HARE KRSNA

THE STORY OF KING DHRUVA

Svayambhuva Manu had two sons by his wife, Satarupa, and the names of the sons were
Uttanapada and Priyavrata. Because both of them were descendants of a plenary
expansion of Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they were very competent
to rule the universe to maintain and protect the citizens.

King Uttanapada had two queens, named Suniti and Suruci. Suruci was much more dear
to the King; Suniti, who had a son named Dhruva, was not his favorite.

Once upon a time, King Uttanapada was patting the son of Suruci, Uttama, placing him
on his lap. Dhruva Maharaja was also trying to get on the King's lap, but the King did not
very much welcome him. While the child, Dhruva Maharaja, was trying to get on the lap
of his father, Suruci, his stepmother, became very envious of the child, and with great
pride she began to speak so as to be heard by the King himself.

Queen Suruci told Dhruva Maharaja: My dear child, you do not deserve to sit on the
throne or on the lap of the King. Surely you are also the son of the King, but because you
did not take your birth from my womb but of another woman., you are not qualified to sit
on your father's lap. You are trying to fulfill a desire which is impossible to fulfill. If you
at all desire to rise to the throne of the King, then you have to undergo severe austerities.
First of all you must satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, and then,
when you are favored by Him because of such worship, you shall have to take your next
birth from my womb.

Dhruva Maharaja, having been struck by the strong words of his stepmother, began to
breathe very heavily because of great anger. When he saw that his father was silent and
did not protest, he immediately left the palace and went to his mother.

When Dhruva Maharaja reached his mother, his lips were trembling in anger, and he was
crying very grievously. Queen Suniti immediately lifted her son onto her lap, while the
palace residents who had heard all the harsh words of Suruci related everything in detail.
Thus Suniti also became greatly aggrieved.

This incident was unbearable to Suniti's patience. As she remembered the words of her
co-wife, her bright, lotuslike face filled with tears. Suniti said: My dear boy, whatever has
been spoken by Suruci is so, because the King, your father, does not consider me his wife
or even his maidservant. He feels ashamed to accept me. Therefore it is a fact that you
have taken birth from the womb of an unfortunate woman, and by being fed from her
breast you have grown up.

My dear boy, whatever has been spoken by Suruci, your stepmother, although very harsh
to hear, is factual. Therefore, if you desire at all to sit on the same throne as your
stepbrother, Uttama, then give up your envious attitude and immediately try to execute
the instructions of your stepmother. As far as I am concerned, I do not find anyone who
can mitigate your distress but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose eyes are like
lotus petals, who is very kind to His devotees. Without further delay, you should take
shelter and must engage yourself in worshiping the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. Therefore, after deliberate consideration and with intelligence and fixed
determination, he left his father's house.

The great sage Narada overheard this news, and understanding all the activities of Dhruva
Maharaja, he was struck with wonder. He approached Dhruva, and touching the boy's
head with his all-virtuous hand, he spoke as follows. Just imagine! This boy is only a
small child, yet harsh words from his stepmother proved unbearable to him. My dear boy,
you are only a little boy whose attachment is to sports and other frivolities. Why are you
so affected by words insulting your honor?

Dhruva Maharaja said: My dear Lord Naradaji, My stepmother, Suruci, has pierced my
heart with her harsh words. O learned brahmana, I want to occupy a position more
exalted than any yet achieved within the three worlds by anyone, even by my fathers and
grandfathers. If you will oblige, kindly advise me of an honest path to follow by which I
can achieve the goal of my life.

The great sage Narada told Dhruva Maharaja: The instruction given by your mother,
Suniti, to follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is
just suitable for you. You should therefore completely absorb yourself in the devotional
service of the Lord. My dear boy, I therefore wish all good fortune for you. You should
go to the bank of the Yamuna, where there is a virtuous forest named Madhuvana, and
there be purified. Just by going there, one draws nearer to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who always lives there.

My dear boy, in the waters of the Yamuna River, which is known as Kalindi, you should
take three baths daily because the water is very auspicious, sacred and clear. After
bathing, you should perform the necessary regulative principles for astanga-yoga and
then sit down on your asana [sitting place] in a calm and quiet position.

After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus
gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all
material contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. now I shall speak unto you the mantra which is to be chanted
with this process of meditation. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This is the twelve-
syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Krsna.

My dear Dhruva, besides worshiping the Deity and chanting the mantra three times a day,
you should meditate upon the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead in His different incarnations, as exhibited by His supreme will and personal
potencies.

When Dhruva Maharaja, the son of the King, was thus advised by the great sage Narada,
he circumambulated Narada, his spiritual master, and offered him respectful obeisances.
Then he started for Madhuvana, which is always imprinted with the lotus footprints of
Lord Krsna and which is therefore especially auspicious.

Then Narada Muni went and pacified King Uttanapada and told him about Dhruva. The
King was very much aggrieved and ashamed for he was the cause for Dhruva a small
boy going alone to the forest and he was worried about him.

Dhruva Maharaja, having arrived at Madhuvana, took his bath in the River Yamuna and
observed fasting in the night with great care and attention. After that, as advised by the
great sage Narada, he engaged himself in worshiping the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

For the first month Dhruva Maharaja ate only fruits and berries on every third day, In the
second month he ate only every six days, and for his eatables he took dry grass and
leaves. In the third month he drank water only every nine days. In the fourth month he
became a complete master of the breathing exercise, and thus he inhaled air only every
twelfth day. By the fifth month, he had controlled his breathing so perfectly that he was
able to stand on only one leg. He completely controlled his senses and their objects, and
in this way he fixed his mind, without diversion to anything else, upon the form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.

When Dhruva Maharaja became practically one in heaviness with Lord Visnu, the total
consciousness, due to his fully concentrating, and closing all the holes of his body, the
total universal breathing became choked up, and all the great demigods in all the
planetary systems felt suffocated and thus took shelter of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

The demigods said: Dear Lord, You are the refuge of all moving and nonmoving living
entities. We feel all living entities to be suffocating, their breathing processes choked up.
We have never experienced such a thing. Since You are the ultimate shelter of all
surrendered souls, we have therefore approached You; kindly save us from this danger.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: My dear demigods, do not be perturbed by

this. It is due to the severe austerity and full determination of the son of King Uttanapada,
who is now fully absorbed in thought of Me. He has obstructed the universal breathing
process. You can safely return to your respective homes. I shall stop this boy in his severe
acts of austerities, and you will be saved from this situation.

Then the Lord, got on the back of Garuda, who carried Him to the Madhuvana Forest to
see His servant Dhruva. The form of the Lord, which was brilliant like lightning and in
which Dhruva Maharaja, in his mature yogic process, was fully absorbed in meditation,
all of a sudden disappeared. Thus Dhruva was perturbed, and his meditation broke. But as
soon as he opened his eyes he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally
present, just as he had been seeing the Lord in his heart.

When Dhruva Maharaja saw his Lord just in front of him, he was greatly agitated and
offered Him obeisances and respect. He fell flat before Him like a rod and became
absorbed in love of Godhead. Dhruva Maharaja, in ecstasy, looked upon the Lord as if he
were drinking the Lord with his eyes, kissing the lotus feet of the Lord with his mouth,
and embracing the Lord with his arms.Although he was a small boy, he wanted to offer
prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in suitable language. But because he was
inexperienced, he could not adjust himself immediately. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead, being situated in everyone's heart, could understand Dhruva Maharaja's
awkward position. Out of His causeless mercy He touched His conchshell to the forehead
of Dhruva Maharaja, who stood before Him with folded hands.

At that time Dhruva Maharaja became perfectly aware of the Vedic conclusion and
understood the Absolute Truth and His relationship with all living entities, offered his
deliberate and conclusive prayers. My Lord, O Supreme Lord, You are the supreme
personified form of all benediction. Therefore, for one who abides in Your devotional
service with no other desire, worshiping Your lotus feet is better than becoming king and
lording it over a kingdom. That is the benediction of worshiping Your lotus feet. To
ignorant devotees like me, You are the causelessly merciful maintainer, just like a cow,
who takes care of the newly born calf by supplying milk and giving it protection from
attack.

When Dhruva Maharaja, who had good intentions in his heart, finished his prayer, the
Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who is very kind to His devotees and
servants, congratulated him, speaking as follows. My dear Dhruva, son of the King, you
have executed pious vows, and I also know the desire within your heart. Although your
desire is very ambitious and very difficult to fulfill, I shall favor you with its fulfillment.
All good fortune unto you.

After your father goes to the forest and awards you the rule of his kingdom, you will rule
continuously the entire world for thirty-six thousand years, and all your senses will
continue to be as strong as they are now. You will never become old.Sometime in the
future your brother, Uttama, will go hunting in the forest, and while absorbed in hunting,
he will be killed. Your stepmother, Suruci, being maddened upon the death of her son,
will go to search him out in the forest, but she will be devoured by a forest fire.

The Lord continued: I am the heart of all sacrifices. You will be able to perform many
great sacrifices and also give great charities. In this way you will be able to enjoy the
blessings of material happiness in this life, and at the time of your death you will be able
to remember Me.

The Personality of Godhead continued: My dear Dhruva, I shall award you the glowing
planet known as the polestar, which will continue to exist even after the dissolution at the
end of the millennium. No one has ever ruled this planet, after your material life in this
body, you will go to this planet of mine, which is always offered obeisances by the
residents of all other planetary systems. It is situated above the planets of the seven rsis,
and having gone there you will never have to come back again to this material world.

After being worshiped and honored by the boy, Dhruva Maharaja, and after offering him
His abode, Lord Visnu, on the back of Garuda, returned to His abode, as Dhruva
Maharaja looked on. Despite having achieved the desired result of his determination by
worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord, Dhruva Maharaja was not very pleased. Thus he
returned to his home.

Dhruva Maharaja's heart, which was pierced by the arrows of the harsh words of his
stepmother, was greatly aggrieved, and thus when he fixed upon his goal of life he did
not forget her misbehavior. He did not demand actual liberation from this material world,
but at the end of his devotional service, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead
appeared before him, he was simply ashamed of the material demands he had in his mind.

Dhruva Maharaja thought to himself: To endeavor to be situated in the shade of the lotus
feet of the Lord is not an ordinary task because even the great brahmacaris headed by
Sanandana, who practiced astanga-yoga in trance, attained the shelter of the Lord's lotus
feet only after many, many births. Within six months I achieved the same result, yet due
to my thinking differently from the Lord, I fell down from my position.
Alas, just look at me! I am so unfortunate. I approached the lotus feet of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who can immediately cut the chain of the repetition of birth and
death, but still, out of my foolishness, I prayed for things which are perishable.

Because of my state of complete foolishness and paucity of pious activities, although the
Lord offered me His personal service, I wanted material name, fame and prosperity. My
case is just like that of the poor man who, when he satisfied a great emperor who wanted
to give him anything he might ask, out of ignorance asked only a few broken grains of
husked rice.

(In any condition of life, pure devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are
always satisfied in serving at the lotus feet of the Lord. In any condition of life, such
persons remain satisfied, and thus they never ask the Lord for material prosperity.)

When King Uttanapada heard that his son Dhruva was coming back home, as if coming
back to life after death, Although he could not believe the words of the messenger, he had
full faith in the word of the great sage Narada. Thus he was greatly overwhelmed by the
news, and he immediately offered the messenger a highly valuable necklace in great
satisfaction.

Then King Uttanapada, being very eager to see the face of his lost son, mounted a chariot
drawn by excellent horses and bedecked with golden filigree. Taking with him many
learned brahmanas, all the elderly personalities of his family, his officers, his ministers
and his immediate friends, he immediately left the city. As he proceeded in this parade,
there were auspicious sounds of conchshells, kettledrums, flutes, and the chanting of
Vedic mantras to indicate all good fortune.Both the queens of King Uttanapada, namely
Suniti and Suruci, along with his other son, Uttama, appeared in the procession. The
queens were seated on a palanquin.

Upon seeing Dhruva Maharaja approaching the neighboring small forest, King
Uttanapada with great haste got down from his chariot. He had been very anxious for a
long time to see his son Dhruva, and therefore with great love and affection he went
forward to embrace his long-lost boy. Breathing very heavily, the King embraced him
with both arms. But Dhruva Maharaja was not the same as before; he was completely
sanctified by spiritual advancement due to having been touched by the lotus feet of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Reunion with Dhruva Maharaja fulfilled King Uttanapada's long-cherished desire, and for
this reason he smelled Dhruva's head again and again and bathed him with torrents of
very cold tears.
Then Dhruva Maharaja, the foremost of all nobles, first of all offered his obeisances at
the feet of his father and was honored by his father with various questions. He then
bowed his head at the feet of his two mothers.

Suruci, the younger mother of Dhruva Maharaja, seeing that the innocent boy had fallen
at her feet, immediately picked him up, embracing him with her hands, and with tears of
feeling she blessed him with the words, "My dear boy, long may you live!"

The two brothers Uttama and Dhruva Maharaja also exchanged their tears. They were
overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love and affection, and when they embraced one another,
the hair on their bodies stood up.

Suniti, the real mother of Dhruva Maharaja, embraced the tender body of her son, who
was dearer to her than her own life, and thus forgot all material grief, for she was very
pleased.

when everyone was thus praising Dhruva Maharaja, the King was very happy, and he had
Dhruva and his brother seated on the back of a she-elephant. Thus he returned to his
capital, where he was praised by all classes of men.