duryodhana he saw greed

and evilness, so with equal compassion, he chastised him. In his brother

the king, he saw weakness, so he strongly advised him on what is right and

what is not. In all situations, he was calm and detached.

 

At the time Krishna came as a messenger for the Pandavas, requesting some

land for them to rule, Duryodhana bluntly refused. Vidura at this time

strongly criticized Duryodhana and advised Dhrtarastra to cast away his

irreligious son. Stung by this criticism, Duryodhana openly insulted

Vidura in the court, calling him an ungrateful sudra. Vidura accepted this

insult with his usual equanimity and used it as an opportunity to separate

himself from the intrigue. He calmly got up from the court, placing his

weapons on the door and walked away. Being a pure devotee of the Lord,

Vidura used this opportunity to visit places of pilgrimages and associate

with saintly men. In this way he carried on for close to thirty years,

traveling widely and taking the association of highly elevated sages and

devotees.

 

Purification of Vidura

******************

During his travels, Vidura met and inquired from the great sage Maitreya,

who was a close associate of Vyasa Muni, the father of Vidura. The

conversation between Vidura and Maitreya forms the foundation of the

Srimad Bhagavatam, and spans three cantos of the scripture. Since Maitreya

had been previously purified by the association of Uddhava, a pure devotee

of the Lord, and by none other that Sri Krishna Himself, he was eminently

qualified to answer the intelligent questions of Vidura. In this way,

Vidura who was eminently qualified to begin with, became a pure devotee by

the association of other pure devotees.

 

In his concluding pastimes, Vidura returned to Hastinapura to visit his

elder brother Dhrtarastra once again. Out of compassion for his brother,

Vidura instructed him strongly about the matters of life and death, sin

and punishment and finally convinced him to leave the comforts of his

palace. Deep in the jungle, under the expert guidance of Vidura,

Dhrtarastra perfected the astanga yoga and gave up his body in a burst of

flames generated by the fire of his yoga. His chaste wife Gandhari entered

the fire, meditating on her husband.

 

Vidura, a sadhu exemplified

***********************

Vidura exemplifies the qualities and behavior of a sadhu. He was always

calm and self controlled, even in the face of adversity and personal

insult. He was the well wisher of every one, irrespective of their

friendship or animosity towards him and his instructions were for the

ultimate material liberation. He was detached from both praise and insult

and completely absorbed in increasing his association with the Lord.