Beginning Bhakti Early: The Inspiring Life of Dhruva

Long long ago there ruled a king named Uttanapada who had two wives - one was Suniti and
the other was Suruchi. The wife who is ethical is called Suniti. A king should walk the ethical
path. The wife, who pleases the king by agreeing to his every whim is called Suruchi.
Unfortunately, it was but natural for the king to be inclined towards the latter. From each wife
he had a son. Sunitis son was Dhruva, and Suruchis son was named Uttam.
One day, the king was indulging his favorite queens son on his lap when the five-year old
Dhruva came there. Desiring his fathers affection, he too tried to climb on to the king's lap.
Seeing this, Dhruva's envious stepmother said in a voice loaded with pride: "Child! You do not
deserve to sit on the throne or on the lap of the king. So what if you are also the son of the
king? You have not taken birth from my womb and hence are not qualified to sit on your
fathers lap. You are young and innocent and do not know that you were born from another
woman. Therefore, you should understand that your desire is impossible to fulfil. If you wish to
rise to the kings throne, then first perform austerities to please Bhagawan Vishnu and then
with His grace, you will be able to take birth from my womb."

Just like a snake, when struck by a stick, breathes very heavily, so did
Dhruva, being struck by the strong words of his stepmother, began to draw
deep breaths of anger. When he saw that his father was silent and did not
protest, he immediately stormed out of the palace and went to his mother.
When Dhruva reached his mother, he was trembling with anger and crying
because of humiliation. Queen Suniti lifted her son and placed him on her
lap. Meanwhile, the servants nearby related everything to her in detail. On
hearing them, her lotus like eyes filled with tears and she shrivelled up in
grief like a burnt leaf. Taking a deep breath she said to Dhruva: "Dear son,
whatever your stepmother may have said, do not wish anything
inauspicious towards her. Anyone who wishes others to suffer has to
himself undergo suffering. Whatever has been said by Suruchi, though
harsh, is true. The king, your father, feels ashamed to accept me as his wife. Therefore, it is a
fact that you have taken birth from an unfortunate woman, on whose milk you have grown up.
If you desire at all to sit on the throne like your brother, then give up your anger and
immediately try to execute your stepmothers instructions. Without further delay, engage
yourself in worshipping the lotus feet of Bhagawan Vishnu. All your wishes will be fulfilled
when you take shelter under the refuge of God. Just situate Him in your heart, and forgetting
everything else, indulge only in His service. I do not see anybody other than Bhagawan Vishnu
who can remove your suffering."

As soon he heard his mothers words, Dhruva resolved to worship Bhagawan Vishnu and set
out from his fathers palace. He had gone only a little way when he saw the great sage Narada.
The latter touched Dhruvas head with affection and said (to test his determination): "How
wonderful are the powerful kshatriya kings. They cannot tolerate even a slight infringement on
their self-esteem. This boy is only a small child, yet harsh words of his stepmother have made
way into his heart. My dear child! respect and insult should not affect little children. This world
is such that respect and disrespect are routinely experienced by everyone. One should
disregard them and carry on."
Dhruva replied: "No, Sir. My mother and stepmother have both said that I should worship
Bhagawan Vishnu. This is why I have left home. See my good fortune - the moment I step out of
the house, God has send you to me. This is an indication of His approval of the task I have set
out to do. I am the son of a kshatriya. I will not turn back until I have attained my goal, even if it
takes me several births."
Narada was impressed with Dhruvas resolution and set out to guide him: "The instruction
given by your mother to follow the path of bhakti is eminently suited to you. Therefore, you
should completely absorb yourself in the worship of Bhagawan Vishnu. You should go to the
forest named Madhuvana, which is near the Yamuna river in Mathura. There you should bathe
in Yamuna three times daily and then spread out an asana and sit on the bank. First perform
pranayama three times and then concentrate your mind on the beautiful form of Bhagawan
Vishnu. [The form of Bhagawan is described now] He has a perpetually smiling face. His eyes
and lips are the color of the rising sun. His body is deep blue and He wears a long garland
reaching his knees. He wears a golden belt around His waist and anklets with tinkling bells. All
His bodily features are very attractive and pleasing. Dhruva! Place such a Bhagawan in the lotus
of your heart and you will find your inner self illuminated with the glitter of his toe-nails.

"O Son of the King!, I shall now give you the mantra which is to be chanted
with this process of meditation. This mantra is Om Namo Bhagavate
Vasudevaya This is the twelve syllabled mantra for worshipping Shri Krishna.
While thus worshipping God, be satisfied with eating whatever fruits and
vegetables are available in the forest. Remember, this mantra is the very
body of Bhagawan Vishnu."

Dhruva undertook this worship of great hardship. At first he ate only fruits and flowers. Then
he sustained himself on water, and then only on air. Finally, he stopped even breathing and
stood in tapasya on one feet. His individual air (prana) became one with the universal prana
and because of this, along with him all living beings stopped breathing. This distressed the gods
responsible for the world and they rushed to Bhagawan Vishnu for help.

Vishnu Ji reassured them, saying that He would make sure that

Dhruvas tapasya would end soon. Then Bhagawan mounted His
eagle Garuda and manifested Himself in front of Dhruva. In His
four hands were the conch, chakra, mace and lotus. Dhruva
however was in deep meditation and his eyes were closed. He was
engaged in contemplating the image of Bhagawan Vishnu in his
heart. So Vishnu Ji withdrew His image from Dhruvas heart, which
made him open his eyes. Dhruva saw Bhagawan Vishnu before him
in his four-armed form. Dhruva was stunned by the beauty of God.
Overcome with emotion, his eyes filled with tears, body tingled
with sensation, his throat choked and his heart overflowed with
affection. He fell at Bhagwan Vishnus feet and as a blessing,
Vishnu Ji touched Dhruvas cheek with his conch.

Why Did Bhagawan Vishnu Touch Dhruvas Cheek with His Conch?

Bhagwan Vishnus conch has a two-fold symbolism. As the personification of sound, it

represents the wisdom of the Vedas. By its touch, Dhruva acquired knowledge about God, the
only way to this knowledge being the Vedas.
Also, the conch is known as shankha in Sanskrit. This word is grammatically derived as follows:
sham khe chhidre yasya asau shankha - that, which contains peace within its surface openings
is called shankha'. At the touch of Bhagwans shankha, Dhruva experienced that
transcendental bliss which is nothing but supreme peace.
Thus having gained the favor of Bhagwan Vishnu, Dhruva folded his hands and began his stuti
(eulogy):
"Bhagawan, you are seated in my heart. You awaken my dormant power of speech and enable
me to speak. Not only this, you uphold all my powers and abilities. My hand and feet move with
Your strength. My skin is able to feel thanks to You and my eyes see because of Your power.
You are never far from me. The only truth is the God who abides in the heart of all. The rest all
is avidya. Immersing oneself into Your lila as narrated by saints and scriptures is the sure way to
experience the joy of the divine. The resulting tears of joy, joyful tingling of the body, heart
brimming with love and a mental absorption in paramananda, all are immediate cash rewards."

Pleased with Dhruvas eulogy, which continues to inspire bhaktas around the world, Bhagawan
Vishnu granted him the boon that he would be able to enjoy unlimited material wealth and
power, the like of which had not been enjoyed by anyone before."
Here we see what results worship can bring. Dhruva was given everything he had hoped for
and every need of his was fulfilled. Yet, his heart was filled with regret as he returned home. He
had obtained everything he desired, but blessed with Bhagawans bhakti, he now rued the fact
that where he could have asked for liberation (moksha), he settled for worldly boons instead.
Dhruva Returns Home
Meanwhile, because God wished it so, Dhruva's stepmother and father had already undergone
a transformation of heart. Accordingly, when Dhruva reached his city, he was welcomed with
great warmth. He first met his stepmother Suruchi saying that she was his first guru, "It was
upon your advice that I worshipped God", he said. Soon the king Uttanapada, Dhruvas father,
handed over the crown to him and entered the vanaprastha ashram, retiring to the forests to
worship Bhagawan Vishnu. Dhruva began to rule and was given the title Rajrishi, meaning a
king-saint.
A strange incident occurred after this. Dhruvas stepbrother Uttam had gone for hunting and
was killed by a yaksha (an ugly, rich celestial being) in the forest. His mother Suruchi went to
look for him and she too was burnt to ashes.
This is the fate of suruchi, i.e. acting according to our own desires. It is always transient.
Worldly pleasures never last. What we consider to be real and excellent, turn out to be just the
opposite after some time.
Dhruva had a lot of affection for his stepbrother. When he heard of his death, anger swelled up
inside his heart. Dhruvas worldly attachments had not been destroyed by his worship because
he had worshipped God only for wordily benefits.
Intending to take revenge, Dhruva attacked the yakshas with his army. A fierce battle ensued
and Dhruva was inclined to use the ultimate weapon called Narayan-astra, which would have
burned down all the yakshas to cinders.
Just then Dhruva's grandfather Manu came there. Manu Ji alerted Dhruva that anger should
not be allowed to overcome one's better sense. He reminded his grandson that anger (krodha)
was a sin which blocked the spring of joy in one's heart. Anger comes with the purpose of
blocking the paramananda which is one's natural state. Its nature is such that it first burns the
very heart in which it flares up. Manu reminded Dhruva of the grace which had bestowed on
him by Bhagawan Vishnu, "Son, you have had a vision of God. Why should you harbour such
anger in your heart? One yaksha wronged your brother and you want to kill all the yakshas.

Why dont you understand that it was not the yaksha who killed your brother but fate. So, call
an end to this war and see how pleased God will be."
This wise advice quietened Dhruva and he bowed before his grandfather. Here we see that the
satsang of mahatmas like Manu can achieve what even a vision of God cannot achieve. The
reason is that God is present but intangible and the mahatma is present, tangible and on the
same plane. We find several such examples in the scriptures, where the supreme potency of
the advice of mahatmas is displayed. This teaches us where to turn for advice when we are in a
difficult situation.
Later Kubera, the king of Yakshas, came forward and offered his hand in friendship. A strong
bond of affection grew between the two and Kubera showered Dhruva with blessings.
Afterwards, when the time was ripe, Dhruva handed over the kingdom to his son and retired to
the forests, just like his father before him. Ultimately, Bhagawan Vishnu sent an aeroplane to
bring Dhruva to Vishnu-Loka (the abode of Vishnu). Dhruva took a bath in the Yamuna and
prepared to get on the plane. Then he saw death standing before him. Dhruva placed his leg on
deaths head and climbed the plane. Such is the glory of the bhaktas of Bhagawan Vishnu, even
death pays them obeisance.
Just as he was about to enter the plane he remembered his mother Suniti. The servants of
Bhagawan Vishnu who had come with the plane showed him another aeroplane which was
already carrying his mother. Indeed, Suniti was Dhruvas shiksha guru (teacher) and Narada
was his diksha guru (giver of mantra).
The glorious character of Dhruva, who started young and at the tender age of five, resorted to
the lotus feet of Bhagawan Vishnu, achieving not only unparalleled prosperity but also Vishnus
Loka, appears in detail in the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Canto 4, Chapters 8-12.

This article by Nitin Kumar.