When Shaunak Rishi and other sages asked Suta ji about the life of Mahatma Vidur, he remarked, “O Shaunakadik, this is the very question that King Parikshit once posed to Shukadev.”

And so, the tale unfolded.

Vidur, born to a maidservant and stepbrother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu, was known for his wisdom and integrity. As a minister in the Hastinapur kingdom, he stood as the voice of conscience amid a court mired in ambition and deceit.

When Duryodhan plotted to burn the Pandavas alive in the house of wax, Vidur confronted Dhritarashtra with piercing candor: “Brother, you are blinded—not just in sight, but in spirit. Your son Duryodhan is evil incarnate. Cast off your attachment to him and uphold your dharma.” Furious at this, Duryodhan retorted, “How dare he speak against me while living off my food!” Consumed by wrath, Duryodhan dismissed Vidur from his post and cast him out of the kingdom.

Turning Point of Mahabharat

After the Pandavas settled in Indraprastha, Duryodhan invited them to a game of dice. With Shakuni’s cunning hand guiding the throws, Duryodhan won relentlessly as Yudhisthir wagered again and again. One loss led to another until everything the Pandavas owned—from their wealth to their kingdom—was gone. In a tragic lapse of judgment, Yudhisthir even staked his own brothers and then Draupadi, losing all of them. Defeated and disgraced, the Pandavas were banished to the forest.

After twelve years in exile and one in hiding, they returned to claim their rightful kingdom. But Duryodhan, intoxicated by power, refused scornfully. As tension thickened and the Mahabharat war loomed, Shree Krishna foresaw the ruin that would engulf Bharat. To avert this, He journeyed to Hastinapur to mediate peace.

And so, Shree Krishna approached Duryodhan with a simple, conciliatory proposal: “grant your cousins, the Pandavas, just five villages.” But arrogance had deafened Duryodhan’s ears. “You speak of five villages? I will not part with land enough to fit on the tip of a needle!” He declared. Seeing his obstinacy, Shree Krishna revealed His Viraat Roop—the same awe-inspiring Cosmic Form later shown to Arjun. Yet, unable to perceive divinity through the fog of pride, Duryodhan dismissed it as sorcery and even ordered his guards to seize Krishna and throw Him into a cellar.

However, soon realizing his misstep, Duryodhan altered his approach and sought Shree Krishna’s favor for the impending war. He hosted a lavish feast—a spread of fifty-six exquisite dishes in golden and silver vessels. “Let us have a meal, O Krishna,” he boasted. To which Shree Krishna responded thoughtfully: “A person eats for one of two reasons—to satiate their hunger or to share the joy of love. In this case, neither is present.”

Despite the splendor, the offering lay barren, bereft of the ingredient of love.

An Offering of Love

Shree Krishna said, “Besides, I also have an invitation from Vidur.” At once, Vidurji, seated quietly at the back of the assembly, sprang to his feet. The Lord… at my home? Panic surged through him—he had nothing prepared. He flurried to the market hoping to arrange a proper meal, while Shree Krishna walked straight to Vidur’s hut and knocked.

“Who is there?” Vidur’s wife, an elderly lady, called out. “It is me,” Krishna replied. “I am very hungry. Please open the door!” Vidurani had been bathing, but the moment she heard His voice, her heart soared. For years, she had dreamed of serving the Lord—imagining where she would seat Him, what she would feed Him. And now He stood at her door. Overwhelmed, she rushed out, unaware she was not fully dressed. Perceiving her frenzied state, Shree Krishna gently draped His pītāmbar (silk cloth) around her shoulders and stepped inside.

Vidurani did have food at home, but her mind had drowned in devotion. Bananas lay nearby. In a daze, she peeled them—dropping the fruit and placing the peels into Krishna’s mouth. Blissfully savoring them, He exclaimed, “I have never tasted anything like this!” Though her offering was bizarre, Shree Krishna cherished the sentiment in her heart. Such is the Bhaktavatsal nature of God:

भाव बिन सब कुछ दे डाले, तो मैं कभी लेता नहीं। 

भाव वाले भक्त का एक पुष्प भी स्वीकार है। 

भाव का भूखा हूँ मैं, और भाव ही बस सार है। 

भाव से मुझको भजे, तो भव से बेड़ा पार है।

Meanwhile, Vidurji returned with halwa and puri, beaming, “Krishna announced my name before the entire assembly! We must prepare. He will arrive any moment!” But as he entered, he froze in disbelief. Krishna was already sitting there peacefully, while Vidurani was feeding Him banana peels. Startled, Vidurji rebuked Vidurani and hastened to offer the food he had brought. Shree Krishna, smiling, gently declined. “Vidurji, don’t mind, but the taste I found in those banana peels is not present in this.”

Vidur Meets Uddhav

Subsequently, Shree Krishna returned to Dwarka. With the Mahabharat war becoming imminent, Vidurji returned only once more to offer Dhritarashtra his final counsel, then spent years in pilgrimage.

One day, near the serene banks of the Yamuna, Vidur encountered Uddhav—Krishna’s close companion and chief minister. Feeling a sense of relief, Vidur inquired, “Uddhavji, how are you? How are the Yadus? And… how is my dearest Shree Krishna?” At the very mention of Krishna, tears welled up in Uddhav’s eyes. His voice broke: “Vidurji… Krishna has concluded His earthly leelas. By His will, a dreadful quarrel arose among the Yadus, and they perished at one another’s hands. And then… Krishna Himself departed.”

Overwhelmed, Uddhav began recalling Krishna’s divine pastimes. “He was born in Kansa’s jail house in Mathura, then spent His wondrous childhood in Vrindavan—shielding the Brajvasis from calamities, lifting the Govardhan hill on his little finger, dancing the Maharaas with the Gopis, and yielding to Mother Yashoda’s love when she tied Him with a rope. Though He was God Himself, He carried Nandbaba’s sandals on His head and stole butter like a mischievous child. How astonishing were His ways! Later, when Krishna returned to Mathura, He embraced me as His friend, and I remained ever at His side. From there He moved to Dwarka, where He lived for a hundred years.”

Uddhav continued, “I sensed Krishna was preparing to conclude His earthly leelas, and fear gripped me—I could not bear the thought of leaving Him. Yet He instructed me: after His departure the world would plunge into great turmoil, and that I must go to Badrik Ashram and preach. Still, attachment held me back. When the Yadavas later fought among themselves, my anguish deepened. Out of compassion, Krishna sat with me and bestowed profound spiritual knowledge (known as the Uddhav Gita). Maitreya Rishi was also present and heard those esoteric teachings.”

Then, with deep affection, Uddhav added, “Krishna told me you would come seeking Him and that this knowledge must reach you. But since you are senior to me in age, the detailed teachings are to be imparted by Sage Maitreya. I have delivered Krishna’s message. Now go to Maitreya and receive that wisdom.”

With that, Uddhav left.

Vidurji stayed by the Yamuna for a few days, absorbing all he had heard. He then resumed his pilgrimage and, upon reaching the Ganga, met the great Sage Maitreya. Bowing reverently, Vidur sat before him. Thus began the Vidur–Maitreya Samvad.

Vidur-Maitreya Samvad

With an earnest thirst for divine wisdom, Vidurji asked Sage Maitreya:

सुखाय कर्माणि करोति लोको न तै: सुखं वान्यदुपारमं वा।

विन्देत भूयस्तत एव दुःखं यदत्र युक्तं भगवान् वदेन्नः॥ ~ Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.2

O great saint! Every soul strives for happiness, yet sorrow inevitably follows. Why do our efforts and their results stand in contradiction? Why did God create this world? Why are souls placed here? And what is the purpose of the Lord’s descent? Kindly illumine me.

Delighted by Vidurji’s questions, Sage Maitreya exclaimed, “Vidurji, such inquiries perfectly befit one of your caliber—for you are none other than Dharmaraj, Yamaraj himself.”

Vidur: Yamaraj Reborn

Long ago, as Mandavya Muni sat immersed in contemplation, a tribal hunter suddenly hurled a spear towards him. Though it halted in time, the tip grazed the sage’s chest—and even more deeply, his emotions. Unable to accept the seeming injustice, Mandavya summoned Yamaraj and demanded to know why such a suffering had befallen him when he had never harmed anyone. Yamaraj revealed a forgotten childhood misdeed: Mandavya had once tortured a beetle for amusement. Small as it was, the creature still possessed life, and the pain he inflicted upon it accrued a karmic debt; the wound he now suffered was its consequence. Aggrieved by the weight of a childhood folly, Mandavya cursed Yamaraj to be born on Earth as the son of a maidservant. Yamaraj humbly accepted the curse, sensing a divine purpose behind it. In due course, Yamaraj was reborn as dasi-putra Vidur.

Mystery of Creation

Maitreya explained, God is eternal. He is the creator. Ever since fire has existed, its heat and light have existed. Similarly, the souls and God’s material energy (Maya) have existed ever since God has. At the time of annihilation, the universe withdraws into Him—the elements dissolve, and material energy returns to its primordial state. When creation begins again, God manifests what lies latent within Him. Thus, existence flows in an unending cycle of creation, maintenance, and annihilation.

The Bhagavad Gita declares:

भूतग्राम: स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते |

रात्र्यागमेऽवश: पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे || ~ Verse 8.19

“Multitudes of beings repeatedly take birth with the advent of Brahma’s day and are reabsorbed on the arrival of the cosmic night, to manifest again automatically on the advent of the next cosmic day.”

The soul is eternal and has journeyed through countless cycles of birth and dissolution. God does not interfere but acts as an impartial witness— granting outcomes solely based on our deeds, never favoring or opposing anyone. Thus, to uplift our lives, we must refine our karma, for the joy or sorrow we experience is the fruit of our own deeds.

Why Does God Take Avatar?

Maitreya takes the subject of God’s descent beyond the Bhagavad Gita. Arjun, the listener of the Gita, was in ignorance, and Shree Krishna revealed knowledge to elevate him. But Parikshit, who heard the Bhagavatam, was already a detached and enlightened soul. Therefore, the Bhagavatam unveils a deeper truth.

Shree Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita:

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् |

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे || ~ Verse 4.8

“To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.”

Yet dharma is eternal; though obscured at times, it can be revived by saints and Acharyas—God need not incarnate for its preservation. Moreover, the Lord personally safeguards those who surrender to Him, just as a mother protects her child. Shree Krishna promises in the Gita:

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते |

तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् || ~ Verse 9.22

“There are those who always think of Me and engage in exclusive devotion to Me. To them, whose minds are always absorbed in Me, I provide what they lack and preserve what they already possess.”

Besides, if God wished, He could destroy demons in a moment. Being Satya Sankalp: whatever He thinks becomes reality. In the Ramayan, before the battle in Lanka, Sugriv trembled at the might of Ravan and Kumbhakarna. But Shree Ram smiled and said:

पिशाचान् दानवान् यक्षान् पृथिव्यां चैव राक्षसान् ।

अङ्गुष्टग्रेण तान्हन्या मिच्छन् हरी गणेश्वरः ॥ ~ Valmiki Ramayan [v8]

“If I, the Supreme Lord, merely bend the little finger of my left hand, all the demons in the world will die.”

Sugreev humbly asked, “If that is the case, my Lord, then in order to kill Ravan, what is the need for raising this army?”  The Lord replied, “To give you all the opportunity to engage in devotional service for your own purification.”

God is complete and needs nothing from anyone. Every divine act is for the welfare of souls. Hence, the true reason for His descent is to perform enchanting pastimes, giving souls a tangible basis for devotion—a Form to adore, a Name to chant, and deeds to remember. The formless Absolute is inconceivable to the mind, but God in a loving, relatable Form becomes the foundation of bhakti across generations.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj sums it up in the Bhakti Shatak: 

करन हरि अवतार को, कृपा अकरण जान।

अपर जिते करन कहे, तिनहिं गाउन करी मान॥ ~ Doha 56

The primary reason is Akaran Kripa (causeless grace). All other reasons are secondary. God descends to make devotion accessible and shower His mercy upon the souls.

Video Resource

Role of God in your Life - Vidur Maitreya Samvad | Srimad Bhagavatam by Swami Mukundananda Part 6