Canto 4 - Chapter 12: Kubera confers a boon on Dhruva, who ascends to the abode of Lord Viṣṇu ...

Discourse XII

Kubera confers a boon on Dhruva, who ascends to the abode of Lord Viṣṇu

Maitreya continued : Having come to know that Dhruva's anger had been appeased and that he had desisted from (further) bloodshed, the worshipful Kubera (the god of riches) arrived there, glorified by the Cāraṇas (celestial bards), Yakṣas and Kinnaras, and spoke to Dhruva, who stood (before him) with joined palms. (1)

The god of riches said : O Kṣatriya prince, I am highly pleased with you since at the remonstrance of your grandfather (Swāyambhuva Manu) you have renounced the feeling of animosity, so difficult to give up, O sinless one. (2)
(As a matter of fact), it was not you who killed the Yakṣas nor did the Yakṣas slay your brother (Uttama). The Time-spirit alone is responsible for the birth and death of living beings. (3)
Like the dream-consciousness, the false notion of 'I' and 'you' arises in man through ignorance (of his essential nature) and as a result of his self-identification with the body; and it is due to this notion that he has to suffer bondage as well as miseries. (4)
Therefore, God bless you, Dhruva, go and worship for the sake of freedom from birth (and death) the Lord—who is above sense-perception and yet manifest in the form of all living beings, whose feet are the only object worth resorting to, who puts an end to birth (and death) and who, though united (for the purposes of creation etc.), with His own energy known by the name of Māyā and consisting of the three Guṇas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas), is yet devoid of it (in His absolute aspect)—treating all living beings as your own self. (5-6)
Freely and unhesitatingly ask of me, O king, a boon which is foremost in your mind, O son of Uttānapāda, you being (eminently) fit to receive a boon (from me); for we have heard, dear Dhruva, that you are so near the feet of the Lord (who has a lotus sprung from His navel). (7)

Maitreya went on : When the great-minded Dhruva, an eminent devotee of the Lord, was egged on by Kubera (the king of the Yakṣas) to ask for a boon, he sought to be blessed with constant remembrance of Śrī Hari, with the help of which one is easily able to cross the ocean of worldly existence (which is an outcome of ignorance, and) which is so difficult to get over. (8)
With a glad heart Kubera (the son of Iḍavidā) conferred on him the boon of constant remembrance of the Lord and thereafter vanished before his very eyes; and Dhruva too returned to his own capital (Barhiṣmati). (9)
Then he propitiated, through (the performance of) a number of sacrifices attended with liberal fees (to the officiating priests), the Lord of sacrifices, who is the reward of ritual acts—performed with the help of material substances (clarified butter etc.), sacrificial activity (the work of the priests) and the deities (such as the fire-god, Indra and others) worshipped in the course of a sacrifice—as well as the dispenser of their fruit. (10)
Maintaining an ardent flow of Devotion to the immortal Lord, who is the Inner Controller of all and yet who excludes all, he saw seated in himself as well as in all (other) beings the same all-pervading Lord. (11)
The people looked upon him as their own father—him, who was thus possessed of a lofty character, devoted to the Brāhmaṇa and tender to the afflicted, and who preserved the bounds of propriety. (12)
Exhausting (the stock of) his merit through luxuries (permitted by the Śāstras) and neutralizing evil by practising self-denial (in the form of charity and the performance of sacrifices etc.), he ruled over the terrestrial globe for thirty-six thousand years (the span of life of a god). (13)
Having thus spent a long period as a means to (the attainment of) the three objects of human pursuit, (viz., religious merit, worldly prosperity and sensuous enjoyment) with his senses fully controlled, the high-souled Dhruva (eventually) made over the throne to his son (Utkala). (14)
Regarding this universe—which is no more real than a dream or a hallucination caused by ignorance—as super-imposed on his own self by Māyā (illusion), and realizing his own body, wives, progeny and kinsfolk, as well as his army, rich treasury, gynaecium, delightful pleasure-grounds and (his dominion over) the sea-girt terrestrial globe as overtaken by Death, he left for Viśālā (the forest of Badarikāśrama, the modern Badrīnātha). (15-16)

There (at Viśālā) he purified his mind by taking a plunge in the sacred waters (of the holy Gaṅgā) and, after steadying himself in a squatting posture, controlled his breath (through the process of Prāṇāyāma). Then, having withdrawn his senses (from the outside world) with the help of his mind, he fixed it on the gross (cosmic) form of the Lord, and meditating on it till the distinction of subject and object altogether disappeared from his mind, he was lost in Samādhi (abstract meditation) and abandoned the thought even of that (cosmic body). (17)
Maintaining an unceasing flow of devotion towards Lord Śrī Hari, he was bathed in a stream of blissful tears again and again. His heart melted (with emotion), a thrill ran through all his limbs, and rid of self-identification with the body, he lost consciousness even of his own individuality. (18)
While in that state, Dhruva beheld an excellent aerial car descending from the heavens. Like a rising full moon, it shed a bright lustre all round as well as above and below. (19)
He further saw therein two foremost divinities, swarthy of hue, possessed of four arms and eyes resembling a pair of red lotuses, clad in a beautiful attire and adorned with crowns, pearl necklaces, armlets and charming ear-rings. They were still in the prime of youth and stood leaning against their maces. (20)
Concluding them to be attendants of Lord Viṣṇu (of excellent renown), he sprang on his feet, and forgetting in the flurry (of the moment) the prescribed course (of worship), (simply) bowed to them with joined palms, uttering the names of the Lord (the Slayer of the demon Madhu) and thinking them to be His foremost attendants. (21)
Sunanda and Nanda, the two esteemed attendants of Lord Viṣṇu (who has a lotus sprung from His navel), approached Dhruva—whose mind was set on Śrī Kṛṣṇa's feet, and who stood with joined palms, his head bent low in humility—and smilingly spoke (as follows). (22)

Sunanda and Nanda said : O king; God bless you, listen attentively to our words—you, who succeeded in propitiating the Lord through (your) penance while yet a child of five ! (23)
We two are attendants of the selfsame Lord, the Wielder of the famous Śārṅga bow and the Sustainer of the whole world, and have called here to take you to the Lord's abode. (24)
You have secured (an abode in) the realm of Lord Viṣṇu, which is exceedingly difficult to attain to, and which even the seers (the sages presiding over the seven stars known by the name of the Great Bear) are unable to reach and only look up to from below. (Come with us and) take up your abode there. Planets, lunar mansions and other stars, including the sun and the moon, revolve round that realm, placing it on their right. (25)
Take up your residence in that supreme Abode of Lord Viṣṇu, which is worthy of adoration for all the worlds and has never been attained to by your forbears or even others, dear Dhruva ! (26)
Be pleased to mount, O long-lived one ! this excellent aerial car, despatched (for you) by the Lord, the foremost among those enjoying the highest renown. (27)

Maitreya resumed : On hearing the above words of the two chief servants of Lord Viṣṇu—words, which dropped nectar (as it were), Dhruva, a beloved devotee of the Lord (who took wide strides in order to rob Bali of his sovereignty of the three worlds) performed his ablutions, finished his daily routine (of devotions) and adorned his person and, having bowed low to the sages (residing in that hermitage), he drew forth their benediction. (28)
Having worshipped and gone round (from left to right) that excellent aerial car and made obeisance to the two divine attendants, and endowed with a (divine) form shining like gold, he felt inclined to mount it. (29)
In the meantime Dhruva (the son of Uttānapāda) saw Death arrived (there) and, having set his foot on the latter's head, stepped into the wonderful car. (30)
At the moment kettledrums as well as drums and tabors etc., sounded (of their own accord), the chief among the Gandharvas (celestial songsters) loudly sang and showers of flowers rained (on Dhruva). (31)

As he was about to soar for the divine realm, Dhruva recalled his mother Suniti, and said to himself, "Shall I have to proceed to the inaccessible heaven, leaving my poor mother behind ?" (32)
Having read his mind as depicted above, the two foremost divinities showed the shining lady going ahead (of Dhruva) in another aerial car. (33)
Greeted at every stage on the route with showers of flowers by gods shouting applause from their aerial cars, he saw (went past) the planets one after another. (34)
Passing beyond the three worlds (the earth, the intermediate region and the celestial world) as well as beyond (the region of) the seven seers by the route of the gods, Dhruva, who had attained the eternal state, eventually reached the Abode of Lord Viṣṇu, lying still further. (35)
That realm of Lord Viṣṇu shines all round by its own splendour; nay, even the three worlds (referred to above) merely reflect its light. They who are lacking compassion for (other) living beings have never attained to it; they alone reach it who ceaselessly perform benevolent deeds. (36)
They who are calm and collected and look upon others with the same eye, nay, who are pure (of body and mind) and complaisant to all living beings and who look upon the devotees of the immortal Lord as their only kinsmen easily ascend to that Abode of the immortal Lord. (37)

In this way Dhruva, son of Uttānapāda, who solely depended on Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, shone as a gem of the purest ray serene, forming the crown of the three worlds. (38)
Fastened to this realm, the stellar sphere vigilantly revolves round it, O Vidura (descendant of Kuru), even as the oxen (employed in trampling corn) revolve round the post in the middle of a threshing-floor with great speed, remaining attached to that post. (39)
Witnessing his glory, the worshipful sage Nārada chanted the following (three) verses in the sacrificial session called by the Pracetās, playing upon his (famous) lute. (40)

Nārada said : Even Brāhmaṇa sages (the expositors of the Vedas), though knowing the means, fail to attain the consummation reached as a result of his austere penance by the son of Suniti, who was so devoted to her husband. How, then, can rulers of men attain to that state ? (41)
A child of five years, he retired to the woods with an aching heart, pierced by the shaft-like words of his stepmother, and, doing my bidding, won (the favour of) the Lord, who, though unconquered (by others) is overcome by the virtues of His devotees. (42)
Can anyone who is born of Kṣatriya parents on this earth aspire to attain on his analogy even in many successive years the exalted state won by Dhruva—a state which he attained to even as a child of five to six years in the course of a few days by propitiating Lord Viṣṇu ? (43)

Maitreya took up the thread again : I have thus told you all that you asked me on this spot about the life-story of Dhruva of exalted renown, a story valued so much by noble souls. (44)
It is conducive to wealth, fame and longevity, is (most) sacred and full of great blessings. Nay, in bestows heavenly bliss and even the eternal state; it is highly commendable and fit to be heard (even) by gods and wipes out one's sins. (45)
By devoutly listening again and again to this story of a favourite devotee of the immortal Lord, Devotion to the Lord is sure to be engendered—Devotion which cuts at the root of (all) affliction. (46)
Virtues like amiability and so on appear in (the heart of) the man who listens (to this story); nay, it is a fountain of greatness for those who seek it, a mine of spiritual glow for those aspiring for it and a source of honour to the high-minded. (47)
With a concentrated mind one should recite this glorious story of king Dhruva of sacred renown (both) morning and evening before a congregation of the Brāhmaṇas. (48)
Devoted to the sacred feet of Lord Hari, he who recites it before an audience of pious souls on a full-moon day, the last day of a dark fortnight (when the sun and the moon 'dwell together'), the twelfth day of either fortnight, the day on which the moon passes through the asterism known by the name of Śravaṇa, a lunar day which commences after sunrise on a particular day and ends before the next sunrise, a Vyatipāta (a particular astronomical Yoga when the sun and the moon are in the opposite Ayana and have the same declination, the sum of their longitudes being 180°), a Saṃkrānti (the day on which the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to another) or any sunday (or the seventh lunar day of either fortnight, which is particularly sacred to the sun-god), seeking no return for his service (either here or hereafter) and remaining satisfied with himself by himself, thereby attains perfection. (49-50)
The gods shower their grace on that tender-hearted benefactor of the afflicted, who imparts to one who has no knowledge of Truth this wisdom, which is like nectar on the path leading to God-Realization. (51)
I have narrated to you, O foremost scion of Kuru, this narrative of king Dhruva whose pious doings are widely known and who, when he was a mere child, left his playthings as well as the roof of his mother and resorted for protection to Lord Viṣṇu. (52)

Thus ends the twelfth discourse entitled "The Narrative of Dhruva" in Book Four of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārṣa-Sarhhitā.