FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.14.5

मैत्रेय उवाच साधु वीर त्वया पृष्टमवतारकथां हरे: । यत्त्वं पृच्छसि मर्त्यानां मृत्युपाशविशातनीम् ॥ ५ ॥
maitreya uvāca
[maitreya uvaacha]
sādhu vīra tvayā pṛṣṭam
[saadhu veera tvayaa prishtam]
avatāra-kathāṁ hareḥ
[avataara-kathaam hareh]
yat tvaṁ pṛcchasi martyānāṁ
[yat tvam prichchasi martyaanaam]
mṛtyu-pāśa-viśātanīm
[mrityu-paasha-vishaataneem]
maitreyaḥ uvāca — Maitreya said sādhu — devotee vīra — O warrior tvayā — by you pṛṣṭam — inquired avatāra-kathām — topics on the incarnation of the Lord hareḥ — of the Personality of Godhead yat — that which tvam — your good self pṛcchasi — asking me martyānām — of those who are destined for death mṛtyu-pāśa — the chain of birth and death viśātanīm — source of liberation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
maitreya uvāca
maitreyaḥ uvāca
Maitreya said
sādhu vīra tvayā pṛṣṭam
sādhu
devotee
vīra
O warrior
tvayā
by you
pṛṣṭam
inquired
avatāra-kathāṁ hareḥ
avatāra-kathām
topics on the incarnation of the Lord
hareḥ
of the Personality of Godhead
yat tvaṁ pṛcchasi martyānāṁ
yat
that which
tvam
your good self
pṛcchasi
asking me
martyānām
of those who are destined for death
mṛtyu-pāśa-viśātanīm
mṛtyu-pāśa
the chain of birth and death
viśātanīm
source of liberation.
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.

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 Varāha and Nṛsiṁha. 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 māyā 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 Kṛṣṇa’s taking part in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, not knowing that His taking part insured liberation for all who were present on the battlefield. It is said by Bhīṣmadeva that all who were present on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original spiritual existences after death. Therefore, hearing the war topics of the Lord is as good as any other devotional service.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Maitreya said: O warrior! You have inquired well about the story of the appearance of the Lord. What you ask is the cause of freedom from the rope of death for all human beings. Asking with a desire to hear about the pastime of the Lord’s fighting is very good, because through that question you are asking about Varāha and Nṛsiṁha. In explaining about these avatāras while describing the Lord’s fighting, you make others successful through remembering the avatāras.
Time is the Lord's instrument, quietly grinding every arrangement we trust. The verse asks us to befriend this fact now, before it forces itself on us at the wrong moment.
Reflection Questions
  • If you were honest about how much time you have left, what would you stop doing this week?
  • Where could a small daily remembrance of death make today more honest?
📝 My note

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