FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.71.1

श्रीशुक उवाच इत्युदीरितमाकर्ण्य देवर्षेरुद्धवोऽब्रवीत् । सभ्यानां मतमाज्ञाय कृष्णस्य च महामति: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
ity udīritam ākarṇya
[ity udeeritam aakarnya]
devaṛṣer uddhavo ’bravīt
[devarisher uddhavo ’braveet]
sabhyānāṁ matam ājñāya
[sabhyaanaam matam aajnaaya]
kṛṣṇasya ca mahā-matiḥ
[krishnasya cha mahaa-matih]
Word-for-word
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said iti — thus udīritam — that which was stated ākarṇya — hearing deva - ṛṣeḥ — by Nārada, the sage of the demigods uddhavaḥ — Uddhava abravīt — spoke sabhyānām — of the members of the royal assembly matam — the opinion ājñāya — understanding kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa ca — and mahā - matiḥ — great-minded .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
ity udīritam ākarṇya
iti
thus
udīritam
that which was stated
ākarṇya
hearing
devaṛṣer uddhavo ’bravīt
deva - ṛṣeḥ
by Nārada, the sage of the demigods
uddhavaḥ
Uddhava
sabhyānāṁ matam ājñāya
abravīt
spoke
sabhyānām
of the members of the royal assembly
matam
the opinion
ājñāya
understanding
kṛṣṇasya ca mahā-matiḥ
kṛṣṇasya
of Lord Kṛṣṇa
ca
and
mahā - matiḥ
great-minded .
Important Words
  • mahā - matiḥ — great-minded one
    Uddhava's intelligence is praised not as worldly sagacity but as the discrimination of a pure devotee who never separates his judgement from Kṛṣṇa's preference. Gauḍīyas read mahā-mati as the fruit of śaraṇāgati — a buddhi tuned to bhagavat-icchā.
  • ākarṇya — having heard
    Hearing comes before speaking. The verse models śravaṇa as the root of all proper action — Uddhava acts only after fully hearing Nārada and silently registering Kṛṣṇa's mood.
  • sabhyānām — of the members of the assembly
    The Yadu sabhā is a council of devotees with Kṛṣṇa at its center. A devotee's counsel must harmonize with the wider Vaiṣṇava assembly, not isolate itself in private opinion.
  • kṛṣṇasya — of Kṛṣṇa
    Genitive — Uddhava reads 'Kṛṣṇa's' opinion before his own forms. The grammar enforces the devotional order: the Lord's mat first, the servant's mat after.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus heard the statements of Devarṣi Nārada, and understanding the opinions of both the assembly and Lord Kṛṣṇa, the great-minded Uddhava began to speak.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus heard the statements of Devarṣi Nārada, and understanding the opinions of both the assembly and Lord Kṛṣṇa, the great-minded Uddhava began to speak.
Commentary

In the seventy first chapter, Krsna hears the advice of Uddhava and goes to Indraprastha with his associates and troops and lives there. Hearing the statements of Narada, the assembly, Krsna and the messenger from the imprisoned kings, and understanding everyone’s wishes, Uddhava being very intelligent (mahamatih) because he could satisfy everyone by keeping their wishes intact, began to speak. That is, Narada wanted Krsna to go to the rajasyuya sacrifice. The assembly and the messenger wanted him to kill Jarasandha. Krsna wanted to do both.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Having heard what Kṛṣṇa said and understanding completely (ā—jñāya) the opinion of Nārada and the assembly, Uddhava spoke. He is called mahā-matiḥ of out joy because as Kṛṣṇa’s favorite devotee, he would bring a solution that would maintain everyone’s propositions.

Related values & verses
Related values
Nishkama Karma (Selfless Action)Adambhitva (Non-hypocrisy / Authenticity)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Discriminative Wisdom
Related verses
BG 5.18 BG 8.4 BG 14.12 BG 14.1 BG 12.1 BG 18.37 BG 11.1 BG 3.3 SB 1.2BG 12.3 BG 4.8 BG 15.9 BG 6.35
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Uddhava listened first to Nārada, the assembly, and Kṛṣṇa Himself before speaking. Wise counsel comes from taking in every party's voice, including the Lord's, before offering one's own.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I really listen to all sides before I respond, or do I rehearse my reply while others talk?
  • What changes when I include Kṛṣṇa's perspective in the listening?
Analogy

Uddhava listening to Nārada and weighing the room before speaking is like a servant who first reads his Lord's face and the elders' silence, and only then offers his word — never racing his own intelligence ahead of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure.

Stories
Uddhava as Kṛṣṇa's confidant

Bhāgavatam 3.4 and 11.6 show Kṛṣṇa selecting Uddhava again and again as the one to whom He speaks His own heart — the Uddhava-gītā is delivered to him alone before the Lord's departure.

Here in the Rājasūya council, that same intimacy is on display in miniature: Uddhava reads the assembly, reads Kṛṣṇa, and only then opens his mouth. The mahā-mati of a servant is not cleverness — it is the trained ear that hears his master before his master speaks.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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