August 20, 2017 archive

Dhruva stepped upon death and mounted the celestial plane. Can anyone ever step upon death? Here it should be understood that he conquered death. Death came so as to help him board the celestial airplane.

At that moment Gandharvas beat celestial drums, kettles, trumpets etc. Tumbura and other senior Gandharvas sang melodiously. It rained flowers.

Dhruva, who was about to leave for divine planes, remembered his mother Suneeti. ‘O, I am leaving my helpless mother behind and going to those divine planes which are otherwise impossible to reach’, he thought. Sunanda and Nanda read Dhruva’s thoughts. They showed him the celestial aircraft in which Suneeti was travelling ahead of them on the divine path.

At various places Devatas showered flowers upon Dhruva and praised him. Dhruva’s plane crossed all the planets and was swiftly moving forward. Travelling on the divine path in this celestial plane, Dhruva crossed the three worlds and the constellation of the seven sages (saptarishi mandala). He comfortably arrived at Srihari’s abode which was beyond these planes. In this way he obtained the permanent deathless destination.

Srihari’s abode is Self-illuminating. In its illumination these three worlds illumine. Only those supremely noble meritorious beings who have feelings of compassion towards all forms of life and who involve in auspicious deeds are able to reach this supreme destination. The wicked who have no compassion towards all living beings can never ever reach this place.

Śāntāḥ sama-dṛśaḥ śuddhāḥ sarva-bhūtānu-rañjanāḥ

Yānty añjasācyuta-padam-acyuta-priya-bāndhavāḥ

Those who enjoy a happy, peaceful mind, who see the Supreme Lord as existing everywhere, who possess an absolutely pure mind, who keep all forms of life happy, who consider Srihari and His ardent devotees as their own relatives easily reach this supreme destination.

Dhruva, the son of Uttānapāda, possessed an absolutely pure mind, had unflinching faith towards Srihari reached the final destination known as Srihari’s abode. He shone like a crown jewel for all the three worlds”.

In this way Maitreya Maharishi glorified Dhruva. He then said to Vidura, “Just as a herd of bulls revolve speedily around the central pole in a field where the paddy is being husked, this solar system swiftly and forcefully revolves around this pole star (Dhruva mandala) under whose control it exists.

Impressed by Dhruva’s greatness, Maharishi Narada went to the Satra yāga being conducted by Pracetās and while playing his veena glorified Dhruva as follows,

“Dhruva who was the son of the chaste woman Suneeti , has though intense austerities obtained this ultimate fruit. Even Maharishis, who are exponents in Vedas, are unable to obtain this supreme position as they are unable to undertake inner disciplines and austerities (antaranga sadhana) at par with Dhruva’s efforts. This being the case, is there any specific need to mention that kings cannot obtain this position?

When Dhruva was five years old, the harsh words uttered by his step mother pierced his heart and tormented him badly. Unable to withstand this insult he left for the forest. Heeding my advice he performed intense austerities. Pleasing Srihari is undoubtedly difficult. This Lord yields only to the good, divine traits of his devotees. Dhruva conquered such Lord Srihari and kept Him under his sway.

Even the best emperors of this world are lesser in position when compared to Dhruva. Even after performing intense austerities for many, many years they cannot reach the ultimate abode which Dhruva could obtain. They do not even have the worthiness to seek that abode.

In a short span of 5 to 6 months, the five year old Dhruva, through his devotion, could please the Supreme Lord who resides in the cave of the intellect. He reached Srihari’s abode.’ Narada Maharishi thus extolled Dhruva’s glory.

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “O Vidura, I have now narrated to you the supreme story of Dhruva as asked by you. Noble persons adore and glorify this story.

Dhanyaṁ yaśasya-māyuṣyaṁ puṇyaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ mahat

Svargyaṁ dhrauvyaṁ saumanasyaṁ praśasyam agha-marṣaṇam

This story of Dhruva bestows prosperity, longevity, good fame. This pure story is the repository of all forms of auspiciousness. This story, which is worthy of repute, blesses the person with heaven, the position of pole star (Dhruva pada) and fills him with godliness. It destroys all sins and fills the mind with happiness.

Srihari has extreme love for Dhruva. Likewise Dhruva loves Srihari very dearly. Therefore those who listen to this story repeatedly with total devotion will be blessed with unflinching devotion towards Srihari.

Due to such devotion, the five mental afflictions of spiritual ignorance (avidya), egoism, likes, dislikes and fear of death will be dissipated.

Mahattvam icchatāṁ tīrthaṁ śrotuḥ śīlādayo guṇāḥ

Yatra tejas tad icchūnāṁ māno yatra manasvinām

Those who listen to this story will, as per their desire, be blessed with either great wealth or divine splendor (brahmavarchas). Good character and other noble qualities will accrue to them. Those seeking respect will from society will be blessed with it.

Prayataḥ kīrtayet prātaḥ samavāye dvi-janmanām

Sāyaṁ ca puṇya-ślokasya dhruvasya caritaṁ mahat

The person who seeks to chant this pure story of Dhruva, which is worth glorifying, should chant the same in the assembly of Brahmins both in the morning and evening with great dedication and concentration.

To the best of his ability he should chant this story on days of Full moon, New moon, Dwadasi (12^th day of lunar fortnight), during Sravana nakshatra (star), Sankranti, Sunday and Ratha-saptami.

The devotee who has sought complete shelter in those lotus feet of Srihari from which the sacred River Ganga was born, should without any expectations narrate this story to those who are dedicated towards it. Doing so, the person will be filled with inner happiness. Through this he will be established in the Self (atma nishta) and will fulfill the goal of life.

The person who teaches this to people who are unaware of the Supreme Truth and thereby distributes the nectar called ‘knowledge’ is a compassionate person who strives for the well-being of the helpless. Such a person will earn the blessings of the Devatas.

O Vidura! This story of Dhruva is acclaimed in this world. In his childhood he left his mother’s home, rejected his toys and sought shelter under Lord Srihari. I have narrated to you the entire story” said Maitreya Maharishi to Vidura.

With this the twelfth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Sankaarśanāya namah.

Dhruva began to exhaust his balance of both merits and sins. Through experiencing kingly comforts he exhausted his balance of merit (punya). Through performance of Yagnas he washed away all his sins.

He ruled the earth righteously for 36000 years. He fulfilled the first three principles of life i.e. dharma (righteousness), artha (materialistic earnings) and kāma (fulfilling desires). Thereafter he handed over the kingdom to his son Utkala.

Manyamāna idaṁ viśvaṁ māyā-racitam ātmani

Avidyā-racita-svapna- gandharva-nagaropamam

During dream, all objects appear real. However, dream is the mind’s creation. It is made visible by the Self’s illumination (atma chaitanya, Pure Consciousness). When we observe the clouds, we can see varied shapes in them. However, all those shapes are nothing but creations of the mind. The Pure Consciousness (ātma chaitanya) within illumines these creations of the mind.

Likewise, although this entire world does not exist within the pure consciousness, due to spiritual ignorance it appears to exist. Dhruva realized this profound truth.

Dhruva realized that this body, wife, children, friends, relatives, army, the treasure chests filled with treasury, the inner apartments of the palace, the vast kingdom that stretched up to the seas and the lovely gardens had only temporal existence. He also understood that at some point or the other time would swallow them all. He developed total dispassion. In order to undertake penance he reached Badarikāśrama.

He bathed in the pure waters of the river. With absolute purity of mind and senses, he selected a suitable posture (asana) and took up disciplines such as Yama and Niyama. Through the process of Praṇāyāma he controlled the breathing. Using the mind he withdrew the senses (Pratyāhāra). He concentrated and fixed his mind (dhāraṇa) upon the gross form of the Lord i.e. the Universal form. He meditated upon this form with absolute concentration (dhyāna).

He reached the state of final absorption (Nirvikalpa samādhi) which is beyond differences of dhyāta (the person who is meditating) and dhyeya (the object of meditation) cease to exist. At that point he stopped meditating even upon this form.

Dhruva had incomparable love for Lord Srihari. Due to this overflowing love, uninterrupted tears of joy flowed from his eyes. The hairs on his body stood up and he was exhilarated. His heart completely melted due to this overflowing devotion. In him, who had given up egoism completely, the thought ‘I am Dhruva’ dissolved completely!

At that moment he saw a celestial airplane descending from heaven. Like the Full moon it began to illumine the 10 directions.

Dhruva noticed two celestial beings aboard that airplane. Both of them were of bluish-black complexion. They had reddish eyes that resembled lotus petals. Each of them had four hands and they were holding a mace in one hand. They were wearing costly clothing. On their heads they wore a crown. They looked radiant with glittering earrings, pearl chains and beautiful armlets. Dhruva recognized them as two attendants of Srihari, who were of great repute.

Seeing these supreme attendants of Srihari approaching him, Dhruva instantaneously stood up. In that anxiety he forgot to worship his guests. He could only chant the name of Srihari, fold his hands and offer obeisance to them.

Dhruva’s mind was firmly fixed upon the lotus feet of Lord Srikrishna. With lowered head and folded palms, he humbly stood before these guests. With a charming smile on their faces, these attendants of Srihari whose names were Sunanda and Nanda, addressed Dhruva and said,

“O emperor! Please listen attentively to us. At the age of five you pleased Srihari with your intense penance. We are the attendants of Lord Srihari, the father of this creation. We have come to take you to Srihari’s abode, which is the ultimate abode (paramapada).

It is extremely difficult to earn Lord Srihari’s abode. You have successfully conquered it. Through your penance you earned it. Even the seven great sages could not reach this abode. From afar they simply observe it. The Sun, Moon, planets and stars revolve reverentially around Srihari’s abode and thus circumambulate it. Now you are welcomed into that abode.

Anāsthitaṁ te pitṛbhir anyair apy aṅga karhicit

Ātiṣṭha jagatāṁ vandyaṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam

O Dhruva! Srihari’s abode is most revered and worshipped by all the worlds. In the past neither your father, grandfather nor any other person have reached this supreme abode. Now please step into that Supreme abode of Srihari, which is highly extolled by the Vedas.

O immortal being! Srihari, who is the most supreme among those with pure reputation, has especially sent this celestial airplane for you. You are worthy of boarding it.

Dhruva was very dear to Lord Srihari. Likewise Dhruva loved Srihari the most. Dhruva heard attentively the nectarous words uttered by these attendants of Srihari. He bathed and completed his Sandhya vandana and other obligatory rituals. He wore auspicious decorations on his body. He offered obeisance to the Maharishis present there and obtained their blessings.

He then worshipped that celestial airplane and circumambulated around it. He offered obeisance to the attendants of Lord Srihari.

He then took on a radiant body and got ready to enter into that celestial airplane.  At that moment death arrived there in the form of time. Dhruva placed his foot on the head of death and entered into that celestial plane. Celestial drums, kettles, trumpets sounded from the heavens.

Vāsudevāya namah

Swayāmbhuva Manu continued, “He is the original Lord for this illusory world, which although appears to be existing in reality does not. He is eternal. He is an embodiment of bliss. All the various energies eternally serve Him! Develop selfless love towards Him. Through this, gradually you will be able to cut through spiritual ignorance which has hardened in the form of attachments and infatuations.

O Emperor! Anger is the greatest enemy for all auspiciousness that could be obtained by the person. Just as disease is cured through medication, you reflect upon this teaching of mine and cure your anger. May you be blessed with auspiciousness!

Seeing a person who is filled with anger all living beings tremble with fear. Hence the intelligent person who seeks liberation, who wishes that other living beings should not fear him or who seeks that he should not fear other living beings, should not succumb to anger.

Infuriated that they have killed your brother, you are killing these Yakshas. You have thereby insulted their leader Kubera, who is also a guardian deity for the world. Shiva, the Lord of Kailasa, has accepted Kubera as his brother.

My son! Before the wrath of the guardian deity swallows up our lineage, please bow and offer your obeisance to him. Speak to him and please him with your gentle words”.

Swāyambhuva Manu thus preached to his grandson Dhruva. Dhruva offered his obeisance to his grandfather. Then Swāyambhuva Manu together with the Maharishis left the place.

With this the eleventh chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Twelve

In this chapter, Dhruva pleases Kubera. Then returning to his city he worships Lord Srihari through many Yagnas accompanied by plentiful dakshinas. Thereafter he obtains the final abode of Lord Srihari, which is worshipped and revered by all the three worlds and which even the seven great sages find it difficult to obtain.

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “Coming to know that Dhruva had given up his anger and that he has stopped attacking the Yakshas, Kubera decided to meet Dhruva. As Yakshas, Cāraṇas and Gandharvas were praying to him, he stepped out.

Immediately upon seeing him, Dhruva folded his hands and offered obeisance. Kubera addressed Dhruva and said, “O emperor! You are a supremely meritorious. I am very pleased with you. Giving up feelings of enmity and hatred is very difficult, yet, abiding by your grandfather’s advice, you instantly gave up your anger towards Yakshas.

To tell you the truth, you did not kill these Yakshas. In the similar fashion, it was not the Yakshas who killed your brother. Time alone is responsible for the birth and death of every living being.

Everything that appears in a dream belongs to the person. Even then, when feelings of ‘I and mine’ develop towards one particular body, everything apart from it appears to have a distinct existence. This is incorrect. This is because in a dream, the same person manifests as all the different characters.

It is the same in the waking state too! The person develops feelings of ‘I’ towards his gross body. Therefore differences of ‘I’ and ‘you’ arise in the person. Dualities step in. However this is far from reality. Spiritual ignorance is the root for all this. All these karmic bondages and this repeated cycle of births and death occur only because of the feelings of differences and dualities that exist within a person.

O Dhruva! Return back to your kingdom. May you be blessed with auspiciousness! O King, Lord Srihari cannot be understood through any direct visible proofs. He is the one who is present before us in the form of the various living beings. Those who ardently worship His lotus feet are freed from this repeated cycle of births and deaths.

Even though He accepts the carrier known as illusion (māya), which is composed of the trigunas, and undertakes the tasks of creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe, He remains non-dual.  Illusion cannot touch him. Serve this Supreme Lord purely with the intent of exiting this cycle of repeated births and deaths. Begin to see every living being as the form of the Self.

O son of Uttānapāda! O Dhruva, you are worthy of being bestowed with boons. We have heard that you are very dear to the lotus eyed Lord Srihari. Therefore without any hesitation, please seek whatever you like”.

Dhruva, the supreme devotee of the Lord was very intelligent and wise. When Kubera, the king of kings asked him to choose a boon he asked, “That remembrance of the Supreme Lord by which spiritual ignorance that is hampering liberation can be dispelled, that remembrance of Srihari by which the repeated cycle of re-births that arise due to spiritual ignorance can be easily crossed over, I seek to be blessed with a firm remembrance of Lord Srihari”.

Hearing Dhruva’s desire Kubera was immensely pleased. He blessed that Dhruva’s mind should eternally remember Srihari. As Dhruva was watching, he disappeared from there.

Dhruva returned to his kingdom. He now began many Yagna rituals so as to please Lord Srihari. He gave away plentiful Dakshina (money).

Yagna is the form of Lord Srihari. The ingredients used in Yagna, the sub-divisions of the Yagna and process of yagna are also forms of Lord Srihari. The Lord who bestows the result for the Yagna is also Srihari.

Sarvātmany acyute ’sarve tīvraughāṁ bhaktim udvahan

Dadarśātmani bhūteṣu tam evāvasthitaṁ vibhum 

Srihari is the original form which is the root for all various visible forms! Although all these various bodies shine within Him, in reality they do not exist within Him. Dhruva fixed his unending flow of devotion exclusively upon this Lord Srihari. He began to see the all-pervading Lord Srihari as existing in the form of the Self, within him and within every being in this creation.

Devotion became part and parcel of his nature. He revered exponents of Vedas. He was compassionate towards the helpless. He protected dharmic regulations. All the citizens of the country loved him as their father.

Emperor Dhruva began to exhaust his balance of both merits and sins. Through experiencing kingly riches and comforts he exhausted his balance of merit (punya). Through performance of Yagnas he washed away all his sins.

Hrishikeśāya namah.

Hriśikeśāya namah

Swāyambhuva Manu continued, “Due to the Lord’s energy known as time, movement takes place within the three attributes of Nature (trigunas). They become imbalanced. At that point, due to the traits of goodness, passion and ignorance (sattva, rajas, tamas), divisions known as creation, sustenance and dissolution occur in the Lord’s energy. In this way, without actually getting involved in action, the Lord is creating this universe. Without being the destroyer, He is destroying.

Divine plays are beyond the understanding of the mind. The Supreme Lord who exists in the form of time is devoid of birth, transformation or death. By creating one living being from another, He becomes the creator. By getting animals killed through other fiery animals, which are personifications of death, He becomes the destroyer.

The Supreme Lord is a personification of time. He exists equally within all living beings. As time, He is the one who destroys the bodies of living entities. In this aspect of destruction, He remains neutral and does not differentiate between friends, relatives and enemies. This is the ultimate truth.

When the wind blows, dust particles fly along with it. Likewise, individual beings who do not enjoy independent existence, run behind the Supreme Lord who manifests as time. In other words, based on their individual destiny living beings are trapped in this repeated cycle of re-births due to the influence of time.

The Supreme Lord is all-pervading. There is no question of His growing or shrinking. He is devoid of any transformation. He eternally remains in his own form. On the other hand, the individual’s existence is based on his destiny. The Supreme Lord rewards the being based on his destiny. By awarding them with the bodies of Devatas and other celestials, He blesses them with very long life. By awarding them the bodies of bacteria and insects, He gives them a very short existence.

O Emperor! Philosophists belonging to the Karma-mimāmsaka School define this Lord as destiny (karma), Cārvakās address Him as inherent nature (swabhāva), Vaiśeṣikās as time (kāla), astrologers as the Lord who exists in the form of planets, while Vātsāyayana and others refer to Him as desire. Albeit differences in terminology, all of them accept His existence!

My son, as this Lord is devoid of traits He cannot be understood through any visible proofs or any other direct means of knowledge. All the various energies in this creation emerge from Him alone. Who in this creation can understand the intentions of that Lord from whom all energies manifest? There is none.  How then can an individual understand the essence of that Supreme Lord from whom he has emerged?

Na caite putraka bhrātur hantāro dhanadānugāḥ

Visargādānayos tāta puṁso daivaṁ hi kāraṇam

My son, the truth is that these Yakshas, the followers of Kubera, are not responsible for your brother’s death. This is because only the Supreme Iśwara, who manifests as time, is responsible for the birth and death of every living entity.

Believing that these Yakshas killed your brother, you are destroying them. However only the Supreme Iśwara is creating, sustaining and destroying this entire universe. Yet He is totally devoid of the feeling ‘I am the doer’. For this reason, He is absolutely untouched by the attributes of goodness, passion and ignorance (sattva, rajas, tamas) or by the merits- demerits that arise from these actions.

Eṣa bhūtāni bhūtātmā bhūteśo bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

Sva-śaktyā māyayā yuktaḥ sṛjaty atti ca pāti ca

The Supreme Lord resides as the Self (atma) within every living being! He controls and rules over them. With the help of His illusory power He creates, sustains and thereafter absorbs these individual beings into Himself. This Supreme Lord is the sole refuge for this entire creation.

He exists outside as death, which is a form of time. Within the mind He exists as consciousness (chaitanya) and nectar. Therefore my dear son, please see Him as existing in all living beings. Seek shelter under Him. Stop all your thoughts and fix your mind totally upon Him.

Just as oxen are led by the nose which is tied with a rope or just as vassal kings pay tribute to the emperor even great Prajāpatis (leaders of the world) offer Him flowers and other materials. Being controlled by Him they diligently abide by His orders.

At the age of five, you were deeply hurt by the insulting words uttered by your step-mother. Leaving the comfort of your mother’s home you went into the deep forests and undertook intense austerities. Controlling your senses and becoming inward facing (antarmukha), you meditated upon the Supreme Lord Srihari. You obtained the position of the Pole star, which is beyond the three worlds.

Tam enam aṅgātmani mukta-vigrahe

Vyapāśritaṁ nirguṇam ekam akṣaram

Ātmānam anviccha vimuktam ātma-dṛg

Yasminn idaṁ bheda masat pratīyate

O Dhruva, Srihari is eternally liberated. He is the form of the Self. He makes himself visible only in that mind that is totally pure. He is devoid of traits. He is non-dual. Become inward-facing and search for that indestructible Lord within you. Simultaneously develop selfless love towards the Lord who is none other than the Self”.

Sridharāya namah.