Text 43] Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead 537

yah—one who; ksatra-bandhuh—the son of a ksatriya; bhuvi—on the
earth; tasya—of Dhruva; adhiridham—the exalted position; anu—after;
drurukset—can aspire to attain; api—even; varsa-piigaih—after many years;
sat-pafica-varsah—five or six years old; yat—which; ahobhih alpaih—after a
few days; prasddya—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 kgatriya
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, but 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 pen-
ances 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 Maharaja, who was also a great devo-
tee, 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 af-
fection 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.
