Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Twelve

Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead

SB4.12.1

TEXT 1

maitreya uvaca

dhruvam nivrttam pratibuddhya vaisasad

apeta-manyum bhagavan dhanesvarah

tatragatas carana-yaksa-kinnaraih

samstuyamano nyavadat krtanjalim

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; dhruvam—Dhruva Maharaja; nivrttam—ceased; pratibuddhya—having learned; vaisasat—from killing; apeta—subsided; manyum—anger; bhagavan—Kuvera; dhana-isvarah—master of the treasury; tatra—there; agatah—appeared; carana—by the Caranas; yaksa—Yaksas; kinnaraih—and by the Kinnaras; samstuyamanah—being worshiped; nyavadat—spoke; krta-anjalim—to Dhruva with folded hands.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, Dhruva Maharaja’s anger subsided, and he completely ceased killing Yaksas. When Kuvera, the most blessed master of the treasury, learned this news, he appeared before Dhruva. While being worshiped by Yaksas, Kinnaras and Caranas, he spoke to Dhruva Maharaja, who stood before him with folded hands.

SB4.12.2

TEXT 2

dhanada uvaca

bho bhoh ksatriya-dayada

paritusto ’smi te ’nagha

yat tvam pitamahadesad

vairam dustyajam atyajah

SYNONYMS

dhana-dah uvaca—the master of the treasury (Kuvera) said; bhoh bhoh—O; ksatriya-dayada—O son of a ksatriya; paritustah—very glad; asmi—I am; te—with you; anagha—O sinless one; yat—because; tvam—you; pitamaha—of your grandfather; adesat—under the instruction; vairam—enmity; dustyajam—difficult to avoid; atyajah—have given up.

TRANSLATION

The master of the treasury, Kuvera, said: O sinless son of a ksatriya, I am very glad to know that under the instruction of your grandfather you have given up your enmity, although it is very difficult to avoid. I am very pleased with you.

SB4.12.3

TEXT 3

na bhavan avadhid yaksan

na yaksa bhrataram tava

kala eva hi bhutanam

prabhur apyaya-bhavayoh

SYNONYMS

na—not; bhavan—you; avadhit—killed; yaksan—the Yaksas; na—not; yaksah—the Yaksas; bhrataram—brother; tava—your; kalah—time; eva—certainly; hi—for; bhutanam—of living entities; prabhuh—the Supreme Lord; apyaya-bhavayoh—of annihilation and generation.

TRANSLATION

Actually, you have not killed the Yaksas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord.

PURPORT

When the master of the treasury addressed him as sinless, Dhruva Maharaja, considering himself responsible for killing so many Yaksas, might have thought himself otherwise. Kuvera, however, assured him that factually he had not killed any of the Yaksas; therefore, he was not at all sinful. He did his duty as a king, as it is ordered by the laws of nature. “Nor should you think that your brother was killed by the Yaksas,” said Kuvera. “He died or was killed in due course of time by the laws of nature. Eternal time, one of the features of the Lord, is ultimately responsible for annihilation and generation. You are not responsible for such actions.”

SB4.12.4

TEXT 4

aham tvam ity apartha dhir

ajnanat purusasya hi

svapnivabhaty atad-dhyanad

yaya bandha-viparyayau

SYNONYMS

aham—I; tvam—you; iti—thus; apartha—misconceived; dhih—intelligence; ajnanat—from ignorance; purusasya—of a person; hi—certainly; svapni—a dream; iva—like; abhati—appears; a-tat-dhyanat—from the bodily concept of life; yaya—by which; bandha—bondage; viparyayau—and misery.

TRANSLATION

Misidentification of oneself and others as “I” and “you” on the basis of the bodily concept of life is a product of ignorance. This bodily concept is the cause of repeated birth and death, and it makes us go on continuously in material existence.

PURPORT

The conception of “I” and “you,” aham tvam, as separate from each other, is due to our forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Person, Krsna, is the central point, and all of us are His parts and parcels, just as hands and legs are parts and parcels of the whole body. When we actually come to this understanding of being eternally related to the Supreme Lord, this distinction, which is based on the bodily concept of life, cannot exist. The same example can be cited herewith: the hand is the hand, and the leg is the leg, but when both of them engage in the service of the whole body, there is no such distinction as “hands” and “legs,” for all of them belong to the whole body, and all the parts working together constitute the whole body. Similarly, when the living entities are in Krsna consciousness, there is no such distinction as “I” and “you” because everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord. Since the Lord is absolute, the services are also absolute; even though the hand is working one way and the leg is working in another way, since the purpose is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are all one. This is not to be confused with the statement by the Mayavadi philosopher that “everything is one.” Real knowledge is that hand is hand, leg is leg, body is body, and yet all together they are one. As soon as the living entity thinks that he is independent, his conditional, material existence begins. The conception of independent existence is therefore like a dream. One has to be in Krsna consciousness, his original position. Then he can be freed from material bondage.

SB4.12.5

TEXT 5

tad gaccha dhruva bhadram te

bhagavantam adhoksajam

sarva-bhutatma-bhavena

sarva-bhutatma-vigraham

SYNONYMS

tat—therefore; gaccha—come; dhruva—Dhruva; bhadram—good fortune; te—unto you; bhagavantam—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adhoksajam—who is beyond the concepts of material senses; sarva-bhuta—all living entities; atma-bhavena—by thinking of them as one; sarva-bhuta—in all living entities; atma—the Supersoul; vigraham—having form.

TRANSLATION

My dear Dhruva, come forward. May the Lord always grace you with good fortune. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond our sensory perception, is the Supersoul of all living entities, and thus all entities are one, without distinction. Begin, therefore, to render service unto the transcendental form of the Lord, who is the ultimate shelter of all living entities.

PURPORT

Here the word vigraham, “having specific form,” is very significant, for it indicates that the Absolute Truth is ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is explained in the Brahma-samhita. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: [Bs. 5.1] He has form, but His form is different from any kind of material form. The living entities are the marginal energy of the supreme form. As such, they are not different from the supreme form, but at the same time they are not equal to the supreme form. Dhruva Maharaja is advised herewith to render service unto the supreme form. That will include service to other individual forms. For example, a tree has a form, and when water is poured on the root of the tree, the other forms—the leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits—are automatically watered. The Mayavada conception that because the Absolute Truth is everything He must be formless is rejected here. Rather, it is confirmed that the Absolute Truth has form, and yet He is all-pervading. Nothing is independent of Him.

SB4.12.6

TEXT 6

bhajasva bhajaniyanghrim

abhavaya bhava-cchidam

yuktam virahitam saktya

guna-mayyatma-mayaya

SYNONYMS

bhajasva—engage in devotional service; bhajaniya—worthy to be worshiped; anghrim—unto Him whose lotus feet; abhavaya—for deliverance from material existence; bhava-chidam—who cuts the knot of material entanglement; yuktam—attached; virahitam—aloof; saktya—to His potency; guna-mayya—consisting of the modes of material nature; atma-mayaya—by His inconceivable potency.

TRANSLATION

Engage yourself fully, therefore, in the devotional service of the Lord, for only He can deliver us from this entanglement of materialistic existence. Although the Lord is attached to His material potency, He is aloof from her activities. Everything in this material world is happening by the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

In continuation of the previous verse, it is specifically mentioned here that Dhruva Maharaja should engage himself in devotional service. Devotional service cannot be rendered to the impersonal Brahman feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whenever the word bhajasva appears, meaning “engage yourself in devotional service,” there must be the servant, service and the served. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is served, the mode of activities to please Him is called service, and one who renders such service is called the servant. Another significant feature in this verse is that only the Lord, and no one else, is to be served. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (mam ekam saranam vraja). There is no need to serve the demigods, who are just like the hands and legs of the Supreme Lord. When the Supreme Lord is served, the hands and legs of the Supreme Lord are automatically served. There is no need of separate service. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (12.7), tesam aham samuddharta mrtyu-samsara-sagarat. This means that the Lord, in order to show specific favor to the devotee, directs the devotee from within in such a way that ultimately he is delivered from the entanglement of material existence. No one but the Supreme Lord can help the living entity be delivered from the entanglement of this material world. The material energy is a manifestation of one of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s varieties of potencies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate). This material energy is one of the Lord’s potencies, as much as heat and light are potencies of fire. The material energy is not different from the Supreme Godhead, but at the same time He has nothing to do with the material energy. The living entity, who is of the marginal energy, is entrapped by the material energy on the basis of his desire to lord it over the material world. The Lord is aloof from this, but when the same living entity engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, then he becomes attached to this service. This situation is called yuktam. For devotees the Lord is present even in the material energy. This is the inconceivable potency of the Lord. Material energy acts in the three modes of material qualities, which produce the action and reaction of material existence. Those who are not devotees become involved in such activities, whereas devotees, who are dovetailed with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are freed from such action and reaction of the material energy. The Lord is therefore described herewith as bhava-cchidam, one who can give deliverance from the entanglement of material existence.

SB4.12.7

TEXT 7

vrnihi kamam nrpa yan mano-gatam

mattas tvam auttanapade ’visankitah

varam vararho ’mbuja-nabha-padayor

anantaram tvam vayam anga susruma

SYNONYMS

vrnihi—please ask; kamam—desire; nrpa—O King; yat—whatever; manah-gatam—within your mind; mattah—from me; tvam—you; auttanapade—O son of Maharaja Uttanapada; avisankitah—without hesitation; varam—benediction; vara-arhah—worthy to take benedictions; ambuja—lotus flower; nabha—whose navel; padayoh—at His lotus feet; anantaram—constantly; tvam—about you; vayam—we; anga—dear Dhruva; susruma—have heard.

TRANSLATION

My dear Dhruva Maharaja, son of Maharaja Uttanapada, we have heard that you are constantly engaged in transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known for His lotus navel. You are therefore worthy to take all benedictions from us. Please, therefore, ask without hesitation whatever benediction you want from me.

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja, the son of King Uttanapada, was already known throughout the universe as a great devotee of the Lord, constantly thinking of His lotus feet. Such a pure, uncontaminated devotee of the Lord is worthy to have all the benedictions that can be offered by the demigods. He does not have to worship the demigods separately for such benedictions. Kuvera is the treasurer of the demigods, and he is personally offering whatever benediction Dhruva Maharaja would like to have from him. Srila Bilvamangala Thakura stated, therefore, that for persons who engage in the devotional service of the Lord, all material benedictions wait like maidservants. Mukti-devi is just waiting at the door of the devotee to offer liberation, or more than that, at any time. To be a devotee is therefore an exalted position. Simply by rendering transcendental loving service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can have all the benedictions of the world without separate endeavor. Lord Kuvera said to Dhruva Maharaja that he had heard that Dhruva was always in samadhi, or thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord. In other words, he knew that for Dhruva Maharaja there was nothing desirable within the three material worlds. He knew that Dhruva would ask for nothing but to remember the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord constantly.

SB4.12.8

TEXT 8

maitreya uvaca

sa raja-rajena varaya codito

dhruvo maha-bhagavato maha-matih

harau sa vavre ’calitam smrtim yaya

taraty ayatnena duratyayam tamah

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; sah—he; raja-rajena—by the king of kings (Kuvera); varaya—for a benediction; coditah—being asked; dhruvah—Dhruva Maharaja; maha-bhagavatah—a first-class pure devotee; maha-matih—most intelligent or thoughtful; harau—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sah—he; vavre—asked; acalitam—unflinching; smrtim—remembrance; yaya—by which; tarati—crosses over; ayatnena—without difficulty; duratyayam—unsurpassable; tamah—nescience.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when thus asked to accept a benediction from Kuvera the Yaksaraja [King of the Yaksas], Dhruva Maharaja, that most elevated pure devotee, who was an intelligent and thoughtful king, begged that he might have unflinching faith in and remembrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for thus a person can cross over the ocean of nescience very easily, although it is very difficult for others to cross.

PURPORT

According to the opinion of expert followers of Vedic rites, there are different types of benedictions in terms of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. These four principles are known as catur-vargas. Of all the catur-vargas, the benediction of liberation is considered to be the highest in this material world. To be enabled to cross over material nescience is known as the highest purusartha, or benediction for the human being. But Dhruva Maharaja wanted a benediction which surpasses even the highest purusartha, liberation. He wanted the benediction that he might constantly remember the lotus feet of the Lord. This stage of life is called pancama-purusartha. When a devotee comes to the platform of pancama-purusartha, simply engaging in devotional service to the Lord, the fourth purusartha, liberation, becomes very insignificant in his eyes. Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati has stated in this connection that for a devotee liberation is a hellish condition of life; as for sense gratification, which is available in the heavenly planets, the devotee considers it to be a will-o’-the-wisp, having no value in life. Yogis endeavor to control the senses, but for a devotee controlling the senses is no difficulty at all. The senses are compared to serpents, but for a devotee the serpents’ poison teeth are broken. Thus Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati has analyzed all kinds of benedictions available in this world, and he has clearly declared that for a pure devotee they are all of no significance. Dhruva Maharaja was also a maha-bhagavata, or a first-class pure devotee, and his intelligence was very great (maha-matih). Unless one is very intelligent, one cannot take to devotional service, or Krsna consciousness. Naturally, anyone who is a first-class devotee must be a first-class intelligent person and therefore not interested in any kind of benediction within this material world. Dhruva Maharaja was offered a benediction by the king of the kings. Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, whose only business is to supply immense riches to persons within this materialistic world, is described as the king of kings because unless one is blessed by Kuvera one cannot become a king. The king of kings personally offered Dhruva Maharaja any amount of riches, but he declined to accept them. He is described, therefore, as maha-matih, very thoughtful, or highly intellectual.

SB4.12.9

TEXT 9

tasya pritena manasa

tam dattvaidavidas tatah

pasyato ’ntardadhe so ’pi

sva-puram pratyapadyata

SYNONYMS

tasya—with Dhruva; pritena—being very pleased; manasa—with such a mentality; tam—that remembrance; dattva—having given; aidavidah—Kuvera, son of Idavida; tatah—thereafter; pasyatah—while Dhruva was looking on; antardadhe—disappeared; sah—he (Dhruva); api—also; sva-puram—to his city; pratyapadyata—returned.

TRANSLATION

The son of Idavida, Lord Kuvera, was very pleased, and happily he gave Dhruva Maharaja the benediction he wanted. Thereafter he disappeared from Dhruva’s presence, and Dhruva Maharaja returned to his capital city.

PURPORT

Kuvera, who is known as the son of Idavida, was very pleased with Dhruva Maharaja because he did not ask him for anything materially enjoyable. Kuvera is one of the demigods, so one may put forward the argument, “Why did Dhruva Maharaja take a benediction from a demigod?” The answer is that for a Vaisnava there is no objection to taking a benediction from a demigod if it is favorable for advancing Krsna consciousness. The gopis, for example, worshiped Katyayani, a demigoddess, but the only benediction they wanted from the goddess was to have Krsna as their husband. A Vaisnava is not interested in asking any benediction from the demigods, nor is he interested in asking benedictions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said in the Bhagavatam that liberation can be offered by the Supreme Person, but even if a pure devotee is offered liberation by the Supreme Lord, he refuses to accept it. Dhruva Maharaja did not ask Kuvera for transference to the spiritual world, which is called liberation; he simply asked that wherever he would remain—whether in the spiritual or material world—he would always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A Vaisnava is always respectful to everyone. So when Kuvera offered him a benediction, he did not refuse it. But he wanted something which would be favorable to his advancement in Krsna consciousness.

SB4.12.10

TEXT 10

athayajata yajnesam

kratubhir bhuri-daksinaih

dravya-kriya-devatanam

karma karma-phala-pradam

SYNONYMS

atha—thereafter; ayajata—he worshiped; yajna-isam—the master of sacrifices; kratubhih—by sacrificial ceremonies; bhuri—great; daksinaih—by charities; dravya-kriya-devatanam—of (sacrifices including various) paraphernalia, activities and demigods; karma—the objective; karma-phala—the result of activities; pradam—who awards.

TRANSLATION

As long as he remained at home, Dhruva Maharaja performed many great ceremonial sacrifices in order to please the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prescribed ceremonial sacrifices are especially meant to please Lord Visnu, who is the objective of all such sacrifices and who awards the resultant benedictions.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (3.9) it is said, yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah: one should act or work only in order to please the Supreme Lord, otherwise one becomes entangled in the resultant reactions. According to the four divisions of varna and asrama, ksatriyas and vaisyas are especially advised to perform great ceremonial sacrifices and to distribute their accumulated money very liberally. Dhruva Maharaja, as a king and ideal ksatriya, performed many such sacrifices, giving very liberally in charity. Ksatriyas and vaisyas are supposed to earn their money and accumulate great riches. Sometimes they do it by acting sinfully. Ksatriyas are meant to rule over a country; Dhruva Maharaja, for example, in the course of ruling, had to fight and kill many Yaksas. Such action is necessary for ksatriyas. A ksatriya should not be a coward, and he should not be nonviolent; to rule over the country he has to act violently.

Ksatriyas and vaisyas are therefore especially advised to give in charity at least fifty percent of their accumulated wealth. In Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that even though one enters the renounced order of life, he still cannot give up the performance of yajna, dana and tapasya. They are never to be given up. Tapasya is meant for the renounced order of life; those who are retired from worldly activities should perform tapasya, penances and austerities. Those who are in the material world, the ksatriyas and vaisyas, must give charity. Brahmacaris, in the beginning of their lives, should perform different kinds of yajnas.

Dhruva Maharaja, as an ideal king, practically emptied his treasury by giving charity. A king is not meant simply to realize taxes from the citizens and accumulate wealth to spend in sense gratification. World monarchy has failed ever since kings began to satisfy their personal senses with the taxes accumulated from the citizens. Of course, whether the system is monarchy or democracy, the same corruption is still going on. At the present moment there are different parties in the democratic government, but everyone is busy trying to keep his post or trying to keep his political party in power. The politicians have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens, whom they oppress with heavy taxes in the form of income tax, sales tax and many other taxes—people sometimes have eighty to ninety percent of their income taken away, and these taxes are lavishly spent for the high salaries drawn by the officers and rulers. Formerly, the taxes accumulated from the citizens were spent for performing great sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature. At the present moment, however, almost all forms of sacrifice are not at all possible; therefore, it is recommended in the sastras that people should perform sankirtana-yajna. Any householder, regardless of his position, can perform this sankirtana-yajna without expenditure. All the family members can sit down together and simply clap their hands and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Somehow or other, everyone can manage to perform such a yajna and distribute prasada to the people in general. That is quite sufficient for this age of Kali. The Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle: chant the Hare Krsna mantra at every moment, as much as possible, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasada. This process can be accelerated with the cooperation of state administrators and those who are producing the country’s wealth. Simply by liberal distribution of prasada and sankirtana, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous.

Generally in all the material sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature there are offerings to the demigods. This demigod worship is especially meant for less intelligent men. Actually, the result of such sacrifice goes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana. Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), bhoktaram yajna-tapasam: He is actually the enjoyer of all sacrifices. His name, therefore, is Yajna-purusa.

Although Dhruva Maharaja was a great devotee and had nothing to do with these sacrifices, to set an example to his people he performed many sacrifices and gave all his wealth in charity. For as long as he lived as a householder, he never spent a farthing for his sense gratification. In this verse the word karma-phala-pradam is very significant. The Lord awards everyone different kinds of karma as the individual living entities desire; He is the Supersoul present within the heart of everyone, and He is so kind and liberal that He gives everyone full facilities to perform whatever acts one wants. Then the result of the action is also enjoyed by the living entity. If anyone wants to enjoy or lord it over material nature, the Lord gives him full facilities, but he becomes entangled in the resultant reactions. Similarly, if anyone wants to engage himself fully in devotional service, the Lord gives him full facilities, and the devotee enjoys the results. The Lord is therefore known as karma-phala-prada.

SB4.12.11

TEXT 11

sarvatmany acyute ’sarve

tivraugham bhaktim udvahan

dadarsatmani bhutesu

tam evavasthitam vibhum

SYNONYMS

sarva-atmani—unto the Supersoul; acyute—infallible; asarve—without any limit; tivra-ogham—with unrelenting force; bhaktim—devotional service; udvahan—rendering; dadarsa—he saw; atmani—in the Supreme Spirit; bhutesu—in all living entities; tam—Him; eva—only; avasthitam—situated; vibhum—all-powerful.

TRANSLATION

Dhruva Maharaja rendered devotional service unto the Supreme, the reservoir of everything, with unrelenting force. While carrying out his devotional service to the Lord, he could see that everything is situated in Him only and that He is situated in all living entities. The Lord is called Acyuta because He never fails in His prime duty, to give protection to His devotees.

PURPORT

Not only did Dhruva Maharaja perform many sacrifices, but he carried on his transcendental occupation of engagement in the devotional service of the Lord. The ordinary karmis, who want to enjoy the results of fruitive activities, are concerned only with sacrifices and ritualistic ceremonies as enjoined in the Vedic sastras. Although Dhruva Maharaja performed many sacrifices in order to be an exemplary king, he was constantly engaged in devotional service. The Lord always protects His surrendered devotee. A devotee can see that the Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]). Ordinary persons cannot understand how the Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, but a devotee can actually see Him. Not only can the devotee see Him outwardly, but he can see, with spiritual vision, that everything is resting in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as described in Bhagavad-gita (mat-sthani sarva-bhutani). That is the vision of a maha-bhagavata. He sees everything others see, but instead of seeing merely the trees, the mountains, the cities or the sky, he sees only his worshipable Supreme Personality of Godhead in everything because everything is resting in Him only. This is the vision of the maha-bhagavata. In summary, a maha-bhagavata, a highly elevated pure devotee, sees the Lord everywhere, as well as within the heart of everyone. This is possible for devotees who have developed elevated devotional service to the Lord. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.38), premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: only those who have smeared their eyes with the ointment of love of Godhead can see everywhere the Supreme Lord face to face; it is not possible by imagination or so-called meditation.

SB4.12.12

TEXT 12

tam evam sila-sampannam

brahmanyam dina-vatsalam

goptaram dharma-setunam

menire pitaram prajah

SYNONYMS

tam—him; evam—thus; sila—with godly qualities; sampannam—endowed; brahmanyam—respectful to the brahmanas; dina—to the poor; vatsalam—kind; goptaram—protector; dharma-setunam—of religious principles; menire—thought; pitaram—father; prajah—the citizens.

TRANSLATION

Dhruva Maharaja was endowed with all godly qualities; he was very respectful to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and very kind to the poor and innocent, and he protected religious principles. With all these qualifications, he was considered to be the direct father of all the citizens.

PURPORT

The personal qualities of Dhruva Maharaja described herein are the exemplary qualities of a saintly king. Not only a king but also the leaders of a modern democratic or impersonal government must be qualified with all these godly characteristics. Then the citizens of the state can be happy. It is clearly stated here that the citizens thought of Dhruva Maharaja as their father; as a child, depending on the able father, is completely satisfied, so the citizens of the state, being protected by the state or the king, should remain satisfied in every respect. At the present moment, however, there is no guarantee by the government of even the primary necessities of life in the state, namely, the protection of the lives and property of the citizens.

One word is very significant in this connection: brahmanyam. Dhruva Maharaja was very devoted to the brahmanas, who engage in the study of the Vedas and thereby know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are always busy propagating Krsna consciousness. The state should be very respectful to societies that distribute God consciousness all over the world, but, unfortunately, at the present moment there is no state or government support given to such movements. As for good qualities, it is very difficult to find anyone in state administration with any good qualities. The administrators simply sit in their administrative posts and say no to every request, as if they were paid to say no to the citizens. Another word, dina-vatsalam, is very significant also. The state head should be very kind to the innocent. Unfortunately, in this age the state agents and the presidents draw good salaries from the state, and they pose themselves as very pious, but they allow the running of slaughterhouses, where innocent animals are killed. If we try to compare the godly qualities of Dhruva Maharaja to the qualities of modern statesmen, we can see that there is no actual comparison. Dhruva Maharaja was present in the Satya-yuga, as will be clear from the next verses. He was the ideal king in Satya-yuga. The government administration in the present age (Kali-yuga) is bereft of all godly qualities. Considering all these points, the people today have no alternative but to take to Krsna consciousness for protection of religion, life and property.

Next verse (SB4.12.13)