Svayambhu
Manu was a son of Brahmaand a part of Hari
. He and his wife Shatarupa had two sons,
Uttanapada and Priyavrata.
When Uttanapada grew up, he became the
king and had two queens, Suruchi and Suniti.
Suruchi’s son was named Uttama, and Suniti’s was Dhruva .
As King
Uttanapada loved Suruchi more than Suniti,
he would often take her son Uttama on his
lap . One day when Uttanapada was sitting
on the throne, Suniti’s son Dhruva came
and wanted to sit on his father’s lap also
. But Suruchi, his stepmother, forbade him.
She said: ‘You are Suniti’s son. You have
no right to sit on the king’s lap
. To get this
privilege you have to be born as my son. So
pray to Lord Hari and practise spiritual
disciplines and maybe it will happen in
another life .’
Dhruva burst into tears and went crying to
his mother, who also became afflicted with
grief. Taking him on her lap, she then
consoled him and said: ‘My dear boy, don’t
cry. And don’t bear ill-will towards your
stepmother. One who makes others suffer
will himself have to suffer. Can your
stepmother, by speaking so harshly to you
,ever get peace? But my dear son, she was
right. The king does not care for me .
Suruchi has rightly told you to worship SriHari with one-pointed devotion. There is no
other way for you to get the favour
of the king. Even Brahma attained his position the
same way—by worshipping Hari’s lotus
feet. The rishis meditate on those same
lotus feet. Pour out your heart to that
lotus-eyed Sri Hari. He alone can take away
your unhappiness.’
Dhruva had complete faith in his mother’s
words. Wasting no time, he set out for the
forest, leaving the kingdom far behind.
On the way to the forest Dhruva met
Narada, the rishi who is always near God’s
sincere devotees. When Dhruva told him
about his plan, Narada said: ‘My dear
Dhruva, I see you are a mere child, and yet
you are going to practice tapasya—intense
spiritual disciplines? Tapasya is extremely difficult. And to realize God—that is even
more difficult. Even great sages who have
practiced intense austerities cannot always attain that. So, dear boy, surrender yourself
to the Lord’s will and accept whatever he
ordains. Then you will gradually acquire knowledge.’
But Dhruva was not consoled by these
words. He replied: ‘My stepmother has
insulted me terribly. My mind is very
restless, and my heart finds no peace. In
this state of mind, your words do not make
any impression on my mind. O great rishi,
you are a descendant of Lord Brahma himself. Please show me the way to realize
God.’
Narada was full of admiration for the
child’s determination. He told him: ‘I was
only testing you. You are
right—worshipping and meditating on SriHari is the only way to realize him. Go to
Madhuvana, on the bank of the Yamunariver. Sri Hari is always there. Call on him
there with your whole heart and soul. With
a concentrated mind, meditate on his
four-armed form endowed with all the
auspicious qualities. And repeat this mantra: “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.”’
Narada’s instructions sank deep into
Dhruva’s mind. After paying respects to
Narada, he left for Madhuvana. There he
practiced such intense meditation and austerities that even the gods became
frightened. After six months of terrible
austerities, Sri Hari became pleased with
the boy’s tapasya and decided to reveal
himself to him.
Lord Vishnu appearing before Dhruva
Suddenly, standing there before Dhruva,
stood the bewitchingly beautiful Lord!Dhruva was overwhelmed with wonder and
love. He threw himself at Sri Hari’s feet,
surrendering his entire heart and soul to
him. Now he wanted to sing the Lord’s
praises, but as he was a mere boy, he
didn’t know how. So Sri Hari touched the
boy’s cheek with his divine conch, which
represents the Vedas themselves, and, in a
voice choked with emotion, Dhruva began
to sing to the Lord.
Sri Hari was pleased and wanted to grant
Dhruva a boon . He said : ‘My dear Dhruva
, you will ascend your father’s throne and
rule for a long time.
At the end of your life ,
remembering me, you will go to are
splendent realm that has never been
attained by anyone else. All the luminous
bodies revolve around that realm, as it is
the Dhruva polestar. That realm is eternal
.You will never have to come back to this
world from there. It will survive even the
destruction of the universe.’ Saying this,
the Lord returned to his own abode.
Dhruva had left his father to propitiate the
Lord, and now his desire was fulfilled. Yet
he was not happy. He now repented that,
after seeing the Lord himself, he had not
thought to ask him for the Lord’s own
blissful state. Deluded by maya , he had
been satisfied with attaining an earthly kingdom.
Hearing the news that his son was
returning home, the king himself
,accompanied by his ministers, went out of
the city in a beautifully decorated chariot to
receive him. He had heard from Narada
about his son’s intense austerities, and
how Sri Hari had blessed him by appearing
before him. Now, at his son’s return, the
king’s joy knew no bounds. After
embracing and kissing his son with tears
flowing down his cheeks, Uttanapada placed Dhruva on the back of an elephant
for a ceremonial return to the city.
When Dhruva
came of age, Uttanapada crowned him king,
and then he retired to
the forest to practice tapasya and meditation .
Dhruva ruled the kingdom well ,
as the Lord had commanded him to. In the
meantime his brother Uttama , Suruchi’s
son, was killed by a yaksha, a demigod,
while out hunting. Suruchi, who went out
looking for him, also died.
Learning of their deaths, Dhruva was filled
with anger and grief, and set out to punish
the yakshas , attacking them in their
kingdom Alakapuri. In a terrible battle,
thousands of yakshas were killed . Only
when Dhruva’s grandfather Svayambhu Manu
intervened did Dhruva cease his
wrathful killing and end the battle. Kubera,
the ruler of the yakshas, was pleased with
Dhruva for recognizing his mistake and
ending the battle, and he offered Dhruva a
boon. Dhruva replied that his sole desire
was to have constant remembrance of the
Lord. With great joy, Kubera granted his prayer.
Dhruva was an enlightened ruler who saw
God within himself and in all beings
. After along reign, he gave the kingdom to his son
and left for Badrikashrama to meditate on
the Lord. When his end drew near, the
messengers of Vishnu came and took himstraight to Dhruvaloka, within the realm of
Vishnu And to this day, the Dhruva star
shines bright in the night sky, reminding
everyone of this great soul.
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