Lord Krishna enters Hastinapura as a messenger of the Pandavas. Knowing the purpose of His visit, the Kauravas are not ready to welcome Him. But Bhishma, Drona and others go to welcome Him.
As Krishna passes through the streets, He points to each palace and asks as to whom it belongs. One is Bhishma's, one is Drona's, and so they tell Him . When He nears Vidura's palace, He asks whose it is and Vidura says it belongs to Krishna's.
Best reply
That indeed, is the best reply. For, does not everything in the world belong to the Lord? Everything comes from Him and it is our ignorance that makes us claim possession over everything. It is our pride that sees us as owners, when in fact it is the Lord who is the owner of everything.
Vidura's reply shows his humility and devotion and it is not surprising that the Lord chooses to stay with him. The Lord's presence in his palace is the reward he gets for his humility, said C.V. Seshadri in a lecture.
Vidura welcomes Krishna. He has appointed many cooks to cater to those who had accompanied the Lord.
An overjoyed Vidura wonders if his house had once been the milky ocean. Is that why the Lord is so comfortable here? Or had this house once been Adisesha, the Lord's serpent bed? Or had it been it once the leaf of a banyan tree on which the Lord Krishna reposed?
One who has bhakti towards the Lord also is respectful to His devotees. Such bhaktas refer to their own houses as huts, even if they live in mansions. But if a learned scholar and devotee of the Lord lives in a hut, bhaktas refer to it as a palace. Such is the respect that is shown to great men.
One has to be humble and remember that everything that we enjoy in this life has come from the Lord. We cannot claim anything as our own.
Vidura knows this truth, which we tend to forget. So he refers to his palace as one that belongs to the Lord. His humility is rewarded by the Lord's decision to spend the night in his palace, than in the palace of Duryodhana, whose heart is filled with pride.
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