SB 4.9.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

नान्यैरधिष्ठितं भद्र यद्भ्राजिष्णु ध्रुवक्षिति । यत्र ग्रहर्क्षताराणां ज्योतिषां चक्रमाहितम् ॥ २० ॥ मेढ्यां गोचक्रवत्स्थास्‍नु परस्तात्कल्पवासिनाम् । धर्मोऽग्नि: कश्यप: शुक्रो मुनयो ये वनौकस: । चरन्ति दक्षिणीकृत्य भ्रमन्तो यत्सतारका: ॥ २१ ॥

Verse text

nānyair adhiṣṭhitaṁ bhadra yad bhrājiṣṇu dhruva-kṣiti yatra graharkṣa-tārāṇāṁ jyotiṣāṁ cakram āhitam meḍhyāṁ go-cakravat sthāsnu parastāt kalpa-vāsinām dharmo ’gniḥ kaśyapaḥ śukro munayo ye vanaukasaḥ caranti dakṣiṇī-kṛtya bhramanto yat satārakāḥ

Synonyms

na — never ; anyaiḥ — by others ; adhiṣṭhitam — was ruled ; bhadra — My good boy ; yat — which ; bhrājiṣṇu — brightly glowing ; dhruva — kṣiti — the land known as Dhruvaloka ; yatra — where ; graha — planets ; ṛkṣa — constellations ; tārāṇām — and stars ; jyotiṣām — by luminaries ; cakram — encirclement ; āhitam — is done ; meḍhyām — around a central pole ; go — of bulls ; cakra — a multitude ; vat — like ; sthāsnu — stationary ; parastāt — beyond ; kalpa — a day of Brahmā (millennium) ; vāsinām — those who live ; dharmaḥ — Dharma ; agniḥ — Agni ; kaśyapaḥ — Kaśyapa ; śukraḥ — Śukra ; munayaḥ — great sages ; ye — all of them who ; vana — okasaḥ — living in the forest ; caranti — move ; dakṣiṇī — kṛtya — keeping it to their right ; bhramantaḥ — circumambulating ; yat — which planet ; satārakāḥ — with all the stars .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead continued: My dear Dhruva, I shall award you the glowing planet known as the polestar, which will continue to exist even after the dissolution at the end of the millennium. No one has ever ruled this planet, which is surrounded by all the solar systems, planets and stars. All the luminaries in the sky circumambulate this planet, just as bulls tread around a central pole for the purpose of crushing grains. Keeping the polestar to their right, all the stars inhabited by the great sages like Dharma, Agni, Kaśyapa and Śukra circumambulate this planet, which continues to exist even after the dissolution of all others.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Fortunate boy! I give you that radiant place which is eternal, not attained by anyone else. The zodiac of planets, constellations and stars revolve around it like oxen walking around a central pillar to grind grains. That places remains till the end of Brahmā’s life. Bharaṇi, Kṛttika, Cancer, Venus and the Big Dipper revolve around Dhruva-loka in clockwise direction along with the stars. I give you that residence (kṣiti) which is eternal (dhruva), possessing the zodiac belt of planets, constellations and stars, which are like oxen circling around the central pillar to which they are tied. This place remains fixed for the duration of Brahmā’s life for those living for that duration (kalpa-vāsinām). At the time of final destruction, some say that Dhruva ascends to Mahā-vaikuṇṭha. Even though existing within the material universe, Dhruva-loka has the qualities of Śvetadvīpa, Mathurā and Dvārakā. The following verses show that Dhruva attained Vaikuṇṭha. sudurlabhaṁ yat paramaṁ padaṁ harer māyāvinas tac-caraṇārcanārjitam labdhvāpy asiddhārtham ivaika-janmanā kathaṁ svam ātmānam amanyatārtha-vit Having attained the supreme abode of the merciful Lord which is rarely attained, through worshipping the Lord’s feet, within one lifetime, and though he was knowledgeable, why did he consider himself unfulfilled? SB 4.9.28 tato gantāsi mat-sthānaṁ sarva-loka-namaskṛtam upariṣṭād ṛṣibhyas tvaṁ yato nāvartate gataḥ You will go to my abode, worshipped by all planets, higher than the Big Dipper, from which you will not return, having gone there. SB 4.9.25 anāsthitaṁ te pitṛbhir anyair apy aṅga karhicit ātiṣṭha jagatāṁ vandyaṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam O Dhruva! Stay in that supreme abode of Viṣṇu, a place not achieved by your forefathers or any others, which is worshipped by the whole universe. SB 4.12.26 Others say that parastāt means that Dhruva-loka remains beyond the life span of those lasting for Brahmā’s life, since the planet of the Lord is eternal. Dharma, Agni and others are the forms of constellations (Bharaṇi, Kṛttika). [Note: Śukra, Venus is a planet. Kaśyapa probably means the zodiac sign Cancer. ] Vanaukasaḥ refers to the seven sages (Big Dipper).

Purport

Although the polestar existed before its occupation by Dhruva Mahārāja, it had no predominating deity. Dhruvaloka, our polestar, is the center for all other stars and solar systems, for all of them circle around Dhruvaloka just as a bull crushes grains by walking around and around a central pole. Dhruva wanted the best of all planets, and although it was a childish prayer, the Lord satisfied his demand. A small child may demand something from his father which his father has never given to anyone else, yet out of affection the father offers it to the child; similarly, this unique planet, Dhruvaloka, was offered to Mahārāja Dhruva. The specific significance of this planet is that until the entire universe is annihilated this planet will remain, even during the devastation which takes place during the night of Lord Brahmā. There are two kinds of dissolutions: one during the night of Lord Brahmā and one at the end of Lord Brahmā’s life. At the end of Brahmā’s life, selected personalities go back home, back to Godhead. Dhruva Mahārāja is one of them. The Lord assured Dhruva that he would exist beyond the partial dissolution of this universe. Thus at the end of the complete dissolution, Dhruva Mahārāja would go directly to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, to a spiritual planet in the spiritual sky. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments in this connection that Dhruvaloka is one of the lokas like Śvetadvīpa, Mathurā and Dvārakā. They are all eternal places in the kingdom of Godhead, which is described in the Bhagavad-gītā ( tad dhāma paramam ) and in the Vedas ( oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ ). The words parastāt kalpa-vāsinām, “transcendental to the planets inhabited after the dissolution,” refer to the Vaikuṇṭha planets. In other words, Dhruva Mahārāja’s promotion to the Vaikuṇṭhalokas was guaranteed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.