142
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[ Canto 3, Ch. 4 ]
TEXT 25
विदुर उवाच
ज्ञानं परं स्वात्मरहःप्रकाशं 
यदाह योगेश्वर ईश्वरस्ते । 
वक्तु भवान्नोऽर्हति यद्धि विष्णो- 
भृत्याः स्वभृत्यार्थकृतश्चरन्ति ॥२५॥
vidura uvāca
jñānam param svātma-rahaḥ-prakāśam 
yad āha yogeśvara īśvaras te 
vaktum bhavān no 'rhati yadd hi viṣṇor 
bhṛtyāḥ sva-bhṛtyārtha-kṛtaś caranti
viduraḥ uvāca —Vidura said;  jñānam —knowledge;  param —transcendental;  sva-ātma —regarding the self;  rahaḥ —mystery;  prakāśam —enlightening;  yat —that which;  āha —said;  yoga-īśvaraḥ —the master of all mystics;  īśvaraḥ —the Lord;  te —unto you;  vaktum —to narrate;  bhavān —your good self;  naḥ —unto me;  arhati —deserve;  yat —for;  hi —reason of;  viṣṇoḥ —of Lord Viṣṇu;  bhṛtyāḥ —servants;  sva-bhṛtyārtha-kṛtaḥ —for the interest of their servants;  caranti —do wonder.
TRANSLATION
Vidura said: O Uddhava, because the servants of Viṣṇu, the Lord, wander in the interest of serving others, it is quite fit that you kindly describe the self-knowledge with which you have been enlightened by the Lord Himself.
PURPORT
The servants of the Lord are actually the servants of society. They have no interest in human society other than to enlighten it in transcendental knowledge; they are interested in imparting knowledge of the relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord, the activities in that transcendental relationship, and the ultimate goal of human life. That is the real knowledge which can help society achieve the real aim of human welfare. Knowledge in the matter of the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating and fearing, transformed into various branches of advancement of knowledge, is all temporary. A living being is not the material body but an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and thus revival of his self-