What To Do When You Are Not Valued

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 1

Vidura was the stepbrother of Dhritarashtra. He was the royal counselor and chief minister of Dhritarashtra. He was well learned in Dharma Sastras, a devotee of the Supreme Lord and an incarnation of god, Yama. He was born to the attendant mistress of Dhritarashtra and had no claim to the royal position but due to his qualities and knowledge, he was raised to the position of a chief minister.

The Supreme Lord is “Bhakta Vatsala”, the lover of his devotee. Vidura was an elevated devotee. So, Lord Krishna used to spend time with Vidura renouncing royal luxuries when he visited Hastinapur. The Lord doesn’t care about what we give him but he cares only about our love and affection. One of the qualities of Bhagavan is “all renunciation”. The Lord is completely renounced from all attachments although he the possessor of all opulence.

The common perception that taking birth in a Brahmana family is special. It is to be understood from Vidura’s life story, that a great soul can be born in any family. Everyone has an opportunity to become knowledgeable, develop devotee qualities, and become closer to the Supreme Lord.

Dhritarashtra represents our mind, Vidura represents our conscience and Bhisma represents the sense of duty. The sense of duty can be misdirected as we see with Bhisma. No one opposed the disrobing act of Draupadi by Dushasana including Yudhistara and Bhisma, although both were learned. Vidura opposed the act and awakened the mind of Dhritarashtra. He asked Duryodhana to put a stop to such misdeeds and asked Draupadi to be brought to him.

When Lord Krishna assumed the role of a messenger of Pandavas, his message was not well-received by those people such as Duryodhana who lacked past pious deeds. Dhritarashtra consulted Vidura for advice and Vidura recommended returning the legitimate share of the kingdom to Pandavas. Vidura’s bold statement was highly respected by learned people but Duryodhana didn’t like it. Duryodhana insulted him by referring to his birth. A person with bad character can’t see beyond a person’s birth and can’t appreciate the qualities of a learned person. Such people are egoistic and proud about their current high position without realizing that it is only a matter of time before they become bereft of their position.

Although Duryodhana did not see value in Vidura’s knowledge, character and advice, Vidura valued himself. He immediately left the palace resigning from his chief minister’s position. He didn’t want to serve someone who is not following the rightful path. He felt relieved from the tribulations which trouble every man engaged in material duties.

He left the capital city and visited many holy places where the Supreme Lord Hari has manifested himself in many forms. This shows that Vidura took this as an opportunity to elevate himself by taking the association of the Lord by visiting holy places. This is meant to stabilize the mind and helps him reflect on the next course of action without disturbance.

He spent some time in nature and in holy places and performed duties that please the Supreme Lord. He then finally came to meet Uddhava, who is a great devotee of Lord Krishna. Uddhava is not only a close friend of Lord Krishna but he was personally instructed by the Lord in how one should surrender to the Supreme. The significance of Vidura meeting Uddhava is that one should seek mentorship from another learned person.

Vidura first enquired about the well-being of family and friends from Uddhava. Then he felt expressed his concern for the downfall of Dhritarashtra.

Vidura told Uddhava that he saw the presence of Lord Krishna in everything in his life. He wanted to hear from Uddhava about his episodes with the unborn Lord Krishna who had appeared on the Earth for a purpose.

In summary, a person who is not valued in a particular place should leave that place. He should consider that as an opportunity to develop himself. He should first work on stabilizing his mind by taking the association of the Lord. He then should seek the mentorship of a learned man who values you and can guide you on the next course of action.