Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.7.13

śrī-śuka uvāca

ity ādiṣṭo bhagavatā

mahā-bhāgavato nṛpa

uddhavaḥ praṇipatyāha

tattvaḿ jijñāsur acyutam

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; ādiṣṭaḥ — instructed; bhagavatā — by the Supreme Lord; mahā-bhāgavataḥ — the exalted devotee of the Lord; nṛpa — O King; uddhavaḥ — Uddhava; praṇipatya — after bowing down to offer respects; āha — spoke; tattvam — the scientific truth; jijñāsuḥ — being eager to learn; acyutam — unto the infallible Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmi said: O King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, thus instructed His pure devotee Uddhava, who was eager to receive knowledge from the Lord. Uddhava then offered obeisances to the Lord and spoke as follows.

PURPORT

Uddhava is described here as tattvaḿ jijñāsuḥ, or desiring to know the truth. It is clear from previous verses that Śrī Uddhava is a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and that he considers devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the perfection of life. Thus the words tattvaḿ jijñāsuḥ indicate that since Lord Kṛṣṇa is about to leave the earth, Uddhava is most anxious to deepen his understanding of the Lord so that he may further advance in loving service at the Lord's lotus feet. Unlike an ordinary philosopher or scholar, a pure devotee is not eager to acquire knowledge for personal gratification.

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