Canto 3: The Status QuoChapter 4: Vidura Approaches Maitreya

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.4.17

mantreṣu māḿ vā upahūya yat tvam

akuṇṭhitākhaṇḍa-sadātma-bodhaḥ

pṛccheḥ prabho mugdha ivāpramattas

tan no mano mohayatīva deva

SYNONYMS

mantreṣu — in consultations; mām — unto me; vai — as either; upahūya — by calling; yat — as much as; tvam — Your Lordship; akuṇṭhita — without hesitation; akhaṇḍa — without being separated; sadā — eternally; ātma — self; bodhaḥ — intelligent; pṛccheḥ — asked; prabho — O my Lord; mugdhaḥ — bewildered; iva — as if it were so; apramattaḥ — although never bewildered; tat — that; naḥ — our; manaḥ — mind; mohayati — bewilders; iva — as it is so; deva — O my Lord.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, Your eternal Self is never divided by the influence of time, and there is no limitation to Your perfect knowledge. Thus You were sufficiently able to consult with Yourself, yet You called upon me for consultation, as if bewildered, although You are never bewildered. And this act of Yours bewilders me.

PURPORT

Uddhava was never actually bewildered, but he says that all these contradictions appear to be bewildering. The whole discussion between Kṛṣṇa and Uddhava was meant for the benefit of Maitreya, who was sitting nearby. The Lord used to call Uddhava for consultation when the city was attacked by Jarāsandha and others and when He executed great sacrifices as part of His routine royal work as Lord of Dvārakā. The Lord has no past, present and future because He is unhampered by the influence of eternal time and thus nothing is hidden from Him. He is eternally self-intelligent. Therefore His calling for Uddhava to give Him enlightenment is certainly astonishing. All these actions of the Lord appear to be contradictory, although there is no contradiction in the routine activities of the Lord. Therefore it is better to see them as they are and not attempt to explain them.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness