Uddhava () is a character from the

Puranic Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

texts of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, described to be the friend and counsellor of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. He plays a significant role in the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

, being taught the processes of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

directly by

. The principle of these discussions is often referred to as the ''

Uddhava Gita Hamsa Gita (Sanskrit) (also referred to as Uddhava Gita) consists of Krishna's final discourse to Uddhava before Krishna draws his worldly 'descent' (Sanskrit: ''avatar'') and 'pastimes' (Sanskrit: lila) to completion. Though the ''Uddhava Gita'' ...

'', similarly to the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

wherein Krishna instructs

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

. According to some texts Uddhava was also Krishna's cousin, being the son of Devabhaga, who was the brother of

Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

, Krishna's father. His physical appearance was so like that of Krishna's that in some instances, he is mistaken for the latter. The

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

mentions that Uddhava was a minister of the

Vrishnis The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and ...

, whom they all regarded and respected. The Bhagavata Purana mentions that Uddhava was a disciple of

Brihaspati Brihaspati ( sa, बृहस्पति, ), also known as Guru, is a Hindu deity. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a rishi (sage) who counsels the devas (god ...

Legend

Messenger to Vrindavana

In the Bhagavata Purana and

Brahmavaivarta Purana The ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण; ) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and a major Purana (''Maha-purana'') of Hinduism. It is an important Vaishnavism text. This Purana majorly centers aroun ...

, after Krishna had defeated Kamsa, Uddhava came to see him, much to Krishna's pleasure. Krishna requested Uddhava to visit

Vrindavana Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

with a message on his behalf to the

gopis Gopi ( sa, गोपी, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of Krishna within the Vaishnavism and Krishnaism traditions for their unconditional love and devotion (''Bhakti'') to god Krishna as described in the S ...

and other residents of the village, who were missing his company. Krishna asks Uddhava to tell the people of Vrindavana to forget about him because he needed to be forgotten by his devotees to complete his duties on earth. Uddhava was so mesmerised with the devotion of

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

and gopis towards Krishna that he stayed in Vrindavana for the next six months, where he also asked the gopis to be his teachers. The gopis told him that when

Akrura Akrura () is a Yadu dynasty, Yadava prince in Hinduism, best known for being the uncle of the deity Krishna. The son of Śvaphalka and Gandini, a daughter of the king of Varanasi, Kashi,Garg, pp. 305-306. he is instructed by Kamsa to drive his neph ...

came to Vrindavana, he took their Krishna with him, and rhetorically asked him if he was there to take away their memories of him from them as well, to which Uddhava was rendered speechless. The content of the message and the feelings aroused by it when heard by the residents of Vrindavana constitute the highest understanding of the love of God in the tradition of

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...

Uddhava Gita

Krishna delivered the ''Uddhava Gita'' (also referred to as ''Hamsa Gita'') to Uddhava shortly before he left the world in order to help console Uddhava after his forthcoming departure. It commences with Uddhava's perplexity after he saw the impending destruction of the Yaduvamsha community, in which Krishna was also brought up, born as a

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

. Uddhava was famous as a devotee and a dear friend of Krishna, but even he could not fathom why he had not prevented the destruction from happening.

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

, the creator and the celestials implored Krishna to return to his divine abode after the purpose of his descent was over. Krishna then explained why the Yadavas had to perish, stating that due to the insolence caused by their prowess, heroism, and fortune, the Yadavas wished to conquer the entirety of the earth. He informed him that the earth would suffer if he did not take his clan with him before his demise. Greatly saddened by this, Uddhava approached Krishna and besought him to take him as well. In reply, Krishna expounded the Uddhava Gita.

References

External links

Krishna instructs Uddhava
(vedabase.com)

(Hindu.com)
Krishna Explains the Yoga System to Sri Uddhava
(srimadbhagavatam.com)
Gita/Swami Guruparanada Udhhava-Gita with Commentary by Viśvanātha Cakravartī and Bhaktisidhhānta Sarasvatī
{{Authority control Characters in the Bhagavata Purana People related to Krishna

Legend

Messenger to Vrindavana

Uddhava Gita

See also

References

External links