Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.9.28

vidura uvāca

sudurlabhaḿ yat paramaḿ padaḿ harer

māyāvinas tac-caraṇārcanārjitam

labdhvāpy asiddhārtham ivaika-janmanā

kathaḿ 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?

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 paramahaḿsa. A paramahaḿsa accepts only the active principle of everything; just as a swan accepts only the milk from a mixture of water and milk, a paramahaḿsa 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.

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