putrāṇāṁ ca dvijottama

anuvratānāṁ śiṣyāṇāṁ

putrāṇāṁ ca dvijottama

anāpṛṣṭam api brūyur

guravo dīna-vatsalāḥ

O best of the brāhmaṇas! Though not asked, the gurus who are concerned from the suffering teach what is necessary to their obedient students and sons.

I do not know the most valuable thing to ask for. You should speak about it by your mercy! The genitive case (anuvratānāṁ śisyānām) is used to represent the dative case.

|| 3.7.37 ||

tattvānāṁ bhagavaṁs teṣāṁ

katidhā pratisaṅkramaḥ

tatremaṁ ka upāsīran

ka u svid anuśerate

How many types of destruction are there for the various elements? Who remains serving the Lord during destruction, and who goes to sleep?

Having asked about sādhana-bhakti, since sādhya-bhakti is eternal, to dispose of any erroneous conceptions about this fact, Vidura now asks about destruction of the material world. Pratisaṅkramaḥ refers to destruction. At the time of this destruction, who serves the Supreme Lord while he is sleeping, just as one serves the king by waving a cāmara? Who sleeps? This is the meaning Śrīdhara Svāmī gives to this verse. This implies that the bhakti of the associates of the Lord and the Lord’s planet are eternal. It is said in the Kāśi-khaṇḍa: na cyavante hi mad-bhaktā mahatyāṁ pralayāpadi: my devotees are not destroyed at the time of the final destruction of the universe.

|| 3.7.38 ||

puruṣasya ca saṁsthānaṁ

svarūpaṁ vā parasya ca

jñānaṁ ca naigamaṁ yat tad

guru-śiṣya-prayojanam

Please describe knowledge concerning the Lord’s form and jīva’s position, and the knowledge of the Upaniṣads which is necessary for the student to learn from the guru.

What is the position of the worshipper, the jīva (puruṣasya), what is his absolute (sam) condition or nature (sthānam)? And what is the svarūpa of the Supreme Lord, the object of worship (parasya)? What is the knowledge mentioned in the Vedas which is necessary for me as disciple to know, from the guru? The meaning is that from the guru I should learn about bhakti.

|| 3.7.39 ||