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

Chapter Twelve

SB4.12.40

TEXT 40

mahimanam vilokyasya

narado bhagavan rsih

atodyam vitudan slokan

satre ’gayat pracetasam

SYNONYMS

mahimanam—glories; vilokya—observing; asya—of Dhruva Maharaja; naradah—the great sage Narada; bhagavan—equally as exalted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rsih—the saint; atodyam—the stringed instrument, vina; vitudan—playing on; slokan—verses; satre—in the sacrificial arena; agayat—chanted; pracetasam—of the Pracetas.

TRANSLATION

After observing the glories of Dhruva Maharaja, the great sage Narada, playing his vina, went to the sacrificial arena of the Pracetas and very happily chanted the following three verses.

PURPORT

The great sage Narada was the spiritual master of Dhruva Maharaja. Certainly he was very glad to see Dhruva’s glories. As a father is very happy to see the son’s advancement in every respect, so the spiritual master is very happy to observe the ascendancy of his disciple.

SB4.12.41

TEXT 41

narada uvaca

nunam suniteh pati-devatayas

tapah-prabhavasya sutasya tam gatim

drstvabhyupayan api veda-vadino

naivadhigantum prabhavanti kim nrpah

SYNONYMS

naradah uvaca—Narada said; nunam—certainly; suniteh—of Suniti; pati-devatayah—very much attached to her husband; tapah-prabhavasya—by the influence of austerity; sutasya—of the son; tam—that; gatim—position; drstva—observing; abhyupayan—the means; api—although; veda-vadinah—strict followers of the Vedic principles, or the so-called Vedantists; na—never; eva—certainly; adhigantum—to attain; prabhavanti—are eligible; kim—what to speak of; nrpah—ordinary kings.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Narada said: Simply by the influence of his spiritual advancement and powerful austerity, Dhruva Maharaja, the son of Suniti, who was devoted to her husband, acquired an exalted position not possible to attain even for the so-called Vedantists or strict followers of the Vedic principles, not to speak of ordinary human beings.

PURPORT

In this verse the word veda-vadinah is very significant. Generally, a person who strictly follows the Vedic principles is called veda-vadi. There are also so-called Vedantists who advertise themselves as followers of Vedanta philosophy but who misinterpret Vedanta. The expression veda-vada-ratah is also found in the Bhagavad-gita, referring to persons who are attached to the Vedas without understanding the purport of the Vedas. Such persons may go on talking about the Vedas or may execute austerities in their own way, but it is not possible for them to attain to such an exalted position as Dhruva Maharaja. As far as ordinary kings are concerned, it is not at all possible. The specific mention of kings is significant because formerly kings were also rajarsis, for the kings were as good as great sages. Dhruva Maharaja was a king, and at the same time he was as learned as a great sage. But without devotional service, neither a great king, a ksatriya, nor a great brahmana strictly adhering to the Vedic principles can be elevated to the exalted position attained by Dhruva Maharaja.

SB4.12.42

TEXT 42

yah panca-varso guru-dara-vak-sarair

bhinnena yato hrdayena duyata

vanam mad-adesa-karo ’jitam prabhum

jigaya tad-bhakta-gunaih parajitam

SYNONYMS

yah—he who; panca-varsah—at the age of five years; guru-dara—of the wife of his father; vak-saraih—by the harsh words; bhinnena—being very much aggrieved; yatah—went; hrdayena—because his heart; duyata—very much pained; vanam—to the forest; mat-adesa—according to my instruction; karah—acting; ajitam—unconquerable; prabhum—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; jigaya—he defeated; tat—His; bhakta—of devotees; gunaih—with the qualities; parajitam—conquered.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Narada continued: Just see how Dhruva Maharaja, aggrieved at the harsh words of his stepmother, went to the forest at the age of only five years and under my direction underwent austerity. Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unconquerable, Dhruva Maharaja defeated Him with the specific qualifications possessed by the Lord’s devotees.

PURPORT

The Supreme Godhead is unconquerable; no one can conquer the Lord. But He voluntarily accepts subordination to the devotional qualities of His devotees. For example, Lord Krsna accepted subordination to the control of mother Yasoda because she was a great devotee. The Lord likes to be under the control of His devotees. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that everyone comes before the Lord and offers Him exalted prayers, but the Lord does not feel as pleased when offered such prayers as He does when a devotee, out of pure love, chastises Him as a subordinate. The Lord forgets His exalted position and willingly submits to His pure devotee. Dhruva Maharaja conquered the Supreme Lord because at a very tender age, only five years old, he underwent all the austerities of devotional service. This devotional service was of course executed under the direction of a great sage, Narada. This is the first principle of devotional service—adau gurv-asrayam. In the beginning one must accept a bona fide spiritual master, and if a devotee follows strictly the direction of the spiritual master, as Dhruva Maharaja followed the instruction of Narada Muni, then it is not difficult for him to achieve the favor of the Lord.

The sum total of devotional qualities is development of unalloyed love for Krsna. This unalloyed love for Krsna can be achieved simply by hearing about Krsna. Lord Caitanya accepted this principle—that if one in any position submissively hears the transcendental message spoken by Krsna or about Krsna, then gradually he develops the quality of unalloyed love, and by that love only he can conquer the unconquerable. The Mayavadi philosophers aspire to become one with the Supreme Lord, but a devotee surpasses that position. Not only does a devotee become one in quality with the Supreme Lord, but he sometimes becomes the father, mother or master of the Lord. Arjuna also, by his devotional service, made Lord Krsna his chariot driver; he ordered the Lord, “Put my chariot here,” and the Lord executed his order. These are some examples of how a devotee can acquire the exalted position of conquering the unconquerable.

SB4.12.43

TEXT 43

yah ksatra-bandhur bhuvi tasyadhirudham

anv aruruksed api varsa-pugaih

sat-panca-varso yad ahobhir alpaih

prasadya vaikuntham avapa tat-padam

SYNONYMS

yah—one who; ksatra-bandhuh—the son of a ksatriya; bhuvi—on the earth; tasya—of Dhruva; adhirudham—the exalted position; anu—after; arurukset—can aspire to attain; api—even; varsa-pugaih—after many years; sat-panca-varsah—five or six years old; yat—which; ahobhih alpaih—after a few days; prasadya—after pleasing; vaikuntham—the Lord; avapa—attained; tat-padam—His abode.

TRANSLATION

Dhruva Maharaja attained an exalted position at the age of only five or six years, after undergoing austerity for six months. Alas, a great ksatriya cannot achieve such a position even after undergoing austerities for many, many years.

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja is described herein as ksatra-bandhuh, which indicates that he was not fully trained as a ksatriya because he was only five years old; he was not a mature ksatriya. A ksatriya or brahmana has to take training. A boy born in the family of a brahmana is not immediately a brahmana; he has to take up the training and the purificatory process.

The great sage Narada Muni was very proud of having a devotee-disciple like Dhruva Maharaja. He had many other disciples, but he was very pleased with Dhruva Maharaja because in one lifetime, by dint of his severe penances and austerities, he had achieved Vaikuntha, which was never achieved by any other king’s son or rajarsi throughout the whole universe. There is the instance of the great King Bharata, who was also a great devotee, but he attained Vaikunthaloka in three lives. In the first life, although he executed austerities in the forest, he became a victim of too much affection for a small deer, and in his next life he had to take birth as a deer. Although he had a deer’s body, he remembered his spiritual position, but he still had to wait until the next life for perfection. In the next life he took birth as Jada Bharata. Of course, in that life he was completely freed from all material entanglement, and he attained perfection and was elevated to Vaikunthaloka. The lesson from the life of Dhruva Maharaja is that if one likes, one can attain Vaikunthaloka in one life, without waiting for many other lives. My Guru Maharaja, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, used to say that every one of his disciples could attain Vaikunthaloka in this life, without waiting for another life to execute devotional service. One simply has to become as serious and sincere as Dhruva Maharaja; then it is quite possible to attain Vaikunthaloka and go back home, back to Godhead, in one life.

SB4.12.44

TEXT 44

maitreya uvaca

etat te ’bhihitam sarvam

yat prsto ’ham iha tvaya

dhruvasyoddama-yasasas

caritam sammatam satam

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; etat—this; te—unto you; abhihitam—described; sarvam—everything; yat—what; prstah aham—I was asked; iha—here; tvaya—by you; dhruvasya—of Dhruva Maharaja; uddama—greatly uplifting; yasasah—whose reputation; caritam—character; sammatam—approved; satam—by great devotees.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, whatever you have asked from me about the great reputation and character of Dhruva Maharaja I have explained to you in all detail. Great saintly persons and devotees very much like to hear about Dhruva Maharaja.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam means everything in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whether we hear the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Lord or we hear about the character, reputation and activities of His devotees, they are all one and the same. Neophyte devotees simply try to understand the pastimes of the Lord and are not very interested in hearing about the activities of His devotees, but such discrimination should not be indulged in by any real devotee. Sometimes less intelligent men try to hear about the rasa dance of Krsna and do not take care to hear about other portions of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which they completely avoid. There are professional Bhagavata reciters who abruptly go to the rasa-lila chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam, as if other portions of Srimad-Bhagavatam were useless. This kind of discrimination and abrupt adoption of the rasa-lila pastimes of the Lord is not approved by the acaryas. A sincere devotee should read every chapter and every word of Srimad-Bhagavatam, for the beginning verses describe that it is the ripened fruit of all Vedic literature. Devotees should not try to avoid even a word of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The great sage Maitreya therefore affirmed herein that the Bhagavatam is sammatam satam, approved by great devotees.

SB4.12.45

TEXT 45

dhanyam yasasyam ayusyam

punyam svasty-ayanam mahat

svargyam dhrauvyam saumanasyam

prasasyam agha-marsanam

SYNONYMS

dhanyam—bestowing wealth; yasasyam—bestowing reputation; ayusyam—increasing the duration of life; punyam—sacred; svasti-ayanam—creating auspiciousness; mahat—great; svargyam—bestowing achievement of heavenly planets; dhrauvyam—or Dhruvaloka; saumanasyam—pleasing to the mind; prasasyam—glorious; agha-marsanam—counteracting all kinds of sinful activities.

TRANSLATION

By hearing the narration of Dhruva Maharaja one can fulfill desires for wealth, reputation and increased duration of life. It is so auspicious that one can even go to a heavenly planet or attain Dhruvaloka, which was achieved by Dhruva Maharaja, just by hearing about him. The demigods also become pleased because this narration is so glorious, and it is so powerful that it can counteract all the results of one’s sinful actions.

PURPORT

There are different types of men in this world, not all of them pure devotees. Some are karmis, desiring to acquire vast wealth. There are also persons who are only after reputation. Some desire to be elevated to the heavenly planets or to go to Dhruvaloka, and others want to please the demigods to get material profits. Herein it is recommended by Maitreya that every one of them can hear the narration about Dhruva Maharaja and thus get their desired goal. It is recommended that the devotees (akama), the karmis (sarva-kama) and the jnanis, who desire to be liberated (moksa-kama), should all worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead to acquire their desired goals of life. Similarly, if anyone hears about the activities of the Lord’s devotee, he can achieve the same result. There is no difference between the activities and character of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and those of His pure devotees.

SB4.12.46

TEXT 46

srutvaitac chraddhayabhiksnam

acyuta-priya-cestitam

bhaved bhaktir bhagavati

yaya syat klesa-sanksayah

SYNONYMS

srutva—by hearing; etat—this; sraddhaya—with faith; abhiksnam—repeatedly; acyuta—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; priya—dear; cestitam—activities; bhavet—develops; bhaktih—devotion; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yaya—by which; syat—must be; klesa—of miseries; sanksayah—complete diminution.

TRANSLATION

Anyone who hears the narration of Dhruva Maharaja, and who repeatedly tries with faith and devotion to understand his pure character, attains the pure devotional platform and executes pure devotional service. By such activities one can diminish the threefold miserable conditions of material life.

PURPORT

Here the word acyuta-priya is very significant. Dhruva Maharaja’s character and reputation are great because he is very dear to Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Lord are pleasing to hear, hearing about His devotees, who are very dear to the Supreme Person, is also pleasing and potent. If one simply reads over and over again about Dhruva Maharaja by hearing and reading this chapter, one can attain the highest perfection of life in any way he desires; most importantly, he gets the chance to become a great devotee. To become a great devotee means to finish all miserable conditions of materialistic life.

SB4.12.47

TEXT 47

mahattvam icchatam tirtham

srotuh siladayo gunah

yatra tejas tad icchunam

mano yatra manasvinam

SYNONYMS

mahattvam—greatness; icchatam—for those desiring; tirtham—the process; srotuh—of the hearer; sila-adayah—high character, etc.; gunah—qualities; yatra—in which; tejah—prowess; tat—that; icchunam—for those who desire; manah—adoration; yatra—in which; manasvinam—for thoughtful men.

TRANSLATION

Anyone who hears this narration of Dhruva Maharaja acquires exalted qualities like him. For anyone who desires greatness, prowess or influence, here is the process by which to acquire them, and for thoughtful men who want adoration, here is the proper means.

PURPORT

In the material world everyone is after profit, respectability and reputation, everyone wants the supreme exalted position, and everyone wants to hear about the great qualities of exalted persons. All ambitions which are desirable for great persons can be fulfilled simply by reading and understanding the narration of Dhruva Maharaja’s activities.

SB4.12.48

TEXT 48

prayatah kirtayet pratah

samavaye dvi-janmanam

sayam ca punya-slokasya

dhruvasya caritam mahat

SYNONYMS

prayatah—with great care; kirtayet—one should chant; pratah—in the morning; samavaye—in the association; dvi-janmanam—of the twice-born; sayam—in the evening; ca—also; punya-slokasya—of sacred renown; dhruvasya—of Dhruva; caritam—character; mahat—great.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya recommended: One should chant of the character and activities of Dhruva Maharaja both in the morning and in the evening, with great attention and care, in a society of brahmanas or other twice-born persons.

PURPORT

It is said that only in the association of devotees can one understand the importance of the character and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotees. In this verse it is especially recommended that Dhruva Maharaja’s character be discussed in a society of the twice-born, which refers to the qualified brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas. One should especially seek the society of brahmanas who are elevated to the position of Vaisnavas. Thus discussion of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes the character and pastimes of devotees and the Lord, is very quickly effective. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been organized for this purpose. In every center of this Society—not only in the morning, evening or noon, but practically twenty-four hours a day—there is continuous devotional service going on. Anyone who comes in contact with the Society automatically becomes a devotee. We have actual experience that many karmis and others come to the Society and find a very pleasing and peaceful atmosphere in the temples of ISKCON. In this verse the word dvi janmanam means “of the twice-born.” Anyone can join the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and be initiated to become twice-born. As recommended by Sanatana Gosvami, by the process of initiation and authorized training, any man can become twice-born. The first birth is made possible by the parents, and the second birth is made possible by the spiritual father and Vedic knowledge. Unless one is twice-born one cannot understand the transcendental characteristics of the Lord and His devotees. Study of the Vedas is therefore forbidden for sudras. Simply by academic qualifications a sudra cannot understand the transcendental science. At the present moment, throughout the entire world the educational system is geared to produce sudras. A big technologist is no more than a big sudra. Kalau sudra-sambhavah: in the age of Kali, everyone is a sudra. Because the whole population of the world consists only of sudras, there is a decline of spiritual knowledge, and people are unhappy. The Krsna consciousness movement has been started especially to create qualified brahmanas to broadcast spiritual knowledge all over the world, for thus people may become very happy.

SB4.12.49-50

TEXTS 49–50

paurnamasyam sinivalyam

dvadasyam sravane ’thava

dina-ksaye vyatipate

sankrame ’rkadine ’pi va

sravayec chraddadhananam

tirtha-pada-padasrayah

necchams tatratmanatmanam

santusta iti sidhyati

SYNONYMS

paurnamasyam—on the full moon; sinivalyam—on the dark moon; dvadasyam—on the day after Ekadasi; sravane—during the Sravana star’s appearance; athava—or; dina-ksaye—at the end of the tithi; vyatipate—a particular day of the name; sankrame—at the end of the month; arkadine—on Sunday; api—also; va—or; sravayet—one should recite; sraddadhananam—to a receptive audience; tirtha-pada—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pada-asrayah—taken shelter of the lotus feet; na icchan—without desiring remuneration; tatra—there; atmana—by the self; atmanam—the mind; santustah—pacified; iti—thus; sidhyati—becomes perfect.

TRANSLATION

Persons who have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord should recite this narration of Dhruva Maharaja without taking remuneration. Specifically, recitation is recommended on the full moon or dark moon day, on the day after Ekadasi, on the appearance of the Sravana star, at the end of a particular tithi, or the occasion of Vyatipata, at the end of the month, or on Sunday. Such recitation should of course be performed before a favorable audience. When recitation is performed this way, without professional motive, the reciter and audience become perfect.

PURPORT

Professional reciters may ask money to extinguish the blazing fire within their bellies, but they cannot make any spiritual improvement or become perfect. It is therefore strictly forbidden to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam as a profession to earn a livelihood. Only one who is completely surrendered at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, depending fully on Him for personal maintenance or even for maintenance of his family, can attain perfection by recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is full of narrations of the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. The process can be summarized as follows: the audience must be faithfully receptive to the Bhagavata message, and the reciter should completely depend on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavata recitation must not be a business. If done in the right way, not only does the reciter achieve perfect satisfaction, but the Lord also is very satisfied with the reciter and the audience, and thus both are liberated from material bondage simply by the process of hearing.

SB4.12.51

TEXT 51

jnanam ajnata-tattvaya

yo dadyat sat-pathe ’mrtam

krpalor dina-nathasya

devas tasyanugrhnate

SYNONYMS

jnanam—knowledge; ajnata-tattvaya—to those who are unaware of the truth; yah—one who; dadyat—imparts; sat-pathe—on the path of truth; amrtam—immortality; krpaloh—kind; dina-nathasya—protector of the poor; devah—the demigods; tasya—to him; anugrhnate—give blessings.

TRANSLATION

The narration of Dhruva Maharaja is sublime knowledge for the attainment of immortality. Persons unaware of the Absolute Truth can be led to the path of truth. Those who out of transcendental kindness take on the responsibility of becoming master-protectors of the poor living entities automatically gain the interest and blessings of the demigods.

PURPORT

Jnanam ajnata means knowledge which is unknown almost throughout the entire world. No one knows actually what is the Absolute Truth. Materialists are very proud of their advancement in education, in philosophical speculation and in scientific knowledge, but no one actually knows what the Absolute Truth is. The great sage Maitreya, therefore, recommends that to enlighten people about the Absolute Truth (tattva), devotees should preach the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the entire world. Srila Vyasadeva especially compiled this great literature of scientific knowledge because people are completely unaware of the Absolute Truth. In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, it is said that Vyasadeva, the learned sage, compiled this great Bhagavata Purana just to stop the ignorance of the mass of people. Because people do not know the Absolute Truth, this Srimad-Bhagavatam was specifically compiled by Vyasadeva under the instruction of Narada. Generally, even though people are interested in understanding the truth, they take to speculation and reach at most the conception of impersonal Brahman. But very few men actually know the Personality of Godhead.

Recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam is specifically meant to enlighten people about the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although there is no fundamental difference between impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and the Supreme Person, factual immortality cannot be obtained unless and until one attains the stage of associating with the Supreme Person. Devotional service, which leads to the association of the Supreme Lord, is actual immortality. Pure devotees, out of compassion for the fallen souls, are krpalu, very kind to people in general; they distribute this Bhagavata knowledge all over the world. A kindhearted devotee is called dina-natha, protector of the poor, ignorant mass of people. Lord Krsna is also known as dina-natha or dina-bandhu, the master or actual friend of the poor living entities, and His pure devotee also takes the same position of dina-natha. The dina-nathas, or devotees of Lord Krsna, who preach the path of devotional service, become the favorites of the demigods. Generally people are interested in worshiping the demigods, especially Lord Siva, in order to obtain material benefits, but a pure devotee, who engages in preaching the principles of devotional service, as prescribed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, does not need to separately worship the demigods; the demigods are automatically pleased with him and offer all the blessings within their capacity. As by watering the root of a tree the leaves and branches are automatically watered, so, by executing pure devotional service to the Lord, the branches, twigs and leaves of the Lord, known as demigods, are automatically pleased with the devotee, and they offer all benedictions.

SB4.12.52

TEXT 52

idam maya te ’bhihitam kurudvaha

dhruvasya vikhyata-visuddha-karmanah

hitvarbhakah kridanakani matur

grham ca visnum saranam yo jagama

SYNONYMS

idam—this; maya—by me; te—unto you; abhihitam—described; kuru-udvaha—O great one among the Kurus; dhruvasya—of Dhruva; vikhyata—very famous; visuddha—very pure; karmanah—whose activities; hitva—giving up; arbhakah—child; kridanakani—toys and playthings; matuh—of his mother; grham—home; ca—also; visnum—to Lord Visnu; saranam—shelter; yah—one who; jagama—went.

TRANSLATION

The transcendental activities of Dhruva Maharaja are well known all over the world, and they are very pure. In childhood Dhruva Maharaja rejected all kinds of toys and playthings, left the protection of his mother and seriously took shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. My dear Vidura, I therefore conclude this narration, for I have described to you all its details.

PURPORT

It is said by Canakya Pandita that life is certainly short for everyone, but if one acts properly, his reputation will remain for a generation. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is everlastingly famous, so the reputation of Lord Krsna’s devotee is also everlasting. Therefore in describing Dhruva Maharaja’s activities two specific words have been used—vikhyata, very famous, and visuddha, transcendental. Dhruva Maharaja’s leaving home at a tender age and taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the forest is a unique example in this world.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Twelfth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead.”

Next chapter (SB 4.13)