Uddhava has many questions for Lord Krishna, all of which the Lord answers. These questions and answers find a place in Srimad Bhagavatam, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. Uddhava asks Him about the qualities of sadhus, about the defining characteristics of devotees, about where the Lord can be found and how He should be invoked. He asks the Lord who are the persons who are dear to Him. Who are the ones who claim His affection? To whom is the Lord drawn?
The Lord gives a list of many things we should do, the many things we are asked to do, and then goes to say that none of these is enough to capture His heart. For instance, we are asked to do pranayama and yoga, but the Lord says this is not enough to become dear to Him. Ahimsa is a laudable trait, but is not enough to impress Him. Studying the Vedas is not easy, because the wealth of wisdom in it cannot be easily comprehended. That is why even a sage like Bharadwaja was unable to master the Vedas, despite the extended life span he enjoyed. And yet, the Lord tells Uddhava that even a diligent study of the Vedas is not going to help a person claim His affection. A person may be generous in giving daanas. But even this is not going to help. A person may do all the prescribed vratas, but this too is not sufficient to earn the Lord’s total appreciation. Will recitation of mantras help then? The answer again is in the negative, according to Lord Krishna. One may bathe in sacred rivers, but this too is insufficient to win His love. Control of the senses is stressed by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad Gita. But the Lord tells Uddhava that even control of senses will not make a person dear to Him.
Only a person who has shown respect to his Acharya is dear to Him, concludes Krishna.
