||Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya||

Chapter – 70 – The legend of Lord Krishna – The legend of King Pareekshith

Udhdhava speaks “Oh! Vidura, I have received that supreme knowledge from Bhagavan, his all-pervasive nature resides as soul in us. I have completely relieved out of my grief of separation from him. In this way, he elevated my soul from the grief of separation, I have no dearest companion other than him, and it is difficult to achieve a companion like him. I had the fortune to live with the Supreme Lord who resides as a soul in us. I have sincerely served his lotus feet in my all life; therefore I could elevate my soul from miseries and sorrows.” Vidura could not control his grief, he shed tears of extreme agony, could not bear the loss of Krishna and his entire clan, was yearning to meet Bhagavan.  Vidura could not utter a word, tears overflowing through the cheeks cried before Udhdhava finally managed to speak out a few words  “Oh! Udhdhava, you have met that supreme Lord Krishna before leaving the Earth, so that you could elevate your soul from the grief of separation from him. Oh! Udhdhava, I am helpless, kindly enlighten me with that knowledge to remove my grief as well, and kindly impart that superior knowledge to me.”  Udhdhava took hold of the hands of Vidura and speaks “ Oh! Vidura, the compassionate Lord Krishna advised Maharishi Maitreya, and instructed him to advise that greatest knowledge to you as well.  I am keeping that sacred knowledge firm in my heart and traveling to Badarikashrama at the instruction of supreme Lord Krishna.” Vidura bade-farewell to Udhdhava and on that night stayed in the riverbank of Yamuna, he recollected all those conversations with Udhdhava, shed tears in grief remembering the extreme compassion of supreme Lord Krishna. Vidura remembered the kindness of supreme Lord Krishna who has left his mortal coil and before leaving this world instructed Maitreya to impart that supreme knowledge to him to elevate the soul from the grief of separation.  On the next day, he proceeded to meet Maharishi Maitreya who resides on the riverbank of Ganga.

The conversation between Vidura and Maharishi Maitreya begin with an interesting question, Vidura expresses his qualm why the Jeeva relentlessly searching for happiness and performing various Karma, and eventually getting disappointed in search of it.  Maharishi Maitreya explains the greater influence of 'Time' on the deeds and its results, Prakrithi is the collection of diversified objects, and therefore it is difficult to achieve expected results from the constantly changing Prakrithi, this often puts the Jeeva in extreme distress due to the failure in achieving the expected results from the deeds. The Risis and Sages conducted rigorous research on the destructible ‘Prakrithi’ and the ‘Time’.  The fetus on the womb grows in ‘time’ and once it is fully matured it comes out of the mother’s womb.  The age of the infant is determined from the day of birth, in fact, the fetus originated from the Beeja of the father is beyond ‘Time’.  The ‘Time’ is calculated according to the movements of objects, like the movement of Sun revolves around the Earth causes to determine ‘Time’, hence the ‘Timeless’ space fills with the radiance  and darkens by this process. Finally, the Rishis have arrived in a conclusion that all those moving objects/living things and non-living things are subject to ‘Time’ and the eternal soul is not influenced by the ‘Time’.  Thus, the Rishis and Sages addressed the objects that are subject to ‘Time’ as Prakrithi, and the object that is beyond ‘Time’ as Purusha, further, all the destructible nature of Prakrithi was already merged in the supreme Purusha, has appeared with the influence of ‘Maya’. It continues to exist for a particular period of time and ultimately it has to merge with the supreme Purusha.   The Rishis and sages understood all that moving objects undergoes constant transformation and ruin, hence the happiness derived out of those material objects which is subjects to ‘Time’ cannot provide permanent bliss, they strongly recommended the practice of concentration upon the ‘changeless’ Purusha, from the frequently changing material world subject to ‘Time’, they also emphasized the mind and intellect has the immense potentials to get attracted to Prakrithi as well as Purusha. This practice was referred to the life of a ‘tortoise’ that has the capabilities to withdraw its body under the shell and expose it whenever it requires.  The Supreme Lord who resides as the soul is eternal and changeless, protects the Jeeva during the three states of awakening, sleep and dream.  The human body, mind and intellect, and sense organs, functions in the presence of the supreme soul, the body undergoes constant transformation and ruin, mind and intellect keep flowing with the ‘time’, in the changeless presence of supreme soul. All the moving objects are under the influence of ‘time’, on this basis past, present, and future of the objects were analyzed, they also found that the presence of the supreme soul in living beings is the source of realization of the past, present, and future, hence the supreme Lord is beyond ‘time’/Kalatheetha and zone and all those creatures in the Prakrithi are impermanent.