Svayambhuva Manu and his wife Satarupa had two sons named Uttanapada and Priyavrata. King Uttanapada had two wives, named Suruci and Suniti. Suruci was the favourite wife of the king. Suruci had a son named Uttama and Suniti’s son was named Dhruva.
One day King Uttanapada was playing with his son Uttama and he placed him on his lap. Dhruva also tried to climb into his father’s lap, but the King turned him away.
While Dhruva was trying to sit on his father’s lap, his stepmother Suruci loudly said, Dhruva, although you are the son of the king, you do not deserve to sit on the throne or the lap of the King because you did not take birth from my womb.
If you wish to become the king, you must first worship the Supreme Lord. When you have satisfied the Lord by such worship then you will have to take your next birth from my womb.
Dhruva was very angry to hear his stepmother’s words. When his father did not say anything to protest at his stepmother’s harsh words, Dhruva began to cry and ran away to his mother. Queen Suniti lifted her son on her lap and with a trembling voice Dhruva told her what had happened.
Suniti was very sorry to hear about what had been said and her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know what she could do to solve it and so she said to Dhruva, My dear son, please don’t think badly of others or wish for anything unfavourable for other people. A person who wishes pain for others will have to suffer from that same pain themselves.
What your stepmother has said is actually true. You have been born from the womb of an unfortunate woman, because the king does not favour me and he is ashamed of me. So, if you want to sit on your stepbrother Uttama’s throne, you should follow the advice of your stepmother and begin to worship the Supreme Lord. It is by worshipping the Supreme Lord that your great grandfather Lord Brahma was able to create this entire universe. That was also the case for your grandfather Svayambhuva Manu, who by his worship of the Supreme Lord achieved earthly and heavenly happiness followed by liberation.
Those who seek liberation from the cycle of birth and death must take shelter of the Supreme Lord. Only the Supreme Lord can alleviate your suffering, so worship him by fixing your mind on him with exclusive devotion. Dhruva thought about what his mother had said and then with firm determination he left his father’s palace.
The sage Narada heard about these events and he was amazed. He approached Dhruva and said, The spirit of the monarchs is wonderful. They are unable to tolerate even the slightest insult to their honour. You are only a small child, yet you have taken the harsh words of your stepmother to heart.
My dear boy, why are you so upset by words insulting your honour? Young boys should only be concerned with playing sports and other games. This dissatisfaction you feel is only part of the illusory material energy, everyone must suffer or enjoy the results of their previous actions.
The Supreme Lord controls everything, so you should accept whatever providence has in store for you and be contented with whatever comes to you, whether it is good or bad. In my opinion, the meditation your mother advised you to perform to satisfy the Supreme Lord is not possible for you. Many yogis have tried this process for lifetimes, but they were unable to succeed.
So it is best if you go home. You should not persist with this, when you are older you will have the opportunity and then you can try to achieve this. You should try to be happy in whatever circumstances you find yourself because it is all by the arrangement of the Supreme Lord.
Dhruva said, Narada you have given very good advice, but I am very ignorant and so it is difficult to see it that way. I know it is disrespectful of me not to follow your instructions, but because I have been born in a family of monarchs and rulers I am not tolerant. My stepmother has wounded my heart with her unkind words and so your valuable advice cannot stay in my heart. I desire to attain a position higher than anything achieved before. Would you please advise me how I can achieve this goal?
Narada felt compassion towards Dhruva and he said, The advice of your stepmother to worship the Supreme Lord will lead you to the highest good. Anyone who desires to achieve purity, wealth, sensual satisfaction and liberation should worship the Supreme Lord. Go with my blessing. You can purify yourself by going to the Madhuvana forest on the bank of the sacred Yamuna river.
You should bathe in the Yamuna river three times a day. After bathing you should sit in a quiet place and gradually purify your mind and senses by the relevant breathing exercises. With a steady mind you should meditate on the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Lord is very beautiful. He is always happy and prepared to give blessings to everyone. He is youthful, and all his limbs are attractive. His lips are as red as the rising sun. He is the refuge of the surrendered souls and an ocean of mercy.
The Lord is a deep blue colour and bears the mark of Srivatsa on his chest. He is garlanded with flowers and in his four hands he holds a conch-shell, a disc, a club and a lotus flower. He wears yellow silk garments and he is decorated with a jewelled helmet, necklace and bracelets and the Kausthubha jewel. He wears small golden bells around his waist and ankles. He is always peaceful and serene and he delights the mind and the eyes.
With the gem like nails of his feet glittering, he stands on the lotus of the heart and occupies the mind of those who worship him. One should always see the Lord in this form and with full attention meditate on the Supreme Lord who gives the greatest of all blessings. Anyone who meditates on the Lord in this way will be liberated from material contamination and will never leave that position.
Now please hear the confidential mantra which should be chanted. One should chant ‘Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya’ (I offer my respects to the Supreme Lord Vasudeva). While chanting this mantra one should offer the Lord flowers, fruits and food. One can offer water, flowers, fruits and vegetables which are appreciated by the Supreme Lord. One should worship the Lord and chant the mantra three times a day. One should also meditate on activities of the Supreme Lord in his different incarnations.
One should follow the advice of previous spiritual teachers regarding the regulations of deity worship. Or if this is not possible or practical one should worship the Lord within one’s heart and recite the mantra. Anyone who follows these instructions and sincerely worships the Lord with their body, mind and words will be blessed by the Supreme Lord with the fulfilment of all their desires. If one desires to be free from material life, they must engage in this process of devotion and be detached from material sensual pleasures.
After hearing the advice of Narada, Dhruva offered him respects as his spiritual teacher and then started for the Madhuvana on the Yamuna river. After Dhruva had left, Narada went to visit Dhruva’s father King Uttanapada. After greeting the King, Narada said, King Uttanapada, you do not look well. Is there some deficiency in your religious or royal duties or material pleasures?
King Uttanapada said, Narada, I have been thinking of my son Dhruva who is only 5 years old. Because I was too attached to my wife I neglected him although he is an innocent child. I am very worried about him. He is not protected by anyone in the forest and he may be fatigued or hungry or in danger. It is most unfortunate that I allowed myself to be controlled by my wife. It was cruel of me to reject my son when out of affection for me he was trying to climb on my lap.
Narada said, Please do not worry about your son, he is being well protected by the Supreme Lord. He will perform feats that are difficult even for the greatest personalities and then he will return to you. After speaking to Narada, the king spent his time thinking about his son Dhruva and neglected his kingdom and royal duties.
Meanwhile, Dhruva had arrived at Madhuvana and bathed in the sacred Yamuna river. Following the instructions of Narada, he worshipped the Supreme Lord according to the instructions Narada had given him. For the first month, he ate every third day. He only ate enough fruits and berries to keep his body alive. In the second month he ate only dry grass and leaves every 6 days and continued his worship.
In the third month, with his mind fully concentrated on his worship, he drank only water every 9th day. In the fourth month, Dhruva mastered the breathing exercises and ate only air every 12 days. By the fifth month, Dhruva was able to stand on one leg without moving and completely focus his mind on the Supreme Lord.
When Dhruva had firmly fixed his mind on the Supreme Lord the three worlds began to shake. As Dhruva stood on one leg, his big toe pressed down half the earth. Dhruva had confined his breathing and closed all the gates of his body, and by confining his life air the gods of the celestial realm began to feel suffocated. They approached the Supreme Lord for protection. The gods said, Dear Lord, you are the shelter of all existence and kind to those in need. We do not know why the flow of the universal breath is obstructed. Please save us.
The Supreme Lord said, Do not be afraid. This is due to the severe penances being performed by the son of King Uttanapada who is engrossed in thinking of me. I will ask the boy to stop this and you will be saved. The Supreme Lord then went to the Madhuvana forest to see Dhruva.
In his meditation, Dhruva was seeing the form of the Lord brilliant as lightning standing on the lotus of his heart. All of a sudden he noticed that the Lord had disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw the Supreme Lord present before him in the same form he had been seeing him in his heart. When Dhruva saw the Lord, he fell prostrate on the ground to offer his respects to the Lord.
The Lord could understand that Dhruva wanted to offer prayers to glorify him but he lacked the necessary experience to do so. The Lord mercifully touched his conch-shell to Dhruva’s forehead. Thus Dhruva received the inspiration to be able to express his feelings and offer his prayers to the Lord
Dhruva said, Let me offer my respects to you, the Supreme Lord and original person. You have animated all my senses and my words. You are the one Supreme Lord who creates the total material world by your own energy. Through the different qualities of nature you create the varieties of material existence, just as fire in different types of wood burns in different shapes and forms.
In the beginning of creation, you gave Brahma the knowledge to understand the entire universe. You are the refuge of everyone who desires liberation from this material world. How can you be forgotten by those who are grateful for your benevolent acts. You are the cause of liberation from birth and death.
I am a fool because I have worshipped you only to gain material pleasures, but these pleasures are even available to those who live in hell. The bliss that is obtained from meditation on the impersonal feature of the Absolute, or the bliss of life in the celestial realms cannot compare to the bliss that is achieved by meditating on you or hearing about your qualities or activities.
When Dhruva finished his prayers the Supreme Lord said, Dhruva, I know the determination in your heart. Although your wish is difficult to attain, I will give it to you because you have performed virtuous actions. I will give you the brightly glowing planet around which all the other stars are circling just as bulls tread around a central post used for crushing grain.
After your father retires to the forest he will give you the rule of his kingdom. As the king, you will perform many great sacrifices and be very charitable. You will enjoy material happiness and at the time of death you will remember me. After saying this Lord Vishnu returned to his abode.
Although he achieved what he desired, Dhruva was not very pleased. Dhruva thought to himself, I am most unfortunate. I approached the Supreme Lord who can stop the cycle of birth and death but I foolishly prayed for temporary material things. Out of foolishness I have asked the Lord for material prosperity. I am like a poverty stricken man who asks a generous emperor for only a few broken grains of rice. Persons who are devoted to the Supreme Lord are satisfied with serving him. They are content with whatever comes to them by destiny.
Anyone who listens to this story will achieve illustrious and glorious qualities like Dhruva. Those who desire bravery and respect will develop those qualities by hearing the story of Dhruva Maharaja.
