TEXT 5
maitreya uvaca
sadhu vira tvaya prstam
avatara-katham hareh
yat tvam prcchasi martyanam
mrtyu-pasa-visatanim
SYNONYMS
maitreyah uvacaMaitreya said; sadhudevotee; viraO warrior; tvayaby you; prstaminquired; avatara-kathamtopics on the incarnation of the Lord; harehof the Personality of Godhead; yatthat which; tvamyour good self; prcchasiasking me; martyanamof those who are destined for death; mrtyu-pasathe chain of birth and death; visatanimsource of liberation.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya said: O warrior, the inquiry made by you is just befitting a devotee because it concerns the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead. He is the source of liberation from the chain of birth and death for all those who are otherwise destined to die.
PURPORT
The great sage Maitreya addressed Vidura as a warrior not only because Vidura belonged to the Kuru family but because he was anxious to hear about the chivalrous activities of the Lord in His incarnations of Varaha and Nrsimha. Because the inquiries concerned the Lord, they were perfectly befitting a devotee. A devotee has no taste for hearing anything mundane. There are many topics of mundane warfare, but a devotee is not inclined to hear them. The topics of the warfare in which the Lord engages do not concern the war of death but the war against the chain of maya which obliges one to accept repeated birth and death. In other words, one who takes delight in hearing the war topics of the Lord is relieved from the chains of birth and death. Foolish people are suspicious of Krsnas taking part in the Battle of Kuruksetra, not knowing that His taking part insured liberation for all who were present on the battlefield. It is said by Bhismadeva that all who were present on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained their original spiritual existences after death. Therefore, hearing the war topics of the Lord is as good as any other devotional service.
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