496 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 12

TEXT 8
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maitreya uvaca
sa raja-rajena varaya codito
dhruvo maha-bhagavato maha-matih
harau sa vavre ’calitam smrtim yaya
taraty ayatnena duratyayam tamah

maitreyah uvdca—the great sage Maitreya said; sah—he; rdja-rajena—by
the king of kings (Kuvera); varaya—for benediction; coditah—being
asked; dhruvah—Dhruva Maharaja; maha-bhagavatah—a first-class pure
devotee; mahda-matih—most intelligent or thoughtful; hkarau—unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; sah—he; vavre—asked ; acalitam—unflinch-
ing;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 Yakgaraja [King of the Yaksas],
Dhruva Maharaja, that most elevated pure devotee, who was an intelligent
and thoughtful king, begged from him 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 develop-
ment, sense gratification and liberation. These four principles are known
as catur-vargas. Of all the catur-vargas, the benediction of liberation is con-
sidered 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 benedic-
