TEXT 19 *latlG:Uieft4'I I :

naitac citrarh tvayi kal/:ar bada.raya(wviryaje grhit;o 'nanya-bhavena yat tvaya

harir isvara!t
na-never; etat-such inquiries; citram-very wonderful; tvayi-in you; katta-0
Vidura; badaraya(w-of Vyasadeva; v"iryaje-born from the semina; grh!tat-
acccptcd; anan.ya-bhavena-without deviation from the thought; yat-because; tvaya-
by you; hariQ.-Lhe Personality of Godhead; L.vara!t-Lhc Lord.
TRANSLATION 0 Vidura, it is not at all wonderful that you have so accepted the Lord
without deviation of thought, for you are born from the semina of Vyasadeva.
PURPORT The value of great parentage and noble birth is evaluated here in
connection with the birth of Vidura. The culture of a human being begins when the
father invests his semina in the womb of the mother. According to his status of
work, a living entity is placed in a particular father's semina, and because Vidura
was not an ordinary living entity, he was given the chance to be born from the
semina of Vyasa. The birth of a human being is a great science, and therefore
reformation of the act of impregnation according to the Vedic ritual called
Garbhadhan.a-sarhskiira is very important for generating good population. The
problem is not to check the growth of the population, but to generate good
population on the level of Vidura, Vyasa and Maitreya. There i no need to check the
growth of population if the children are born as human beings with all precautions
regarding their birth. So-called birth control is not only vicious but also useless.
Text 20] Vidura 's Talks with Maitreya
TEXT 20 {(O>toifINII'41'l q{: I : tJPU iilRT: (1t4'4ffl I II o
II
mar-{iavyasiipiid bhagaviin prajii-sarhyamano yama[t bhriitn{t ketre blwjiuayiim
jata satyavati-wtat
183
mar{iavya-the great r'i Miir;J.avya Muni; siipiit-by his curse; bhagaviinthe greatly
powerful; prajii-one who is born; samyamana[l-controller of death; yama.-known
as Yamariija; bhriitu-of the brother; ketre-in the wife; bhujyiiyiim-kept; jiitaf!.-
born; satyavati-Satyavati (the mother of both Vicitravirya and Vyasadeva); sutiit-hy
the son (Vyasadeva).
TRANSLATION
I know that you are now Vidura due to the cursing of MiiJ;u;lavya Muni and that
formerly you were King Yamaraja, the great controller of living entities after their
death. You were begotten by the son of Satyavati, Vyasadeva, in the kept wife of his
brother.
PURPORT Miit:avya Muni was a great sage (Cf. Bhiig. 1.13.1), and Vidma was
formerly the con troller Yamariija, who takes charge of the living entities after death.
Birth, maintenance and death are three conditional states of the living entities who
are within the material world. As the appointed controller after death, Yamariija once
tried Miit:<;Javya Muni for his child hood profligacy and ordered him Lo be
pierced with a lance. Miilc;lavya, being angry at Y amariija for awarding him
undue punishment, cursed him to become a siidra (member of the less intelligent
laborer class). Thus Yamaraja took birth in the womb of the kept wife of Vicitravirya
from the semina of Vicitravirya 's brother, Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva is the son of
Satyavatl by the great King Santanu, the father of Bhimadeva. This mysterious
history of Vidura was known to Maitreya Muni because he happened to be a
contemporary friend of Vyiisadeva's. In spite of Vidura's birth in the womb of a kept
wife, because he had otherwise high parentage and great connection, he inherited
the highest talent of becoming a great devotee of the Lord. To take birth in such a
great family is understood to
184 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 5
be an advantage for attaining devotional life. Vidura was given this chance due to
his previous greatness.