47 verses
Uddhava said: O Acyuta, I think that the method of yoga described by you is very difficult for one who cannot control his mind. Therefore please explain to me immediately how someone can more quickly attain perfection.
O lotus-eyed Lord! Generally those yogīs who try to absorb their minds in Brahman experience frustration. Because of their inability to perfect samādhi, they become fatigued in their attempt to bring the mind under control.
He explains why the process is difficult. Those who absorb the mind in Brahman (yuñjanatah) become frustrated. Because of inability to attain samādhi, they become fatigued in controlling the mind.
O lotus-eyed Lord of the universe! Therefore, discerning men joyfully take shelter of your lotus feet, the source of bliss. But those who take pride in their accomplishments in yoga and karma fail to take shelter of you and are defeated by your illusory energy.
Those who consider weak and strong points joyfully take shelter of your lotus feet. Those who consider themselves karmīs, yogīs or jñānīs are defeated by your māyā. They do not take shelter of your feet and thus become frustrated.
O infallible Lord! O friend of all beings! It is not very astonishing that you are dependent on your servants who have taken exclusive shelter of you. As Rāmacandra, you displayed special affection for monkeys such as Hanumān while devatās shook your foot pedestal with the tips of their crowns,
Those who worship only you become the recipients of your affection. That is not astonishing. You are dependent (ātma-sāttvam) on your servants devoid of performing jñāna, yoga and karma. The kings city which is respected by brāhmaṇas becomes dependent on brāhmaṇas. Similarly you are respected by your servants, and become dependent on your servants. As Rāma, you relished friendly relationships with the monkeys. Or another meaning is: you took pleasure in herding the cows along with the deer of Vṛndāvana. Or you took pleasure in stealing butter along with the monkeys. Do we understand that they practiced the yoga you described? You are dependent on them. But you are not dependent on any of the Advaita jñānīs at all. This implies that Uddhava does not accept jñāna-yoga. Pīòitam means shaken.
What person who knows the mercy that you show to your devotees could reject you, the dearest among all souls, the Supreme Lord of all, who give all perfections to the devotees who take shelter of you? Who would reject you and accept something for the sake of material enjoyment or liberation, which simply leads to forgetfulness of you? And what lack is there for us who are engaged in the service of the dust of your lotus feet?
You are the most beloved among all jīvas, since you appear as Nārada and other jīvas to teach bhakti. You are the Lord since you give the results of karma to everyone. You give all puruśārthas to those who surrender to you. What person who knows the mercy you showed Bali, Prahlāda and others (sva-kṛta-vit) would give you up? No one would. Only an ungrateful person, some low type of yogī who does not appreciate rasa would do so. And if a person worships you, would he worship you with the desire for material enjoyment or liberation? Who would worship you for liberation (anubhūtyai) or for kingdom, which is a way of forgetting you? No one would. Kim api modifies the verb. The meaning is No one would worship with these intentions.
But why do we see Prahlāda and other devotees who have no material desire attaining material assets and liberation? Nothing is lacking for the devotee. As stated in the Nārāyaṇīya of the Mokṣa-dharma, in Mahābhārata:
yā vai sādhana-sampattiḥ puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaye
tayā vinā tad āpnoti naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ
Whatever among the four goals of human life can be achieved by various spiritual practices is automatically achieved without such endeavors by the person who has taken shelter of Nārāyaṇa.
Material enjoyment and liberation are the secondary results of bhakti, not desired by the devotee. But these are given by you to them anyway.
O my Lord! Intelligent persons can not fully express their indebtedness to you, even if they were endowed with the lifetime of Brahmā, because on remembering what you have done form them, their joy increases even more: appearing externally as guru and internally as Paramātma, you reveal the goal of prema to the devotees.
Because I give all benedictions to only persons who worship me, such bestowals are not unconditional. Rather they are conditional. This is not so. Whatever worship they perform is actually given by you alone. You are the supreme unconditional giver of benedictions. People can never repay the debt even by serving you for thousands of Brahmās lifetimes.
Those with discrimination (kavayaḥ) can never become debtless (apacitim) in their worship, even if they worshipped you for a life span of Brahmā, because, on remembering what you have done, their bliss increases. What have you done? You appear externally as the mantra-guru and śikṣā-guru, by whom one receives your mantra and instructions on bhakti and you appear internally as Paramātmā. Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te: I give intelligence by which the devotees come to me. (BG 10.10) Inspiring them with intelligence to attain you, and making them worship you, you reveal to them the goal of becoming an associate with prema.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus questioned by the most affectionate Uddhava, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller of all controllers, who utilizes the universe for his pastimes and assumes the three forms by his energies, began to reply, displaying his attractive smile filled with love.
The Lord appears in three forms: as antaryāmī by his internally energy, as the jīva by taṭastha-śakti, and as the material body by the external energy. The Lord uses the world for performing his pastimes (jagat-krīdānakaḥ). By his form as antaryāmī he inspired Uddhava to ask these questions to give bliss to the future devotees of Kali-yuga. The Lords pastimes or playing are for spreading bhakti-rasa to the devotee. The Lord assumed three forms. As Uddhava he asks questions. As Kṛṣṇa he gives answers. As the devotees Śukadeva and Parīkṣit limited in a particular time and place, he supplies sweetness in the form of their questions and answers. Such skill in giving mercy is not possible of anyone else: he is the Lord of all lords. He had an attractive smile displaying prema.
The Supreme Lord said: Yes, I shall describe to you bhakti and jñāna, easy to perform, by executing which a mortal will conquer unconquerable death.
The word hanta expresses joy or mercy. Dharmān refers to bhakti and jñāna. They are auspicious because they will shown to be easy.
Always remembering me, one should perform all his duties for me as the cases arise. His consciousness should be fixed in persons whose minds are dedicated to me and his mind should be attracted to bhakti.
The Lord now describes both pure and mixed bhakti by uttering words with two meanings. One should perform all material actions such as brushing the teeth and all spiritual actions such as hearing and chanting for me. This is the first meaning. One should perform all varṇāśrama actions for me. This is the second meaning. His consciousness should be fixed in persons whose minds are dedicated to me (mayy arpita-manaś-cittaḥ). This means he is attached to my devotees. His mind (ātma-manaḥ) is attracted to bhakti (mad-dharma).
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One should take shelter of holy places where my saintly devotees reside, and one should be guided by the exemplary activities of my devotees, who appear among the devatās, demons and human beings.
In pure bhakti, the methods of vaidhi and rāgānuga are indicated by giving two interpretations. One should live in places like Dvārakā. One should follow after the activities of devotees among the devatās (Nārada), among the demons (Prahlāda) and among humans (Ambarīṣa). This indicates vaidhi-bhakti. One should live in Gokula, Vṛndāvana or Govardhana, and follow after the activities of Candrakānti, Vṛndā and the gopīs.1 This indicates rāgānuga-bhakti.
Either alone or in public gatherings, with singing, dancing and other exhibitions of royal opulence, one should arrange to celebrate those holy days, ceremonies and festivals set aside specially for my worship.
Now the Lord mentions activities common to all the types of bhakti.
With a pure heart the jñānī should see the complete form of Paramātmā, within all beings and also within oneself, present both externally and internally, just like the ether spreads everywhere without being contaminated.
Having described the activities of those who take shelter of bhakti, the Lord now describes the activities of persons who take shelter of jñāna in eight verses. He should see me uncovered (apāvṛtam), in full form. The subject of the verb is jñānam āśritaḥ, one who has taken shelter of jñāna. This appears in the next verse. He should see Paramātmā (ātmānam) in himself, just as ether is everywhere but uncontaminated.
brāhmaṇe pukkase stene brahmaṇye rke sphuliḍgake akrūre krūrake caiva sama-dṛk paṇòito mataḥ O brilliant Uddhava! The person who respects all beings as Brahman and contemplates this, who sees equally the brāhmaṇa and the outcaste, the thief and the giver of charity to brāhmaṇas , the sun and the sparks of fire, the gentle and the cruel, is a true jñānī.
The jñānī (jñānam āśritaḥ) should respect all beings, thinking that they are all Brahman (mad-bhāvena), and contemplate that (manyamānaḥ). Such a person is considered learned (paṇòitaḥ mataḥ). The word kevalam modifies the verb āśrayaḥ not the noun jñānam, since jñāna alone without bhakti is condemned. The phrase means He takes shelter of jñāna intensely, rather than he takes shelter of only jñāna. Or the meaning can be He takes shelter of Brahman without a second. O effulgent Uddhava! You shine even greater than that with pure bhakti! The jñānī should see equally those opposite by birththe brāhmaṇa and outcaste; those opposite by actions---the thief who steals from a brāhmaṇa and the person who gives charity to the brāhmaṇa; objects of opposite sizethe sun and a spark; those things opposite in qualitythe gentle and the cruel. He should see all these as me, the one form of Brahman. He is a jñānī (paṇòitaḥ). Others, who see difference, are not jñānīs.
He who constantly meditates upon my presence within all persons quickly destroys rivalry, envy and abusiveness, along with false ego.
In order to destroy faults like rivalry one must see me everywhere. One competes with equals, envies superiors and chastises inferior. If one sees me everywhere, then how can there be competition, envy and chastisement of me? If one sees Brahman within oneself, how can one have ahaḍkāra? Viyanti means destroyed.
Disregarding friends ridicule, ones bodily consciousness and embarrassment, one should offer obeisances before alleven the dogs, outcastes, cows and assesfalling flat upon the ground like a rod.
This verse describes the practice of one who naturally sees me everywhere. One should disregard friends who ridicule, saying Look! That great person is offering respects to a low creature. Ones should give up bodily conception: I am elevated. He is fallen. How can I offer respects to him? By that bodily conception one develops embarrassment. Giving up that embarrassment, one should offer respects even to dogs and cāṇòālas, since one sees only the Lord present everywhere.
Until one has fully developed the ability to see me within all living beings, one must continue to offer respects by speech, mind and body.
How long should one offer respects in this manner? As long as seeing me everywhere does not arise naturally, one should offer respects on the ground to all beings (upāsita) by the voice, saying Paramātmane namaḥ, as well as by mind and actions of the body.
By practice of seeing the Lord everywhere, one finally realizes everything is Brahman. Seeing Brahman everywhere, freed from all doubts, one gives up all action.
By that worship (vidyā) in which one sees the Lord everywhere (ātma-manīṣayā), everything becomes Brahman for him. Then, seeing Brahman everywhere (paripaśyan), he gives up all action (uparamet).
I consider this processusing ones mind, words and bodily functions for realizing me within all living beingsto be the easiest process of the jñānī to realize Brahman.
There is no other easy process for attaining Brahman for the jñānī.
O Uddhava! Because I have personally established it, the process of niṣkāma-bhakti is beyond the guṇas. Thus even by starting and not completing the process, there is no destruction of results.
In three verses (9-11) the Lord described bhakti and in eight verses he described jñāna (12-19). In three verses the Lord again describes the highest essence of bhakti. In following other processes, if one starts and performs the actions until completion of the process without interruption, with all its principle and secondary parts, one will attain the result. If one does not complete the process, or interrupts it, or does not follow all the parts, then there is no result. This is not the rule for bhakti however. Even if one just starts and does not complete the process, or if one does not perform all the parts (aḍgas), it is not useless. O Uddhava! If one starts bhakti-yoga (mad-dharmasya) or if one performs one aḍga and does not complete it, there is no destruction at all (anu) of results because of the irregularity, since bhakti is beyond the guṇas. It is impossible that things beyond the guṇas are destroyed. This bhakti of my niṣkāma devotee (anāśiṣaḥ) is established completely by me. Even a small portion of this bhakti is complete. The cause should not be asked. Bhakti is the same as my being the Supreme Lord. Mad-dharma in the verse cannot mean jñāna, since jñāna is not beyond the guṇas. The Lord has said kaivalyaṁ sāttvikaṁ jñānam: kaivalya-jñāna is in sattva-guṇa. (SB 11. 25.24)
O Uddhava, greatest of saints! If bhakti is offered to me without personal motivation, endeavoring for results is useless, just as expressions of fear or lamentation are useless in dangerous situations.
If bhakti is practices without duplicity then without effort it gives effects at every moment. Whatever process of bhakti, such as hearing or chanting, is directed to me with no desire for material happiness now or later in Svarga or for liberation, is done without effort. The results appear on their own without effort. What is the use of effort?
bhojanācchādane cintāṁ vyarthāṁ kurvanti vaiṣṇavāḥ |
sosau viśvambharo devaḥ kathaṁ bhaktān upekṣate ||
The devotees find it useless to worry about eating and shelter. How can the Lord who sustains the universe ignore the devotees?
It is as useless as efforts executed out of fear and lamentation. Just as, by attaining ones object, object naturally becomes visible, by attaining me as the object of bhakti, bhakti appears on its own. Still, the sincere devotee always endeavors for bhakti. That endeavor shows his great attraction to bhakti. Effort is thus a great quality.
The devotee is the most intelligent among the intelligent and the most clever among the clever, because he attains my eternal svarūpa by using his temporary body and attains me, the only truth, though he is an inconsequential jīva .
Why are your devotees generally dependent on such prominence? It is a cause of destroying intelligence and discrimination. The devotee is the most intelligent of those with intelligence. But he is not intelligent in dissecting difficult scriptures. He is clever among those who are clever. But he is not clever in earning a gold coin in exchange for a penny. What is that cleverness? In Bharata-bhūmi (iha), the devotee attains me, without death (amṛtam), with eternal form, by using a mortal, temporary body (martyena). He controls me by bhakti alone. Using the disgusting material body he attains my pure spiritual svarūpa. He attains me, existing at all times (satyam), by the jīva who is called non-existent (anṛtena) because he lacks a relationship with me.
The meaning is this. He who can receive a thousand coins by giving one coin is said to be most intelligent and skillful in this world. One who obtains diamonds or a gold coin in exchange for a small coin is called intelligent and skillful. A person who can take a gold coin from a sober, intelligent person is called intelligent and skillful. But one cannot say who is intelligent enough to obtain a cintāmaṇi or a kāmadhenu. The inhabitants of Bharata-bhūmī who are mortal and born in low families offer to me their bodies not worthy a penny, which are deformed and afflicted with old age and disease. But they attain me, the ocean of sweetness. Accepting their offerings, I, who am supposed to be the cleverest, out of joy give myself, with my priceless ornaments, bracelets and crown, to the devotees. Such inhabitants of Bhārta-bhūmī are the most intelligent and most skillful! Giving ones body to the Lord means to engage the ear and other organs in hearing, chanting, remembering and service. If the tongue is engaged in chanting, if the ears are engaged in hearing, if the hands are engaged in service, then one is giving ones body to the Lord. But the Lord is attained even by offering only one part of the body! What intelligent person would not do this?
This verse is the touchstone among verses, the essence of all the Lords teachings. He who has this verse shining in his heart shines in the assembly of devotees.
Thus have I related to youboth in brief and in detaila complete survey of Brahman. Even for the devatās, this science is very difficult to comprehend.
The Lord summarizes this great topic in two verses.
I have repeatedly spoken this knowledge to you with clear reasoning. Anyone who properly understands it will become free from all doubts and attain liberation.
Anyone who fixes his attention on these clear answers to your questions will attain the eternal secret of the Vedasthe form of the supreme Brahman.
He who concentrates on these clear answers (etat) given by me to your questions, and who concentrates on this story, attains the secret of the Vedas, the svarūpa of the supreme Brahman.
One who liberally disseminates this knowledge among my devotees is the bestower of Brahman. I give myself to him.
Supuṣkalam means abundantly. I give myself to the person who gives Brahman (brahma-dāyasya). The genitive case means to him in this sentence.
He who loudly recites this supreme knowledge, which is the pure and purifying, becomes purified day by day, for he reveals me to others with the lamp of knowledge.
Anyone who regularly listens to this knowledge with faith and attention, while engaging in my pure devotional service, will never become bound by karma.
O Uddhava! O friend! Have you now completely understood Brahman? Are the confusion and lamentation that arose in your mind now dispelled?
Though Uddhava is a nitya-siddha devotee beyond the guṇas, in order to teach jñāna and other subjects, the Lord put him under illusion by his internal energy. He asks Uddhava as part of the pastime if his illusion has been dispelled by the teachings.
You should not share this instruction with anyone who is hypocritical, atheistic or dishonest, or with anyone who hears without faith, who is not a devotee, or who is not humble.
Aśuśrūṣoḥ means to one who hears without faith.
This knowledge should be taught to one who is free from these bad qualities, who is dedicated to the welfare of the brāhmaṇas, and who is kindly disposed, saintly and pure. And if common workers and women are found to have devotion for the Supreme Lord, one should speak it to them.
If women and śūdras have bhakti, then one should speak this knowledge to them.
When an inquisitive person comes to understand this knowledge, he has nothing further to know. After all, one who has drunk sweet nectar cannot drink anything else.
Though the devotee who has reached success by bhakti has no need of knowledge, if some devotee happens to ask about knowledge, he should consult these verses because they contain knowledge. Having drunk nectar, there is no other sweet drink that can be drunk.
Through analytic knowledge, ritualistic work, mystic yoga, mundane business and politics, people seek to advance in religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. Whatever men can accomplish in these multifarious ways I give to my devotee.
If some devotee becomes attracted to the results of jñāna or karma, then he should practice those methods. The Lord answers, addressing Uddhava, but meaning people in general. Whatever of the four goals men seek by jñāna, karma, yoga or other means I give all of those results to my devotee (tāvāṁs te aham). What is the need for my devotee to practice these other methods? Jñana gives mokṣa. Karma gives dharma. Yoga gives kāma. Professions like farming and governing give artha. It is said:
yā vai sādhana-sampattiḥ puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaye |
tayā vinā tad āpnoti naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ ||
The devotee attains the results of all methods practiced for attaining the four goals of life. Mahābhārata
When a person who gives up all karmas, offers himself entirely to guru, eagerly desires to render service to me alone, he achieves freedom from death and, more important, is qualified to be an associate of mine in prema.
I have understood all philosophies and processes, but please say what is the philosophy for your devotees? O dear Uddhava! In the Twenty-fourth Chapter I explained sat-kārya-vāda (effects exist in the causeeffects are real). In the Twenty-eighth Chapter, I explained asat-kārya-vāda (the effect does not exist in the cause). 2 My devotees do not quarrel but proclaim truth, and do not remain amidst these two philosophies.
When a person by chance mercy of my devotee gives up all daily, periodic and motivated (kāmya) duties and offers all identity of I and mine by words and mind to the guru, who is my svarūpa, who gives my mantra--from that moment, that mortal person desires to do different work for mebhakti-yoga, which is different from yoga and jñāna. Surrender is expressed in the following:
yohaṁ mamāsti yat kiṁcid iha loke paratra ca |
tat sarvaṁ bhavato nātha caraṇeṣu samarpitam ||
O Lord! I offer everything related to I and mine in this life and the next to your lotus feet. Padma Purāṇa
The effects of bhakti are not illusory, but real. It is not the effect of avidyā. Rather, the activities done for me are beyond the guṇas. Thus, the devotee is made deathless, and he becomes qualified for being my servant (ātma-bhūyāya) in my company. The word ca indicates that deathlessness is not a sought result but that being an associate in prema is the desired goal.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing these words spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and having thus been shown the entire path of yoga, Uddhava folded his hands, but his throat choked up with love and his eyes overflowed with tears. Thus he could say nothing.
O King! Steadying his mind, which had become overwhelmed with love, with determined effort, Uddhava, thinking himself successful and touching the Lords lotus feet with his head, spoke with folded hands to greatest hero of the Yadu dynasty.
He controlled with determination his heart which extremely agitated by love, and thinking himself successful, spoke.
Uddhava said: O unborn, primeval Lord! My great ignorance has now been dispelled by your merciful association. Indeed, how can cold, darkness and fear exert their power over one who has approached the brilliant sun?
The great darkness of illusion which I was underconsidering that Dvārakā along with my Lord and all the Yādavas was limited and temporaryhas been destroyed by you. After asking questions to the Lord in the Third Canto, Kṛṣṇa had replied, giving to Uddhava the knowledge to elucidate the secret concerning himself which could not be understood by others. This was indicated in the following verse:
ity āvedita-hārdāya mahyaṁ sa bhagavān paraḥ
ādideśāravindākṣa ātmanaḥ paramāṁ sthitim
When I asked the lotus-eyed Lord what I desired in my heart, he explained to me his supreme position. SB 3.4.19
The present verse refers to those answers, which dispelled his dark illusion (though the answers were given later, when Uddhava met Kṛṣṇa again). This is similar to Maitreya mixing the stories of Varāha who appeared in two different Manvantaras.3
In return for my insignificant surrender, you have mercifully bestowed upon me, your servant, the lamp of knowledge. What grateful devotee, giving up your lotus feet, would go to another house, even if it is yours?
I have offered by body along with senses, intelligence and mind to you. And you have offered to me the lamp of vijñāna which gives realization of the self. I have been made perfect by you through experiencing the sweetness of you and your associates, who exist in all time and space. I am now here. Do what you want with my body. Send me where you desire, or leave me here, because what grateful servant, giving up our lotus feet, would go some other shelter even if it is yours? If one can attain your direct presence there, he should go. There is no loss in doing so. Rather, I follow your order.
The firm rope of affection for the families of the Dāśārhas, Vṛṣṇis, Andhakas and Sātvatasa rope you originally cast over me by your illusory energy for the purpose of developing your familyis now cut off by the weapon of knowledge of the self.
How can you leave, giving up affection for the Yādavas? The affection has been cut. The meaning is this. I have two types of ropes of affection for the Yādavas. You have spread out a rope of affection for increasing your creation by your māyā. Let the Dāśārhas and others increase constantly with sons and grandsons. Our prosperity is without control. May it spread to all places victoriously! Those ropes I cut by the weapon of knowledge of ātmā.
The ropes of affection for tasting the sweetness of your form, qualities, speech, and service remain as my ornaments. Wherever I go, I will directly see Dvārakā with you and the Vṛṣṇis, because you have given me the lamp of knowledge. Having attained my object I will go wherever you lead me.
Obeisances unto you, O greatest of yogīs! Please instruct me, who am surrendered unto you, so that I may have constant attachment to your lotus feet.
O great yogī! By the power of your great yoga, make me blissful by having realization of you everywhere!
The Supreme Lord said: O Uddhava! On my order, go to Badarikāśrama. Purify yourself by sipping and bathing in the holy waters there, which have emanated from my lotus feet.
O Uddhava! Among all my associate Yādavas, you are my very form, since you are equal to me. I have said:
noddhavo ṇv api man-nyūno yad guṇair nārditaḥ prabhuḥ
ato mad-vayunaṁ loka grāhayann iha tiṣṭhatu
Uddhava is not less than me, because he is master of māyā and not at all lacking in any spiritual quality. He should remain on this earth, giving knowledge of me to the world. SB 3.4.31
Thus, what I can accomplish myself can also be done by you. Just as I sent you to Vraja, now I desire to send you to Badarikāśrama. My aṁśas Nara and Nārāyaṇa and other great sages desire to see me. Previously I have gone to Mithilā on earth, to Sutala and Vaikuṇṭha and stayed in those places, since Śrutadeva, Bahulāśva, Bali and the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha wanted to see me. They became satisfied by my presence and by giving knowledge. At this time I cannot go to Badarikāśrama, since my limit of a hundred and twenty-five years for this avatāra is over. If you request that I give you instructions as you are now saying, this is my instruction. In this way Kṛṣṇa thought in his mind. Then he said audibly to Uddhava, Go to Badarikāśrama. O Uddhava! Because of the meaning of your name, you give a festival of joy to all people.4 But now I have arranged so that you give a special festival to people by empowering you with special knowledge about me.
By your glance you should destroy unlimited sins of the Alakanandā River. Dress yourself in bark and eat whatever is naturally available in the forest. Be content and free from desire.
By your glance you should destroy unlimited sins of the Alakanandā River. Because Uddhava is the best of devotees, he can destroy even unlimited sins by his glance.
sādhavo nyāsinaḥ śānta brahmiṣṭhā loka-pāvanāḥ
haranty aghaṁ te 'ḍga-saḍgāt teṣv āste hy agha-bhid dhariḥ
The peaceful devotees without material attachments, fixed in the Lord, purifiers of the world, will remove the sin from your water (Gaḍgā) by bathing in it. The Lord, destroyer of sin, will destroy the sins that the waters accumulate. SB 9.9.6
matto nuśikṣitaṁ yat te viviktam anubhāvayan mayy āveśita-vāk-citto mad-dharma-nirato bhava ativrajya gatīs tisro mām eṣyasi tataḥ param
Be tolerant of all dualities, good-natured, self-controlled, peaceful and endowed with knowledge and realization. With fixed attention, reveal to the sages these instructions filled with special discrimination that I have imparted to you. Fix your words and thoughts upon me, and always be absorbed in my qualities. Help the sages cross beyond the conditions of the three guṇas and finally you will come to me.
Reveal to Nara-nārāyaṇa and others what I taught concerning bhakti and jñāna, which has special discrimination, when they ask you. Be completely engaged in my qualities such as my intelligence, wit, omniscience, and possessing all powers. By this I am giving you blessings in order to be qualified for assimilating all of this. Make the sages there surpass the worldly condition made of the three guṇas. Having carried out my instructions, you will come to me. You will come close to me, brought to me by my power of yoga.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed by Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose mind was attractive with prema, Uddhava circumambulated the Lord and then fell down, placing his head upon the Lords feet. Uddhava, subject to the dualities arising from prema, his mind melting at the time of departure, drenched the Lords lotus feet with his tears.
Hari-medhasā means by the Lord whose mind is attractive with prema. Apakrame means at the time of going away. Advandva-paraḥ means that Uddhava had dualities such as lamentation and illusion arising from his prema.
Pained by separation caused by indestructible affection, Uddhava was overwhelmed, and he could not give up the Lords company. Finally, feeling great pain, he bowed down to the Lord again and again, placed the shoes of his master upon his head, and departed.
When the Lord gave him his shoes by his mercy, Uddhava put them on his head. Since the Lords order was insistent, he offered repeated respects and then left. While going there, according to the story in the Third Canto, he returned and saw the Lord alone. He asked about doubtful matters and possessing the conclusive truth concerning the Lords pastimes from understanding the Lords answers, as expressed in verse 37, on the order of the Lord, he again left. This should be the understanding.
Thereupon, placing the Lord deeply within his heart, the great devotee Uddhava went to Badarikāśrama. After engaging there in austerities, he attained the Lords personal abode, just as taught by the Lord, the only friend in the universe, by the Lords arrangement.
Viśālām means Badarikāśrama. He went to his destination, because of the Lords arrangement (hareḥ). This means he went to Dvārakā.
Anyone who hears with faith even a little this sweet knowledge which is firmly supported by bhakti and was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose feet are served by masters of yoga, attains liberation. The whole world becomes liberated by that persons association.
Anyone who hears with genuine faith a little of this nectar of knowledge spoken by the Lord, completely supported by bhakti-yoga, an ocean of bliss, becomes liberated. And even more, by his association, the whole universe becomes liberated.
Since he is the author of the Vedas, the Lord, like a bee, has extracted the real essence from the Vedas in order to destroy fear of material existence. This essence of all knowledge and self-realization is like the nectar extracted from the milk ocean, which the Lord as Mohinī made his devotees drink while cheating the demons. I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Lord, the original and greatest of all beings, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
At the conclusion the author offers respects to the guru of the universe. He has extracted the essences from the Vedas. But have not other sages and philosophers also extracted the essence from the Vedas? That is true. But they do not completely understand the purport of the Vedas, which is hard to comprehend. Therefore one cannot believe their explanations. But the Lord is not like that. He is creator of the Vedas. He who created the scriptures must know the difficult meaning. He is like a bee, taking the honey from the garden of flowers made of the Vedas. He makes his servants drink it, but he has cheated the demons and non-devotees. An example is given. It is nectar the essence taken from the ocean. In the form of Mohinī, the Lord let the devatās, his servants, drink the nectar, and cheated the demons. I offer my respects to that Lord.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-ninth Chapter, Kṛṣṇa explains how one attains bhakti by taking shelter of great devotees and how one can attain liberation by realizing ātmā. Kṛṣṇa taught Uddhava powerful jñāna but Uddhava could not understand it. This he expresses in five verses. Practice of yoga by persons who are devoid of identity with the body has also been explained. But I think this is difficult for others to practice. Quickly tell me how one can quickly attain perfection. The repetition of añjasā is not redundant since the words modify different verbs.