Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.24
एतदाख्याहि मे ब्रह्मन् सुनीथात्मजचेष्टितम् ।
श्रद्दधानाय भक्ताय त्वं परावरवित्तम: ॥ २४ ॥
etad ākhyāhi me brahman
[etad aakhyaahi me brahman]
sunīthātmaja-ceṣṭitam
[suneethaatmaja-cheshtitam]
śraddadhānāya bhaktāya
[shraddadhaanaaya bhaktaaya]
tvaṁ parāvara-vittamaḥ
[tvam paraavara-vittamah]
Word-for-word
etat
—
all these
ākhyāhi
—
please describe
me
—
unto me
brahman
—
O great brāhmaṇa
sunīthā-ātmaja
—
of the son of Sunīthā, Vena
ceṣṭitam
—
activities
śraddadhānāya
—
faithful
bhaktāya
—
unto your devotee
tvam
—
you
para-avara
—
with past and future
vit-tamaḥ
—
well conversant.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
etad ākhyāhi me brahman
etat
all these
ākhyāhi
please describe
me
unto me
brahman
O great brāhmaṇa
sunīthātmaja-ceṣṭitam
sunīthā-ātmaja
of the son of Sunīthā, Vena
ceṣṭitam
activities
śraddadhānāya bhaktāya
śraddadhānāya
faithful
bhaktāya
unto your devotee
tvaṁ parāvara-vittamaḥ
tvam
you
para-avara
with past and future
vit-tamaḥ
well conversant.
Vidura requested Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, you are well conversant with all subjects, both past and future. Therefore I wish to hear from you all the activities of King Vena. I am your faithful devotee, so please explain this.
Purport
Vidura accepted Maitreya as his spiritual master. A disciple always inquires from the spiritual master, and the spiritual master answers the question, provided the disciple is very gentle and devoted. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one is blessed with the mercy of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master is not inclined to disclose all the secrets of transcendental science unless the disciple is very submissive and devoted. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the process of receiving knowledge from the spiritual master entails submission, inquiry and service.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O brāhmaṇa, knowledgeable of past and future! Please tell the activities of Vena, son of Sunīthā, to me, a faithful devotee.
Personal Guidance
Vidura humbly asks Maitreya, his teacher, for the full story of King Vena. The disciple's tone — humble, faithful, specific — earns the teacher's full answer.
Reflection Questions
- Am I asking questions of my teachers in a tone that invites their full answer?
- Where could humility unlock a depth of response that I've been arrogantly missing?
My note
Source: vedabase.io