Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eight
SB4.8.23
TEXT 23
nanyam tatah padma-palasa-locanad
duhkha-cchidam te mrgayami kancana
yo mrgyate hasta-grhita-padmaya
sriyetarair anga vimrgyamanaya
SYNONYMS
na anyam—no others; tatah—therefore; padma-palasa-locanat—from the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead; duhkha-chidam—one who can mitigate others’ difficulties; te—your; mrgayami—I am searching after; kancana—anyone else; yah—who; mrgyate—searches; hasta-grhita-padmaya—taking a lotus flower in the hand; sriya—the goddess of fortune; itaraih—by others; anga—my dear boy; vimrgyamanaya—one who is worshiped.
TRANSLATION
My dear Dhruva, as far as I am concerned, I do not find anyone who can mitigate your distress but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose eyes are like lotus petals. Many demigods such as Lord Brahma seek the pleasure of the goddess of fortune, but the goddess of fortune herself, with a lotus flower in her hand, is always ready to render service to the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
Suniti pointed out herewith that the benediction received from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that received from the demigods are not on an equal level. Foolish persons say that no matter whom one worships one will get the same result, but actually that is not a fact. In Bhagavad-gita it is also said that benedictions received from the demigods are all temporary and are meant for the less intelligent. In other words, because the demigods are all materialistically conditioned souls, although they are situated in very exalted positions, their benedictions cannot be permanent. permanent benediction is spiritual benediction, since a spirit soul is eternal. It is also said in Bhagavad-gita that only persons who have lost their intelligence go to worship the demigods. Therefore Suniti told her son that he should not seek the mercy of the demigods, but should directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to mitigate his misery.
Material opulences are controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead through His different potencies and specifically the goddess of fortune. Therefore, those who are after material opulences seek the pleasure or mercy of the goddess of fortune. Even the highly placed demigods worship the goddess of fortune, but the goddess of fortune, Maha-Laksmi herself, is always seeking the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anyone, therefore, who takes to the worship of the Supreme Lord automatically receives the blessings of the goddess of fortune. At this stage of his life, Dhruva Maharaja was seeking material opulences, and his mother advised rightly that even for material opulences it is better to worship not the demigods but the Supreme Lord.
Although a pure devotee does not seek benedictions from the Supreme Lord for material advancement, it is stated in Bhagavad-gita that pious persons go to the Lord even for material benedictions. A person who goes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for material gain is gradually purified in association with the Supreme Lord. Thus he becomes free from all material desires and is elevated to the platform of spiritual life. Unless one is raised to the spiritual platform, it is not possible for him to completely transcend all material contamination.
Suniti, the mother of Dhruva, was a farseeing woman, and therefore she advised her son to worship the Supreme Lord and no one else. The Lord is described herein as lotus eyed (padma-palasa-locanat). When a person is fatigued, if he sees a lotus flower all his fatigue can be immediately reduced to nil. Similarly, when an aggrieved person sees the lotus face of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately all his grief is reduced. A lotus flower is also an insignia in the hand of Lord Visnu as well as in the hand of the goddess of fortune. The worshipers of the goddess of fortune and Lord Visnu together are certainly very opulent in all respects, even in material life. The Lord is sometimes described as siva-virinci-nutam, which means that Lord Siva and Lord Brahma also offer their respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana. SB4.8.24 TEXT 24 maitreya uvaca evam sanjalpitam matur akarnyarthagamam vacah sanniyamyatmanatmanam niscakrama pituh purat SYNONYMS maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; evam—thus; sanjalpitam—spoken together; matuh—from the mother; akarnya—hearing; artha-agamam—purposeful; vacah—words; sanniyamya—controlling; atmana—by the mind; atmanam—own self; niscakrama—got out; pituh—of the father; purat—from the house. TRANSLATION The great sage Maitreya continued: The instruction of Dhruva Maharaja’s mother, Suniti, was actually meant for fulfilling his desired objective. Therefore, after deliberate consideration and with intelligence and fixed determination, he left his father’s house. PURPORT Both the mother and the son were lamenting Dhruva Maharaja’s having been insulted by his stepmother and his father’s not having taken any step on this issue. But mere lamentation is useless—one should find out the means to mitigate one’s lamentation. Thus both mother and son decided to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord because that is the only solution to all material problems. It is indicated in this connection that Dhruva Maharaja left his father’s capital city to go to a secluded place to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is the instruction of Prahlada Maharaja also that if one is seeking peace of mind he should free himself from all contamination of family life and take shelter of the Supreme Godhead by going to the forest. To the Gaudiya Vaisnava this forest is the forest of Vrnda, or Vrndavana. If one takes shelter of Vrndavana under Vrndavanesvari, Srimati Radharani, certainly all the problems of his life are solved very easily. SB4.8.25 TEXT 25 naradas tad upakarnya jnatva tasya cikirsitam sprstva murdhany agha-ghnena panina praha vismitah SYNONYMS naradah—the great sage Narada; tat—that; upakarnya—overhearing; jnatva—and knowing; tasya—his (Dhruva Maharaja’s); cikirsitam—activities; sprstva—by touching; murdhani—on the head; agha-ghnena—which can drive away all sinful activities; panina—by the hand; praha—said; vismitah—being surprised. TRANSLATION The great sage Narada overheard this news, and understanding all the activities of Dhruva Maharaja, he was struck with wonder. He approached Dhruva, and touching the boy’s head with his all-virtuous hand, he spoke as follows. PURPORT When Dhruva Maharaja was talking with his mother, Suniti, of all the incidents that had taken place in the palace, Narada was not present. Thus the question may be raised how Narada overheard all these topics. The answer is that Narada is trikala-jna; he is so powerful that he can understand the past, future and present of everyone’s heart, just like the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, after understanding the strong determination of Dhruva Maharaja, Narada came to help him. It may be explained in this way: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone’s heart, and as soon as He understands that a living entity is serious about entering devotional service, He sends His representative. In this way Narada was sent to Dhruva Maharaja. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta. Guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: by the grace of the spiritual master and Krsna, one can enter into devotional service. Because of Dhruva Maharaja’s determination, Krsna, the Supersoul, immediately sent His representative, Narada, to initiate him. SB4.8.26 TEXT 26 aho tejah ksatriyanam mana-bhangam amrsyatam balo ’py ayam hrda dhatte yat samatur asad-vacah SYNONYMS aho—how surprising it is; tejah—power; ksatriyanam—of the ksatriyas; mana-bhangam—hurting the prestige; amrsyatam—unable to tolerate; balah—only a child; api—although; ayam—this; hrda—at heart; dhatte—has taken; yat—that which; sa-matuh—of the stepmother; asat—unpalatable; vacah—words. TRANSLATION How wonderful are the powerful ksatriyas. They cannot tolerate even a slight infringement upon their prestige. Just imagine! This boy is only a small child, yet harsh words from his stepmother proved unbearable to him. PURPORT The qualifications of the ksatriyas are described in Bhagavad-gita-. Two important qualifications are to have a sense of prestige and not to flee from battle. It appears that the ksatriya blood within the body of Dhruva Maharaja was naturally very active. If the brahminical, ksatriya or vaisya culture is maintained in a family, naturally the sons and grandsons inherit the spirit of the particular class. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, the samskara, or the reformatory system, is maintained very rigidly. If one fails to observe the reformatory measures current in the family, one is immediately degraded to a lower standard of life. SB4.8.27 TEXT 27 narada uvaca nadhunapy avamanam te sammanam vapi putraka laksayamah kumarasya saktasya kridanadisu SYNONYMS naradah uvaca—the great sage Narada said; na—not; adhuna—just now; api—although; avamanam—insult; te—unto you; sammanam—offering respects; va—or; api—certainly; putraka—my dear boy; laksayamah—I can see; kumarasya—of boys like you; saktasya—being attached; kridana-adisu—to sports and frivolities. TRANSLATION The great sage Narada told Dhruva: My dear boy, you are only a little boy whose attachment is to sports and other frivolities. Why are you so affected by words insulting your honor? PURPORT Ordinarily if a child is rebuked as a rascal or fool, he smiles and does not take such insulting words very seriously. Similarly, if words of honor are offered, he does not appreciate them. But in the case of Dhruva Maharaja, the ksatriya spirit was so strong that he could not tolerate a slight insult from his stepmother which injured his ksatriya prestige. SB4.8.28 TEXT 28 vikalpe vidyamane ’pi na hy asantosa-hetavah pumso moham rte bhinna yal loke nija-karmabhih SYNONYMS vikalpe—alternation; vidyamane api—although there is; na—not; hi—certainly; asantosa—dissatisfaction; hetavah—causes; pumsah—of the persons; moham rte—without being illusioned; bhinnah—separated; yat loke—within this world; nija-karmabhih—by his own work. TRANSLATION My dear Dhruva, if you feel that your sense of honor has been insulted, you still have no cause for dissatisfaction. This kind of dissatisfaction is another feature of the illusory energy; every living entity is controlled by his previous actions, and therefore there are different varieties of life for enjoying or suffering. PURPORT In the Vedas it is said that the living entity is always uncontaminated and unaffected by material association. The living entity gets different types of material bodies because of his previous fruitive actions. If, however, one understands the philosophy that as a living spirit soul he has an affinity for neither suffering nor enjoyment, then he is considered to be a liberated person. It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.54), brahma-bhutah prasannatma: when one is actually situated on the transcendental platform, he has nothing for which to lament and nothing for which to hanker. Narada Rsi first of all wanted to impress upon Dhruva Maharaja that he was only a child; he should not have been affected by words of insult or honor. And if he were so developed as to understand honor and insult, then this understanding should have been applied in his own life; he should have known that honor and dishonor are both destined only by one’s previous actions; therefore one should not be sorry or happy under any circumstances. SB4.8.29 TEXT 29 paritusyet tatas tata tavan-matrena purusah daivopasaditam yavad viksyesvara-gatim budhah SYNONYMS paritusyet—one should be satisfied; tatah—therefore; tata—my dear boy; tavat—up to such; matrena—quality; purusah—a person; daiva—destiny; upasaditam—offered by; yavat—as; viksya—seeing; isvara-gatim—the process of the Supreme; budhah—one who is intelligent. TRANSLATION The process of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very wonderful. One who is intelligent should accept that process and be satisfied with whatever comes, favorable or unfavorable, by His supreme will. PURPORT The great sage Narada instructed Dhruva Maharaja that one should be satisfied in all circumstances. Everyone who is intelligent should know that because of our concept of bodily existence, we are subjected to suffering and enjoyment. One who is in the transcendental position, beyond the concept of bodily life, is considered to be intelligent. One who is a devotee especially accepts all reverses as gifts of the Supreme Lord. When a devotee is put into distress, he accepts this as God’s mercy and offers Him repeated obeisances with his body, mind and intellect. An intelligent person, therefore, should be always satisfied, depending on the mercy of the Lord. SB4.8.30 TEXT 30 atha matropadistena yogenavarurutsasi yat-prasadam sa vai pumsam duraradhyo mato mama SYNONYMS atha—therefore; matra—by your mother; upadistena—being instructed; yogena—by mystic meditation; avarurutsasi—want to elevate yourself; yat-prasadam—whose mercy; sah—that; vai—certainly; pumsam—of the living entities; duraradhyah—very difficult to perform; matah—opinion; mama—my. TRANSLATION Now you have decided to undertake the mystic process of meditation under the instruction of your mother, just to achieve the mercy of the Lord, but in my opinion such austerities are not possible for any ordinary man. It is very difficult to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. PURPORT The process of bhakti-yoga is simultaneously very difficult and very easy to perform. Sri Narada Muni, the supreme spiritual master, is testing Dhruva Maharaja to see how determined he is to prosecute devotional service. This is the process of accepting a disciple. The great sage Narada has come to Dhruva under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead just to initiate him, yet he is testing Dhruva’s determination to execute the process. It is a fact, however, that for a sincere person devotional service is very easy. But for one who is not determined and sincere, this process is very difficult. SB4.8.31 TEXT 31 munayah padavim yasya nihsangenoru-janmabhih na vidur mrgayanto ’pi tivra-yoga-samadhina SYNONYMS munayah—great sages; padavim—path; yasya—whose; nihsangena—by detachment; uru-janmabhih—after many births; na—never; viduh—understood; mrgayantah—searching for; api—certainly; tivra-yoga—severe austerities; samadhina—by trance. TRANSLATION Narada Muni continued: After trying this process for many, many births and remaining unattached to material contamination, placing themselves continually in trance and executing many types of austerities, many mystic yogis were unable to find the end of the path of God realization. SB4.8.32 TEXT 32 ato nivartatam esa nirbandhas tava nisphalah yatisyati bhavan kale sreyasam samupasthite SYNONYMS atah—hereafter; nivartatam—just stop yourself; esah—this; nirbandhah—determination; tava—your; nisphalah—without any result; yatisyati—in the future you should try; bhavan—yourself; kale—in due course of time; sreyasam—opportunities; samupasthite—being present. TRANSLATION For this reason, my dear boy, you should not endeavor for this; it will not be successful. It is better that you go home. When you are grown up, by the mercy of the Lord you will get a chance for these mystic performances. At that time you may execute this function. PURPORT Generally, a thoroughly trained person takes to spiritual perfection at the end of his life. According to the Vedic system, therefore, life is divided into four stages. In the beginning, one becomes a brahmacari, a student who studies Vedic knowledge under the authoritative guidance of a spiritual master. He then becomes a householder and executes household duties according to the Vedic process. Then the householder becomes a vanaprastha, and gradually, when he is mature, he renounces household life and vanaprastha life also and takes to sannyasa, completely devoting himself to devotional service. Generally, people think that childhood is meant for enjoying life by engaging oneself in sports and play, youth is meant for enjoying the company of young girls, and when one becomes old, at the time of death, then he may try to execute devotional service or a mystic yoga process. But this conclusion is not for devotees who are actually serious. The great sage Narada is instructing Dhruva Maharaja just to test him. Actually, the direct order is that from any point of life one should begin rendering devotional service. But it is the duty of the spiritual master to test the disciple to see how seriously he desires to execute devotional service. Then he may be initiated. SB4.8.33 TEXT 33 yasya yad daiva-vihitam sa tena sukha-duhkhayoh atmanam tosayan dehi tamasah param rcchati SYNONYMS yasya—anyone; yat—that which; daiva—by destiny; vihitam—destined; sah—such a person; tena—by that; sukha-duhkhayoh—happiness or distress; atmanam—one’s self; tosayan—being satisfied; dehi—an embodied soul; tamasah—of the darkness; param—to the other side; rcchati—crosses. TRANSLATION One should try to keep himself satisfied in any condition of life—whether distress or happiness—which is offered by the supreme will. A person who endures in this way is able to cross over the darkness of nescience very easily. PURPORT Material existence consists of pious and impious fruitive activities. As long as one is engaged in any kind of activity other than devotional service, it will result in the happiness and distress of this material world. When we enjoy life in so-called material happiness, it is to be understood that we are diminishing the resultant actions of our pious activities. And when we are put into suffering, it is to be understood that we are diminishing the resultant actions of our impious activities. Instead of being attached to the circumstantial happiness and distress resulting from pious or impious activities, if we want to get out of the clutches of this nescience, then whatever position we are put in by the will of the Lord we should accept. Thus if we simply surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we shall get out of the clutches of this material existence. SB4.8.34 TEXT 34 gunadhikan mudam lipsed anukrosam gunadhamat maitrim samanad anvicchen na tapair abhibhuyate SYNONYMS guna-adhikat—one who is more qualified; mudam—pleasure; lipset—one should feel; anukrosam—compassion; guna-adhamat—one who is less qualified; maitrim—friendship; samanat—with an equal; anvicchet—one should desire; na—not; tapaih—by tribulation; abhibhuyate—becomes affected. TRANSLATION Every man should act like this: when he meets a person more qualified than himself, he should be very pleased; when he meets someone less qualified than himself, he should be compassionate toward him; and when he meets someone equal to himself, he should make friendship with him. In this way one is never affected by the threefold miseries of this material world. PURPORT Generally when we find someone more qualified than ourselves, we become envious of him; when we find someone less qualified, we deride him; and when we find someone equal we become very proud of our activities. These are the causes of all material tribulations. The great sage Narada therefore advised that a devotee should act perfectly. Instead of being envious of a more qualified man, one should be jolly to receive him. Instead of being oppressive to a less qualified man, one should be compassionate toward him just to raise him to the proper standard. And when one meets an equal, instead of being proud of one’s own activities before him, one should treat him as a friend. One should also have compassion for the people in general, who are suffering due to forgetfulness of Krsna. These important functions will make one happy within this material world. SB4.8.35 TEXT 35 dhruva uvaca so ’yam samo bhagavata sukha-duhkha-hatatmanam darsitah krpaya pumsam durdarso ’smad-vidhais tu yah SYNONYMS dhruvah uvaca—Dhruva Maharaja said; sah—that; ayam—this; samah—equilibrium of mind; bhagavata—by Your Lordship; sukha-duhkha—happiness and miseries; hata-atmanam—those who are affected; darsitah—shown; krpaya—by mercy; pumsam—of the people; durdarsah—very difficult to perceive; asmat-vidhaih—by persons like us; tu—but; yah—whatever you have said. TRANSLATION Dhruva Maharaja said: My dear Lord Naradaji, for a person whose heart is disturbed by the material conditions of happiness and distress, whatever you have so kindly explained for attainment of peace of mind is certainly a very good instruction. But as far as I am concerned, I am covered by ignorance, and this kind of philosophy does not touch my heart. PURPORT There are various classes of men. One class is called akamis, referring to those who have no material desire. Desire must exist, either material or spiritual. Material desire arises when one wants to satisfy one’s personal senses. One who is ready to sacrifice anything to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be said to have spiritual desire. Dhruva did not accept the instruction given by the great saint Narada because he thought himself unfit for such instruction, which prohibited all material desires. It is not a fact, however, that those who have material desires are prohibited from worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the essential instruction from the life of Dhruva. He frankly admitted that his heart was full of material desires. He was very much affected by the cruel words of his stepmother, whereas those who are spiritually advanced do not care about anyone’s condemnation or adoration. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that persons who are actually advanced in spiritual life do not care for the dual behavior of this material world. But Dhruva Maharaja frankly admitted that he was not beyond the affliction of material distress and happiness. He was confident that the instruction given by Narada was valuable, yet he could not accept it. The question raised here is whether or not a person afflicted by material desires is fit to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The answer is that everyone is fit to worship Him. Even if one has many material desires to fulfill, he should take to Krsna consciousness and worship the Supreme Lord Krsna, who is so merciful that He fulfills everyone’s desires. Through this narration it will become very clear that no one is barred from worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even if one has many material desires. SB4.8.36 TEXT 36 athapi me ’vinitasya ksattram ghoram upeyusah surucya durvaco-banair na bhinne srayate hrdi SYNONYMS atha api—therefore; me—my; avinitasya—not very submissive; ksattram—the spirit of a ksatriya; ghoram—intolerant; upeyusah—achieved; surucyah—of Queen Suruci; durvacah—harsh words; banaih—by the arrows; na—not; bhinne—being pierced; srayate—remain in; hrdi—the heart. TRANSLATION My dear lord, I am very impudent for not accepting your instructions, but this is not my fault. It is due to my having been born in a ksatriya family. My stepmother, Suruci, has pierced my heart with her harsh words. Therefore your valuable instruction does not stand in my heart. PURPORT It is said that the heart or mind is just like an earthen pot; once broken, it cannot be repaired by any means. Dhruva Maharaja gave this example to Narada Muni. He said that his heart, having been pierced by the arrows of his stepmother’s harsh words, felt so broken that nothing seemed valuable but his desire to counteract her insult. His stepmother had said that because he was born from the womb of Suniti, a neglected queen of Maharaja Uttanapada, Dhruva Maharaja was not fit to sit either on the throne or on his father’s lap. In other words, according to his stepmother, he could not be declared king. Dhruva Maharaja’s determination, therefore, was to become king of a planet exalted even beyond that possessed by Lord Brahma, the greatest of all the demigods. Dhruva Maharaja indirectly informed the great sage Narada that there are four kinds of human spirit—the brahminical spirit, the ksatriya spirit, the vaisya spirit and the sudra spirit. The spirit of one caste is not applicable to the members of another. The philosophical spirit enunciated by Narada Muni might have been suitable for a brahmana spirit, but it was not suitable for a ksatriya. Dhruva frankly admitted that he was lacking in brahminical humility and was therefore unable to accept the philosophy of Narada Muni. The statements of Dhruva Maharaja indicate that unless a child is trained according to his tendency, there is no possibility of his developing his particular spirit. It was the duty of the spiritual master or teacher to observe the psychological movement of a particular boy and thus train him in a particular occupational duty. Dhruva Maharaja, having already been trained in the ksatriya spirit, would not accept the brahminical philosophy. In America we have practical experience of this incompatibility of the brahminical and ksatriya temperaments. The American boys, who have simply been trained as sudras, are not at all fit to fight in battle. Therefore, when they are called to join the military, they refuse because they do not have ksatriya spirit. This is a cause of great dissatisfaction in society. That the boys do not have the ksatriya spirit does not mean that they are trained in brahminical qualities; they are trained as sudras, and thus in frustration they are becoming hippies. However, as soon as they enter the Krsna consciousness movement being started in America, they are trained to meet the brahminical qualifications, even though they have fallen to the lowest conditions as sudras. In other words, since the Krsna consciousness movement is open for everyone, people in general can attain the brahminical qualifications. This is the greatest need at the present moment, for now there are actually no brahmanas or ksatriyas but only some vaisyas and, for the most part, sudras. The classification of society into brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras is very scientific. In the human social body, the brahmanas are considered the head, the ksatriyas are the arms, the vaisyas are the belly, and the sudras are the legs. At the present moment the body has legs and a belly, but there are no arms or head, and therefore society is topsy-turvy. It is necessary to reestablish the brahminical qualifications in order to raise the fallen human society to the highest standard of spiritual consciousness. SB4.8.37 TEXT 37 padam tri-bhuvanotkrstam jigisoh sadhu vartma me bruhy asmat-pitrbhir brahmann anyair apy anadhisthitam SYNONYMS padam—position; tri-bhuvana—the three worlds; utkrstam—the best; jigisoh—desirous; sadhu—honest; vartma—way; me—unto me; bruhi—please tell; asmat—our; pitrbhih—by the forefathers, the father and grandfather; brahman—O great brahmana; anyaih—by others; api—even; anadhisthitam—not acquired. TRANSLATION O learned brahmana, I want to occupy a position more exalted than any yet achieved within the three worlds by anyone, even by my fathers and grandfathers. If you will oblige, kindly advise me of an honest path to follow by which I can achieve the goal of my life. PURPORT When Dhruva Maharaja refused to accept the brahminical instruction of Narada Muni, naturally the next question would be what sort of instruction he wanted. So even before Narada Muni asked, Dhruva Maharaja expressed his heartfelt desire. His father, of course, was the emperor of the entire world, and his grandfather, Lord Brahma, was the creator of the universe. Dhruva Maharaja expressed his desire to possess a kingdom better than those of his father and grandfather. He frankly stated that he wanted a kingdom which had no competitor within the three worlds, namely the higher, middle and lower planetary systems. The greatest personality within this universe is Lord Brahma, and Dhruva Maharaja wanted a position even greater than his. He wanted to take advantage of Narada Muni’s presence because he knew very well that if Narada Muni, the greatest devotee of Lord Krsna, could bless him or show him the path, then certainly he would be able to occupy a more exalted position than any person within the three worlds. Thus he wanted help from Naradaji to achieve that position. Dhruva Maharaja wanted a position greater than that of Brahma. This was practically an impossible proposition, but by pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead a devotee can achieve even the impossible. One particular point mentioned here is that Dhruva Maharaja wanted to occupy an exalted position not by hook or by crook, but by honest means. This indicates that if Krsna offered him such a position, then he would accept it. That is the nature of a devotee. He may desire material gain, but he accepts it only if Krsna offers it. Dhruva Maharaja was sorry to refuse the instruction of Narada Muni; therefore he requested him to be merciful to him by showing a path by which he could fulfill his mind’s desires. SB4.8.38 TEXT 38 nunam bhavan bhagavato yo ’ngajah paramesthinah vitudann atate vinam hitaya jagato ’rkavat SYNONYMS nunam—certainly; bhavan—Your Honor; bhagavatah—of the Lord; yah—that which; anga-jah—born from the body; paramesthinah—Lord Brahma; vitudan—by playing on; atate—travel all over; vinam—a musical instrument; hitaya—for the welfare; jagatah—of the world; arka-vat—like the sun. TRANSLATION My dear lord, you are a worthy son of Lord Brahma, and you travel, playing on your musical instrument, the vina, for the welfare of the entire universe. You are like the sun, which rotates in the universe for the benefit of all living beings. PURPORT Dhruva Maharaja, although a young child, expressed his hope that he might be offered the benediction of a kingdom which would exceed in opulence those of his father and grandfather. He also expressed his gladness that he had met such an exalted person as Narada, whose only concern was to illuminate the world, like the sun, which rotates all over the universe only for the purpose of benefiting the inhabitants of all planets. Narada Muni travels all over the universe for the sole purpose of performing the best welfare activity for the entire universe by teaching everyone how to become a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus Dhruva Maharaja felt fully assured that Narada Muni could fulfill his desire, even though the desire was very extraordinary. The example of the sun is very significant. The sun is so kind that he distributes his sunshine everywhere, without consideration. Dhruva Maharaja requested Narada Muni to be merciful to him. He pointed out that Narada travels all over the universe just for the purpose of doing good to all conditioned souls. He requested that Narada Muni show his mercy by awarding him the benefit of his particular desire. Dhruva Maharaja was strongly determined to fulfill his desire, and it was for that purpose that he had left his home and palace. SB4.8.39 TEXT 39 maitreya uvaca ity udahrtam akarnya bhagavan naradas tada pritah pratyaha tam balam sad-vakyam anukampaya SYNONYMS maitreyah uvaca—the sage Maitreya continued; iti—thus; udahrtam—being spoken; akarnya—hearing; bhagavan naradah—the great personality Narada; tada—thereupon; pritah—being pleased; pratyaha—replied; tam—him; balam—the boy; sat-vakyam—good advice; anukampaya—being compassionate. TRANSLATION The sage Maitreya continued: The great personality Narada Muni, upon hearing the words of Dhruva Maharaja, became very compassionate toward him, and in order to show him his causeless mercy, he gave him the following expert advice. PURPORT Since the great sage Narada is the foremost spiritual master, naturally his only activity is to bestow the greatest benefit upon whomever he meets. Dhruva Maharaja, however, was a child, and so his demand was also that of a playful child. Still, the great sage became compassionate toward him, and for his welfare he spoke the following verses.