Devotees always long to listen to the glories of the Lord and especially His avatara leelas that are always a source of delight and can confer peace of mind to all. When a bhakta gets a chance to retell the stories of the Lord whom he holds dear in his heart, there is extra bhakti rasa to cherish for the devout. It is no wonder that in the Bhagavata Purana, Vidura listens enthralled to Uddhava’s retelling of the stories of Krishna, even as Sita savours every moment of Rama’s life when she hears it from the great devotee Hanuman, pointed out Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse.
Uddhava is realised and is aware of Krishna as none other than the Supreme Lord whose ways are mysterious and difficult to understand. The more he begins to think back on the way the all knowing Krishna has treated him as a friend and adviser, the more difficult it is for him to bear the inevitable separation from Him. Krishna then reveals to Uddhava his previous birth and samskaras that have enabled him to reach this realised state of true devotion.
The Lord decides that Uddhava should remain in this world as His representative to instruct people about the Lord’s nature and esoteric truths. He then imparts the Supreme Knowledge called ‘Bhagavata’ which He had taught Brahma in Padmakalpa.
This has come to be known as the ‘Uddhava Gita’ and like the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ is the essence of Atma Tatva. It continues to give mental strength to generations of posterity and leads them to the path of salvation. Since the very Lord expounds this, it can be seen as ‘Sruti’ literature though it is part of ‘Smriti.’ Krishna instructs Uddhava to go to Badrikashrama where the Lord in the forms of Narayana and Nara is engaged in austere penance for the good of the world.