Chapter 7

Verse 13 (SB 11.7.13)

SB 11.7.12

SB 11.7.14

SB 11.7.13 • मूल श्लोक

श्रीशुक उवाच इत्यादिष्टो भगवता महाभागवतो नृप । उद्धव: प्रणिपत्याह तत्त्वंजिज्ञासुरच्युतम् ॥ १३ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca ity ādiṣṭo bhagavatā mahā-bhāgavato nṛpa uddhavaḥ praṇipatyāha tattvaṁ jijñāsur acyutam

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; ādiṣṭaḥ — instructed; bhagavatā — by the Supreme Lord; mahā-bhāgavataḥ — the exalted devotee of the Lord; nṛpa — O King; uddhavaḥ — Uddhava; praṇipatya — after bowing down to offer respects; āha — spoke; tattvam — the scientific truth; jijñāsuḥ — being eager to learn; acyutam — unto the infallible Personality of Godhead.

Translation

“Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmi said: O King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, thus instructed His pure devotee Uddhava, who was eager to receive knowledge from the Lord. Uddhava then offered obeisances to the Lord and spoke as follows.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda

Uddhava is described here as tattvaṁ jijñāsuḥ, or desiring to know the truth. It is clear from previous verses that Śrī Uddhava is a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and that he considers devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the perfection of life. Thus the words tattvaṁ jijñāsuḥ indicate that since Lord Kṛṣṇa is about to leave the earth, Uddhava is most anxious to deepen his understanding of the Lord so that he may further advance in loving service at the Lord’s lotus feet. Unlike an ordinary philosopher or scholar, a pure devotee is not eager to acquire knowledge for personal gratification.