Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.13.28

athodicim disam yatu

svair ajnata-gatir bhavan

ito 'rvak prayasah kalah

pumsam guna-vikarshanah

SYNONYMS

atha -- therefore; udicim -- northern side; disam -- direction; yatu -- please go away; svaih -- by your relatives; ajnata -- without knowledge; gatih -- movements; bhavan -- of yourself; itah -- after this; arvak -- will usher in; prayasah -- generally; kalah -- time; pumsam -- of men; guna -- qualities; vikarshanah -- diminishing.

TRANSLATION

Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men.

PURPORT

One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhira, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead. Dhritarashtra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhira in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyasi or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhira. The dhira stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhira stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyasa. The sannyasa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahamsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.

<<< >>>

Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness