FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.11

अपि न: सुहृदस्तात बान्धवा: कृष्णदेवता: । द‍ृष्टा: श्रुता वा यदव: स्वपुर्यां सुखमासते ॥ ११ ॥
api naḥ suhṛdas tāta
[api nah suhridas taata]
bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ
[baandhavaah krishna-devataah]
dṛṣṭāḥ śrutā vā yadavaḥ
[drishtaah shrutaa vaa yadavah]
sva-puryāṁ sukham āsate
[sva-puryaam sukham aasate]
api — whether naḥ — our suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers tāta — O my uncle bāndhavāḥ — friends kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ — those who are always rapt in the service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa dṛṣṭāḥ — by seeing them śrutāḥ — or by hearing about them vā — either yadavaḥ — the descendants of Yadu sva-puryām — along with their residential place sukham āsate — if they are all happy.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
api naḥ suhṛdas tāta
api
whether
naḥ
our
suhṛdaḥ
well-wishers
tāta
O my uncle
bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ
bāndhavāḥ
friends
kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ
those who are always rapt in the service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
dṛṣṭāḥ śrutā vā yadavaḥ
dṛṣṭāḥ
by seeing them
śrutāḥ
or by hearing about them
vā
either
yadavaḥ
the descendants of Yadu
sva-puryāṁ sukham āsate
sva-puryām
along with their residential place
sukham āsate
if they are all happy.
My uncle, you must have visited Dvārakā. In that holy place are our friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the service of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. You might have seen them or heard about them. Are they all living happily in their abodes?

The particular word kṛṣṇa-devatāḥ, i.e., those who are always rapt in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is significant. The Yādavas and the Pāṇḍavas, who were always rapt in the thought of the Lord Kṛṣṇa and His different transcendental activities, were all pure devotees of the Lord like Vidura. Vidura left home in order to devote himself completely to the service of the Lord, but the Pāṇḍavas and the Yādavas were always rapt in the thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus there is no difference in their pure devotional qualities. Either remaining at home or leaving home, the real qualification of a pure devotee is to become rapt in the thought of Kṛṣṇa favorably, i.e., knowing well that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Kaṁsa, Jarāsandha, Śiśupāla and other demons like them were also always rapt in the thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but they were absorbed in a different way, namely unfavorably, or thinking Him to be a powerful man only. Therefore, Kaṁsa and Śiśupāla are not on the same level as pure devotees like Vidura, the Pāṇḍavas and the Yādavas.

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was also always rapt in the thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His associates at Dvārakā. Otherwise he could not have asked all about them from Vidura. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was therefore on the same level of devotion as Vidura, although engaged in the state affairs of the kingdom of the world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O father! Did you see or hear about our relatives and friends, devotees of Kṛṣṇa, the Yadus. Are they residing happily in Dvārakā? When Yudhiṣṭhira had thus spoken, Vidura then gradually described everything he had experienced, except for the destruction of the Yadu dynasty.
Uncle, have you visited Dvārakā? Have you seen our friends in the Yadu line, always rapt in serving Kṛṣṇa? Are they all well? Genuine concern for distant loved ones is dharma.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose welfare from a distant place should I be inquiring about?
  • Where have I let geography sever care?
📝 My note

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