Uddhava is an important character in the Mahabharata.
He grew up with Sri Krishna right from his childhood. Uddhava lived by fighting for and serving Lord Krishna in various ways.
Many years have passed since the Mahabharata war. The time has come for the completion of Sri Krishna's incarnation.
During that time, Shri Krishna summoned Uddhava and spoke to him. "Dear Uddhava, during this incarnation of mine, many people have asked me for many boons. But you have not yet expressed any desire to me.
You can ask me anything you need now. I will gladly do it.
Let me finish this avatar play with the satisfaction of having done a good deed for you, too."
Although Uddhava had never asked Sri Krishna for anything yet, he had been closely observing Sri Krishna's nature and behaviour since childhood.
All this time, he felt a mismatch between Sri Krishna's teachings and actions. Therefore, he decided to ask Sri Krishna about it.
When Sri Krishna asked him to convey any wish, Uddhava asked Krishna, considering this as his last chance.
“Prabho, you always encouraged us to live by dharma. However, your actions often seemed to reflect a different way of living. I find it challenging to understand your role and actions in the grand narrative of the Mahabharata. I still wish to learn about the reasons behind many of your decisions. Will you grant me this wish?
Shri Krishna replied to Uddhava's question.
"Uddhava, the advice I gave to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra will be known as the Bhagavad Gita.
Similarly, the lines I am now speaking in response to your questions today will be known throughout the world as the Uddhava Gita.
It is for this reason that I am giving you this opportunity. Feel free to ask questions.
Hearing Sri Krishna's reply, Uddhava began asking his questions in this manner. "Krishna, who is the true friend?"
In reply, Sri Krishna:
"A true friend gives help without asking for it."
Uddhava: "Krishna, you were a close friend of the Pandavas.
They considered you as their apadbandhava (helper in danger).
As for you, you can know what is happening and what will happen in the future. He is the wisest of the wise.
Now you can tell who is a true friend.
If so, why didn't you act like a true friend?
Why didn't you stop Dharmaputra (Yudhishthira) from gambling? Why didn't you save the Pandavas from Shakuni's cheating game?. Even so, you didn't do it.
After that, if you had thought, you could have turned the dice of gambling in favour of Yudhishthira. Thus, you could be sure that dharma would prevail. You didn't do that either.
Even after that, when the Dharmaputras lost their wealth, their kingdom and themselves when they lost their gambling, you could have intervened to stop this gambling. So you could be saved from the danger of this game.
Waiting outside the royal palace where gambling was taking place, you could have entered and stopped him at least when the Dharmaputra were starting to pawn off their brothers. You didn't do that either.
At the very end, when the vile Duryodhana tempted the Dharmaputra by winning a bet on Draupadi (the Draupadi who had always brought only good luck to the Pandavas), he could give back all that they had lost so far, at least then You could use Your divine power to turn the dice in the Dharmaputra's favour.
You didn't do that either. Instead, you waited again.
Finally, when Draupadi's pride was about to be destroyed in the Raj Sabha, you intervened only to claim that Draupadi's pride was saved by giving her clothes.
How can you claim to have saved Draupadi's pride? What pride will a woman have left when a man drags her to the royal house and tries to make her naked in front of many people?
What did you save?
Isn't it true that when you protect someone from danger, you are referred to as an "apadbandhavan"? If we do not get your help in times of danger, then what is the use? Is this the dharma you enjoin?"
Uddhava, a great devotee of Krishna, had tears in his eyes when he asked these difficult questions to Sri Krishna.
These questions are not only in the minds of Uddhavs. Everyone who knows the story of the Mahabharata has these questions in their hearts.
Lord Krishna smiled when He heard Uddhava's questions.
"Dear Uddhava, the law of this world is that those who are wise (able to discriminate with intelligence) will win.
While Duryodhana was prudent in gambling, the sons of Dharma behaved unwisely. That is how the Dharmaputra lost the game."
Udhava did not understand the meaning of Krishna's words. Seeing the appearance of the Uddhava, Shri Krishna continued.
"Though Duryodhana had enough wealth and possessions to gamble with, he was not good at gambling.
Duryodhana made Shakuni, his friend and gambler, play while he handled the betting.
Understand your strengths and weaknesses and work accordingly. This is wisdom.
Yudhishthira, too, could think wisely in this way. He could have said that I, his great-grandson, would play with Shakuni instead of him.
Uddhava, if Shakuni and I had gambled directly, who would have won?
Even so, I can forgive Yudhishthira for not thinking of making me sit down to play with the thief Shakuni. But Yudhishthira, who had become imprudent, committed another mistake.
He also prayed that I would not enter a podium where gambling was taking place. He did not want me to know that it was his bad luck that kept him losing at gambling.
Yudhishthira tied me outside the door of that area with his prayer, so I could not enter the place..
I stood outside the Raj Sabha gate, wishing someone would pray for me to be allowed inside. Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva forgot about me. Instead, they continued to curse Duryodhana and blame their misfortune. Even after the Pandavas were completely defeated in the game, Dussasana dragged Draupadi by her hair at Duryodhana's orders, but she did not call out to me. She tried to win by justifying Dussasana's actions to the people. Still, she never called me.
It was only when Dussasana attempted to disrobe her that she realized what was happening. She gave up her overconfidence in her abilities, called out to me, and prayed, 'Krishna, please give me refuge, Krishna.'
Until that moment, I felt overwhelmed by the urge to avoid entering. I finally had the opportunity to enter the assembly and defend Draupadi's honor. What more can I do? What have I done wrong here? Krishna ended his answer with this question.
"Good explanation, Krishna. I understand more now. But my doubts are not completely cleared. May I ask one more thing?" Uddhava asked.
Krishna also agreed.
"Now, if what you said is true, do you mean that you will only come if I call you?
Won't you come without being called to save those in danger and to protect dharma?" asked Uddhava.
Sri Krishna smiled and said thus.
“Uddhava, everyone's life in this world depends on their karma.
I do not determine everyone's karma. I do not interfere with anyone's work.
I am just a witness. I stand close to you and watch everything that happens. That is my duty."
Hearing this, Uddhava said this.
"Okay, Krishna, good.
If so, you stand with us and watch all our sinful deeds; You keep watching us as we commit more and more sins.
So do you want us to do more evil and suffer more burdens of sin?"
Hearing this, Shri Krishna said this.
"Uddhava, understand the deeper meaning contained in your words.
How can one do wrong or do evil who knows and fully embraces every moment that I am always with him as the All-Witness? Such a person can never do wrong.
Many people often forget this purpose and believe they can act independently without my knowledge. It is when thinking like this that imprudence, mistakes and evil occur.
Yudhisthira's stupidity was thinking that he could gamble without me knowing.
If the sons of Dharma had known that I am truly always with everyone, wouldn't the outcome of gambling have been different?"
Hearing this magical explanation of Krishna, Udhava stopped, speechless, absorbed in devotion.
Finally, Uddhava said, “Kesava, what a deep principle, what a great truth.
Engaging in pooja, praying, and seeking help from God is an expression of our faith. If we fully understand that nothing in this universe moves without the knowledge of the creator of the universe, then can we not see the presence of that creator in anything?
How can we forget this and act?
This is the message Sri Krishna conveyed to Arjuna through the Bhagavad Gita.
In Kurukshetra, Sri Krishna was Arjuna's mentor and charioteer.. But he never took up arms in the battle for Arjuna.
What we need to know from this is that the Supreme Power is always with us. All we have to do is drop our ego and merge into that Supreme Consciousness.
And so we realize our ultimate self, that untainted love and that supreme bliss.
Know that God is always within us, whether we do good or evil.
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