The great sage Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, thereafter Dhruva Mahārāja married the daughter of Prajāpati Śiśumāra, whose name was Bhrami, and two sons named Kalpa and Vatsara were born of her (1).The greatly powerful Dhruva Mahārāja had another wife, named Ilā, who was the daughter of the demi god Vāyu. By her he begot a son named Utkala and a very beautiful daughter (2). Dhruva Mahārāja’s younger brother Uttama, who was still unmarried, once went on a hunting excur sion and was killed by a powerful Yakṣa in the Himālaya Mountains. Along with him, his mother, Suruci, also followed the path of her son [she died] (3).

When Dhruva Mahārāja heard of the killing of his brother Uttama by the Yakṣas in the Himālaya Mountains, being overwhelmed with lamentation and anger, he got on his chariot and went out for victory over the city of the Yakṣas, Alakāpuri (4).Dhruva Mahārāja went to the northern direction of the Himālayan range. In a valley he saw a city full of ghostly persons who were followers of Lord Śiva (5). Maitreya con tinued: My dear Vidura, as soon as Dhruva Mahārāja reached Alakāpurī, he immediately blew his conchshell, and the sound reverber ated throughout the entire sky and in every di rection. The wives of the Yakṣas became very much frightened. From their eyes it was appar ent that they were full of anxiety (6). O hero Vidura, the greatly powerful heroes of the Yakṣas, unable to tolerate the resounding vibration of the conchshell of Dhruva Mahārāja, came forth from their city with weapons and attacked Dhruva (7).

Dhruva Mahārāja, who was a great charioteer and cer tainly a great bowman also, immediately began to kill them by simultaneously discharging ar rows three at a time (8).When the heroes of the Yakṣas saw that all their heads were being thus threatened by Dhruva Mahārāja, they could very easily understand their awkward position, and they concluded that they would certainly be defeated. But, as heroes, they lauded the action of Dhruva (9).Just like serpents, who cannot tolerate being trampled upon by anyone’s feet, the Yakṣas, being intolerant of the wonderful prowess of Dhruva Mahārāja, threw twice as many arrows six from each of their soldiers and thus they very valiantly exhibited their prowess (10).

The Yakṣa soldiers were 130,000 strong, all greatly angry and all desiring to de feat the wonderful activities of Dhruva Mahārāja. With full strength they showered upon Mahārāja Dhruva, along with his chariot and charioteer, various types of feathered ar rows, parighas [iron bludgeons], nistriṁśas [swords], prāsaśūlas [tridents], paraśvadhas [lances], śaktis [pikes], ṛṣṭis [spears] and bhuśuṇḍī weapons (11-12).Dhruva Mahārāja was completely covered by an incessant shower of weapons, just as a mountain is covered by incessant rainfall (13).All the Siddhas from the higher planetary systems were observing the fight from the sky, and when they saw that Dhruva Mahārāja had been covered by the in cessant arrows of the enemy, they roared tu multuously, “The grandson of Manu, Dhruva, is now lost!” They cried that Dhruva Mahārāja was just like the sun and that now he had set within the ocean of the Yakṣas (14).

The Yakṣas, being temporarily victorious, ex claimed that they had conquered Dhruva Mahārāja. But in the meantime Dhruva’s char iot suddenly appeared, just as the sun suddenly appears from within foggy mist (15). Dhruva Mahārāja’s bow and arrows twanged and hissed, causing lamentation in the hearts of his enemies. He began to shoot inces sant arrows, shattering all their different weap ons, just as the blasting wind scatters the as sembled clouds in the sky (16).The sharp ar rows released from the bow of Dhruva Mahārāja pierced the shields and bodies of the enemy, like the thunderbolts released by the King of heaven, which dismantle the bodies of the mountains (17). The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, the heads of those who were cut to pieces by the arrows of Dhruva Mahārāja were decorated very beautifully with earrings and turbans. The legs of their bodies were as beautiful as golden palm trees, their arms were decorated with golden bracelets and armlets, and on their heads there were very val uable helmets bedecked with gold. All these or naments lying on that battlefield were very at tractive and could bewilder the mind of a hero (18-19).

The remaining Yakṣas who somehow or other were not killed had their limbs cut to pieces by the arrows of the great warrior Dhruva Mahārāja. Thus they began to flee, just as elephants flee when defeated by a lion (20).Dhruva Mahārāja, the best of human be ings, observed that in that great battlefield not one of the opposing soldiers was left standing with proper weapons. He then desired to see the city of Alakāpurī, but he thought to himself, “No one knows the plans of the mystic Yakṣas” (21). In the meantime, while Dhruva Mahārāja, doubtful of his mystic enemies, was talking with his charioteer, they heard a tremendous sound, as if the whole ocean were there, and they found that from the sky a great dust storm was coming over them from all directions (22). Within a moment the whole sky was over cast with dense clouds, and severe thundering was heard. There was glittering electric light ning and severe rainfall (23).

My dear faultless Vidura, in that rainfall there was blood, mucus, pus, stool, urine and marrow falling heavily be fore Dhruva Mahārāja, and there were trunks of bodies falling from the sky (24).Next, a great mountain was visible in the sky, and from all directions hailstones fell, along with lances, clubs, swords, iron bludgeons and great pieces of stone (25). Dhruva Mahārāja also saw many big serpents with angry eyes, vomiting forth fire and coming to devour him, along with groups of mad elephants, lions and tigers (26).Then, as if it were the time of the dissolu tion of the whole world, the fierce sea with foaming waves and great roaring sounds came forward before him (27).

The demon Yakṣas are by nature very heinous, and by their demoniac power of illusion they can create many strange phenomena to frighten one who is less intelli gent (28). When the great sages heard that Dhruva Mahārāja was overpowered by the illu sory mystic tricks of the demons, they immedi ately assembled to offer him auspicious encour agement (29). All the sages said: Dear Dhruva, O son of King Uttānapāda, may the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Śārṅgadhanvā, who re lieves the distresses of His devotees, kill all your threatening enemies. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord Himself. There fore, simply by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, many men can be fully pro tected from fierce death without difficulty. Thus a devotee is saved (30).

The great sage Maitreya told Vidura: When the demigods were thus reassured by the Personality of Godhead, they were freed from all fears, and after offering their obeisances they returned to their heavenly planets. Then the Lord, who is nondifferent from the Sa hasraśīrṣā incarnation, got on the back of Garuḍa, who carried Him to the Madhuvana Forest to see His servant Dhruva (1).The form of the Lord, which was brilliant like lightning and in which Dhruva Mahārāja, in his mature yogic process, was fully absorbed in medita tion, all of a sudden disappeared. Thus Dhruva was perturbed, and his meditation broke. But as soon as he opened his eyes he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally present, just as he had been seeing the Lord in his heart (2).

When Dhruva Mahārāja saw his Lord just in front of him, he was greatly agitated and of fered Him obeisances and respect. He fell flat before Him like a rod and became absorbed in love of Godhead. Dhruva Mahārāja, in ecstasy, looked upon the Lord as if he were drinking the Lord with his eyes, kissing the lotus feet of the Lord with his mouth, and embracing the Lord with his arms (3).Although Dhruva Mahārāja was a small boy, he wanted to offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in suitable language. But because he was inexperienced, he could not adjust himself immediately. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being situ ated in everyone’s heart, could understand Dhruva Mahārāja’s awkward position. Out of His causeless mercy He touched His conchshell to the forehead of Dhruva Mahārāja, who stood before Him with folded hands (4).

At that time Dhruva Mahārāja became perfectly aware of the Vedic conclusion and understood the Abso lute Truth and His relationship with all living entities. In accordance with the line of devo tional service to the Supreme Lord, whose fame is widespread, Dhruva, who in the future would receive a planet which would never be annihi lated, even during the time of dissolution, of fered his deliberate and conclusive prayers (5). Dhruva Mahārāja said: My dear Lord, You are all-powerful. After entering within me, You have enlivened all my sleeping senses my hands, legs, ears, touch sensation, life force and especially my power of speech. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You (6).

My Lord, You are the supreme one, but by Your different energies You appear differently in the spiritual and material worlds. You create the to tal energy of the material world by Your exter nal potency, and after creation You enter within the material world as the Supersoul. You are the Supreme Person, and through the temporary modes of material nature You create varieties of manifestation, just as fire, entering into wood of different shapes, burns brilliantly in different varieties (7).O my master, Lord Brahmā is fully surrendered unto You. In the beginning You gave him knowledge, and thus he could see and understand the entire universe, just as a person awakens from sleep and visual izes his immediate duties. You are the only shelter of all persons who desire liberation, and You are the friend of all who are distressed. How, therefore, can a learned person who has perfect knowledge ever forget You? (8)

Per sons who worship You simply for the sense gratification of this bag of skin are certainly in fluenced by Your illusory energy. In spite of having You, who are like a desire tree and are the cause of liberation from birth and death, foolish persons, such as me, desire benedic tions from You for sense gratification, which is available even for those who live in hellish con ditions (9). My Lord, the transcendental bliss derived from meditating upon Your lotus feet or hearing about Your glories from pure devo tees is so unlimited that it is far beyond the stage of brahmānanda, wherein one thinks him self merged in the impersonal Brahman as one with the Supreme. Since brahmānanda is also defeated by the transcendental bliss derived from devotional service, then what to speak of the temporary blissfulness of elevating oneself to the heavenly planets, which is ended by the separating sword of time? Although one may be elevated to the heavenly planets, he falls down in due course of time (10).

Dhruva Mahārāja continued: O unlimited Lord, kindly bless me so that I may associate with great devotees who engage in Your tran scendental loving service constantly, as the waves of a river constantly flow. Such tran scendental devotees are completely situated in an uncontaminated state of life. By the process of devotional service I shall surely be able to cross the nescient ocean of material existence, which is filled with the waves of blazing, fire like dangers. It will be very easy for me, for I am becoming mad to hear about Your transcen dental qualities and pastimes, which are eter nally existent (11).O Lord who have a lotus na vel, if a person happens to associate with a dev otee whose heart always hankers after Your lo tus feet, seeking always their fragrance, he is never attached to the material body or, in a bod ily relationship, to offspring, friends, home, wealth and wife, which are very, very dear to materialistic persons. Indeed, he does not care for them (12).

My dear Lord, O Supreme Un born, I know that the different varieties of liv ing entities, such as animals, trees, birds, rep tiles, demigods and human beings, are spread throughout the universe, which is caused by the total material energy, and I know that they are sometimes manifest and sometimes unmani fest; but I have never experienced the supreme form I behold as I see You now. Now all kinds of methods of theorizing have come to an end (13). My dear Lord, at the end of each millennium the Supreme Personality of Godhead Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu dissolves everything manifested within the universe into His belly. He lies down on the lap of Śeṣa Nāga, from His navel sprouts a golden lotus flower on a stem, and on that lotus Lord Brahmā is created. I can understand that You are the same Supreme Godhead. I therefore offer my respectful obei sances unto You (14).

My Lord, by Your unbroken transcendental glance You are the supreme witness of all stages of intellectual activities. You are eter nally liberated, Your existence is situated in pure goodness, and You are existent in the Su persoul without change. You are the original Personality of Godhead, full with six opu lences, and You are eternally the master of the three modes of material nature. Thus, You are always different from the ordinary living enti ties. As Lord Viṣṇu, You maintain all the af fairs of the entire universe, and yet You stand aloof and are the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices (15).My dear Lord, in Your imper sonal manifestation of Brahman there are al ways two opposing elements knowledge and ignorance. Your multi-energies are continually manifest, but the impersonal Brahman, which is undivided, original, changeless, unlimited and blissful, is the cause of the material mani festation. Because You are the same imper sonal Brahman, I offer my respectful obei sances unto You (16).

My Lord, O Supreme Lord, You are the su preme personified form of all benediction. Therefore, for one who abides in Your devo tional service with no other desire, worshiping Your lotus feet is better than becoming king and lording it over a kingdom. That is the ben ediction of worshiping Your lotus feet. To ig norant devotees like me, You are the cause lessly merciful maintainer, just like a cow, who takes care of the newly born calf by supplying milk and giving it protection from attack (17). The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when Dhruva Mahārāja, who had good intentions in his heart, finished his prayer, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who is very kind to His devotees and servants, congratulated him, speaking as follows (18). The Personality of Godhead said: My dear Dhruva, son of the King, you have executed pi ous vows, and I also know the desire within your heart. Although your desire is very ambi tious and very difficult to fulfill, I shall favor you with its fulfillment. All good fortune unto you (19).

The Supreme Personality of Godhead con tinued: 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 lumi naries 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 (20-21).After your father goes to the forest and awards you the rule of his kingdom, you will rule continuously the entire world for thirty-six thousand years, and all your senses will continue to be as strong as they are now. You will never become old (22).

The Lord con tinued: Sometime in the future your brother, Uttama, will go hunting in the forest, and while absorbed in hunting, he will be killed. Your stepmother, Suruci, being maddened upon the death of her son, will go to search him out in the forest, but she will be devoured by a forest fire (23).The Lord continued: I am the heart of all sacrifices. You will be able to perform many great sacrifices and also give great charities. In this way you will be able to enjoy the blessings of material happiness in this life, and at the time of your death you will be able to remember Me (24).The Personality of Godhead continued: My dear Dhruva, after your material life in this body, you will go to My planet, which is always offered obeisances by the residents of all other planetary systems. It is situated above the plan ets of the seven ṛṣis, and having gone there you will never have to come back again to this ma terial world (25).

The great sage Maitreya said: After being worshiped and honored by the boy [Dhruva Mahārāja], and after offering him His abode, Lord Viṣṇu, on the back of Garuḍa, returned to His abode as Dhruva Mahārāja looked on (26).Despite having achieved the desired result of his determination by worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord, Dhruva Mahārāja was not very pleased. Thus he returned to his home (27). Śrī Vidura inquired: My dear brāhmaṇa, the abode of the Lord is very difficult to attain. It can be attained only by pure devotional ser vice, which alone pleases the most affectionate, merciful Lord. Dhruva Mahārāja achieved this position even in one life, and he was very wise and conscientious. Why, then, was he not very pleased? (28) Maitreya answered: Dhruva Mahārāja’s heart, which was pierced by the arrows of the harsh words of his stepmother, was greatly ag grieved, and thus when he fixed upon his goal of life he did not forget her miSBehavior. He did not demand actual liberation from this ma terial world, but at the end of his devotional ser vice, when the Supreme Personality of God head appeared before him, he was simply ashamed of the material demands he had in his mind (29).

Dhruva Mahārāja thought to himself: To endeavor to be situated in the shade of the lotus feet of the Lord is not an ordinary task, because even the great brahmacārīs headed by Sanan dana, who practiced aṣṭāṅga-yoga in trance, at tained the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet only after many, many births. Within six months I achieved the same result, yet due to my think ing differently from the Lord, I fell down from my position (30).Alas, just look at me! I am so unfortunate. I approached the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can im mediately cut the chain of the repetition of birth and death, but still, out of my foolishness, I prayed for things which are perishable (31). Since all the demigods who are situated in the higher planetary system will have to come down again, they are all envious of my being elevated to Vaikuṇṭhaloka by devotional ser vice. These intolerant demigods have dissi pated my intelligence, and only for this reason could I not accept the genuine benediction of the instructions of Sage Nārada (32).

Dhruva Mahārāja lamented: I was under the influence of the illusory energy; being ignorant of the ac tual facts, I was sleeping on her lap. Under a vision of duality, I saw my brother as my en emy, and falsely I lamented within my heart, thinking, “They are my enemies” (33). It is very difficult to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but in my case, although I have satis fied the Supersoul of the whole universe, I have prayed only for useless things. My activities were exactly like treatment given to a person who is already dead. Just see how unfortunate I am, for in spite of meeting the Supreme Lord, who can cut one’s link with birth and death, I have prayed for the same conditions again (34).Because of my state of complete foolish ness and paucity of pious activities, although the Lord offered me His personal service, I wanted material name, fame and prosperity. My case is just like that of the poor man who, when he satisfied a great emperor who wanted to give him anything he might ask, out of igno rance asked only a few broken grains of husked rice (35).

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, persons like you, who are pure devotees of the lotus feet of Mukunda [the Su preme Personality of Godhead, who can offer liberation] and who are always attached to the honey of His lotus feet, are always satisfied in serving at the lotus feet of the Lord. In any con dition of life, such persons remain satisfied, and thus they never ask the Lord for material pros perity (36). When King Uttānapāda heard that his son Dhruva was coming back home, as if coming back to life after death, he could not put his faith in this message, for he was doubtful of how it could happen. He considered himself the most wretched, and therefore he thought that it was not possible for him to attain such good fortune (37). Although he could not believe the words of the messenger, he had full faith in the word of the great sage Nārada. Thus he was greatly overwhelmed by the news, and he im mediately offered the messenger a highly valu able necklace in great satisfaction (38).

Then King Uttānapāda, being very eager to see the face of his lost son, mounted a chariot drawn by excellent horses and bedecked with golden fil igree. Taking with him many learned brāhmaṇas, all the elderly personalities of his family, his officers, his ministers and his imme diate friends, he immediately left the city. As he proceeded in this parade, there were auspi cious sounds of conchshells, kettledrums, flutes, and the chanting of Vedic mantras to in dicate all good fortune (39-40).Both the queens of King Uttānapāda, namely Sunīti and Suruci, along with his other son, Uttama, appeared in the procession. The queens were seated on a palanquin (41).Upon seeing Dhruva Mahārāja approaching the neighboring small forest, King Uttānapāda with great haste got down from his chariot. He had been very anxious for a long time to see his son Dhruva, and therefore with great love and affection he went forward to em brace his long-lost boy. Breathing very heavily, the King embraced him with both arms. But Dhruva Mahārāja was not the same as before; he was completely sanctified by spiritual ad vancement due to having been touched by the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of God head (42-43).

Reunion with Dhruva Mahārāja fulfilled King Uttānapāda’s long-cherished de sire, and for this reason he smelled Dhruva’s head again and again and bathed him with tor rents of very cold tears (44). Then Dhruva Mahārāja, the foremost of all nobles, first of all offered his obeisances at the feet of his father and was honored by his father with various questions. He then bowed his head at the feet of his two mothers (45).Suruci, the younger mother of Dhruva Mahārāja, seeing that the innocent boy had fallen at her feet, im mediately picked him up, embracing him with her hands, and with tears of feeling she blessed him with the words “My dear boy, long may you live!” (46) Unto one who has transcenden tal qualities due to friendly behavior with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all living en tities offer honor, just as water automatically flows down by nature (47).The two brothers Uttama and Dhruva Mahārāja also exchanged their tears. They were overwhelmed by the ec stasy of love and affection, and when they em braced one another, the hair on their bodies stood up (48).

Sunīti, the real mother of Dhruva Mahārāja, embraced the tender body of her son, who was dearer to her than her own life, and thus forgot all material grief, for she was very pleased (49).My dear Vidura, Sunīti was the mother of a great hero. Her tears, together with the milk flowing from her breasts, wet the whole body of Dhruva Mahārāja. This was a great, auspicious sign (50).The residents of the palace praised the Queen: Dear Queen, your be loved son was lost a long time ago, and it is your great fortune that he now has come back. It appears, therefore, that your son will be able to protect you for a very long time and will put an end to all your material pangs (51). Dear Queen, you must have worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who delivers His dev otees from the greatest danger. Persons who constantly meditate upon Him surpass the course of birth and death. This perfection is very difficult to achieve (52).

The sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when everyone was thus praising Dhruva Mahārāja, the King was very happy, and he had Dhruva and his brother seated on the back of a she-elephant. Thus he returned to his capital, where he was praised by all classes of men (53).The whole city was decorated with columns of banana trees containing bunches of fruits and flowers, and betel-nut trees with leaves and branches were seen here and there. There were also many gates set up which were structured to give the appearance of sharks (54).At each and every gate there were burning lamps and big waterpots decorated with differ ently colored cloth, strings of pearls, flower garlands and hanging mango leaves (55).In the capital city there were many palaces, city gates and surrounding walls, which were already very, very beautiful, and on this occasion all of them were decorated with golden ornaments. The domes of the city palaces glittered, as did the domes of the beautiful airplanes which hov ered over the city (56).

All the quadrangles, lanes and streets in the city, and the raised sit ting places at the crossings, were thoroughly cleansed and sprinkled with sandalwood water; and auspicious grains such as rice and barley, and flowers, fruits and many other auspicious presentations, were scattered all over the city (57).Thus as Dhruva Mahārāja passed on the road, from every place in the neighborhood all the gentle household ladies assembled to see him, and out of maternal affection they offered their blessings, showering him with white mus tard seed, barley, curd, water, newly grown grass, fruits and flowers. In this way Dhruva Mahārāja, while hearing the pleasing songs sung by the ladies, entered the palace of his fa ther (58-59). Dhruva Mahārāja thereafter lived in his fa ther’s palace, which had walls bedecked with highly valuable jewels. His affectionate father took particular care of him, and he dwelled in that house just as the demigods live in their pal aces in the higher planetary systems (60).

The bedding in the palace was as white as the foam of milk and was very soft. The bedsteads were made of ivory with embellishments of gold, and the chairs, benches and other sitting places and furniture were made of gold (61).The palace of the King was surrounded by walls made of mar ble with many engravings made of valuable jewels like sapphires, which depicted beautiful women with shining jewel lamps in their hands (62).The King’s residence was surrounded by gardens wherein there were varieties of trees brought from the heavenly planets. In those trees there were pairs of sweetly singing birds and almost-mad bumblebees, which made a very relishable buzzing sound(63).

There were emerald staircases which led to lakes full of variously colored lotus flowers and lilies, and swans, kāraṇḍavas, cakravākas, cranes and similar other valuable birds were visible in those lakes (64). The saintly King Uttānapāda, hearing of the glorious deeds of Dhruva Mahārāja and person ally seeing also how influential and great he was, felt very satisfied, for Dhruva’s activities were wonderful to the supreme degree (65). When, after concentration, King Uttānapāda saw that Dhruva Mahārāja was suitably mature to take charge of the kingdom and that his min isters were agreeable and the citizens were also very fond of him, he enthroned Dhruva as em peror of this planet (66).After considering his advanced age and deliberating on the welfare of his spiritual self, King Uttānapāda detached himself from worldly affairs and entered the forest (67).

The great sage Maitreya said: The four great Kumāra sages headed by Sanaka, as well as Nārada, Ṛbhu, Haṁsa, Aruṇi and Yati, all sons of Brahmā, did not live at home, but be came ūrdhva-retā, or naiṣṭhika-brahmacārīs, unadulterated celibates (1).Another son of Lord Brahmā was Irreligion, whose wife’s name was Falsity. From their combination were born two demons named Dambha, or Bluffing, and Māyā, or Cheating. These two demons were taken by a demon named Nirṛti, who had no children (2). Maitreya told Vidura: O great soul, from Dambha and Māyā were born Greed and Nikṛti, or Cunning. From their combination came children named Krodha [Anger] and Hiṁsā [Envy], and from their combination were born Kali and his sister Durukti (Harsh Speech) (3).

O greatest of all good men, by the combination of Kali and Harsh Speech were born children named Mṛtyu (Death) and Bhīti (Fear). From the combination of Mṛtyu and Bhīti came children named Yātanā (Excessive Pain) and Niraya (Hell) (4).My dear Vidura, I have summarily explained the causes of devas tation. One who hears this description three times attains piety and washes the sinful con tamination from his soul (5).Maitreya contin ued: O best of the Kuru dynasty, I shall now describe to you the descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu, who was born of a part of a plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (6). Svāyambhuva Manu had two sons by his wife, Śatarūpā, and the names of the sons were Uttānapāda and Priyavrata. Because both of them were descendants of a plenary expansion of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of God head, they were very competent to rule the uni verse to maintain and protect the citizens (7).

King Uttānapāda had two queens, named Sunīti and Suruci. Suruci was much more dear to the King; Sunīti, who had a son named Dhruva, was not his favorite (8). Once upon a time, King Uttānapāda was pat ting the son of Suruci, Uttama, placing him on his lap. Dhruva Mahārāja was also trying to get on the King’s lap, but the King did not very much welcome him (9).While the child, Dhruva Mahārāja, was trying to get on the lap of his father, Suruci, his stepmother, became very envious of the child, and with great pride she began to speak so as to be heard by the King himself (10).Queen Suruci told Dhruva Mahārāja: My dear child, you do not deserve to sit on the throne or on the lap of the King. Surely you are also the son of the King, but be cause you did not take your birth from my womb, you are not qualified to sit on your fa ther’s lap (11). My dear child, you are unaware that you were born not of my womb but of an other woman. Therefore you should know that your attempt is doomed to failure. You are try ing to fulfill a desire which is impossible to ful fill (12).

If you at all desire to rise to the throne of the King, then you have to undergo severe austerities. First of all you must satisfy the Su preme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and then, when you are favored by Him because of such worship, you shall have to take your next birth from my womb (13). The sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, as a snake, when struck by a stick, breathes very heavily, Dhruva Mahārāja, hav ing been struck by the strong words of his step mother, began to breathe very heavily because of great anger. When he saw that his father was silent and did not protest, he immediately left the palace and went to his mother (14). When Dhruva Mahārāja reached his mother, his lips were trembling in anger, and he was crying very grievously. Queen Sunīti immedi ately lifted her son onto her lap, while the pal ace residents who had heard all the harsh words of Suruci related everything in detail. Thus Sunīti also became greatly aggrieved (15).This incident was unbearable to Sunīti’s patience. She began to burn as if in a forest fire, and in her grief she became just like a burnt leaf and so lamented. As she remembered the words of her co-wife, her bright, lotuslike face filled with tears, and thus she spoke (16).

She also was breathing very heavily, and she did not know the factual remedy for the painful situation. Not finding any remedy, she said to her son: My dear son, don’t wish for anything inauspicious for others. Anyone who inflicts pains upon oth ers suffers himself from that pain (17).Sunīti said: My dear boy, whatever has been spoken by Suruci is so, because the King, your father, does not consider me his wife or even his maid servant. He feels ashamed to accept me. There fore it is a fact that you have taken birth from the womb of an unfortunate woman, and by be ing fed from her breast you have grown up (18).My dear boy, whatever has been spoken by Suruci, your stepmother, although very harsh to hear, is factual. Therefore, if you desire at all to sit on the same throne as your step brother, Uttama, then give up your envious at titude and immediately try to execute the in structions of your stepmother. Without further delay, you must engage yourself in worshiping the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (19).

Sunīti continued: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so great that simply by worshiping His lotus feet, your great-grand father, Lord Brahmā, acquired the necessary qualifications to create this universe. Although he is unborn and is the chief of all living crea tures, he is situated in that exalted post because of the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom even great yogīs worship by controlling the mind and regulating the life air [prāṇa] (20).Sunīti informed her son: Your grandfather Svāyambhuva Manu executed great sacrifices with distribution of charity, and thereby, with unflinching faith and devotion, he worshiped and satisfied the Supreme Personal ity of Godhead. By acting in that way, he achieved the greatest success in material happi ness and afterwards achieved liberation, which is impossible to obtain by worshiping the dem igods (21).

My dear boy, you also should take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is very kind to His devotees. Persons seek ing liberation from the cycle of birth and death always take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord in devotional service. Becoming purified by ex ecuting your allotted occupation, just situate the Supreme Personality of Godhead in your heart, and without deviating for a moment, en gage always in His service (22).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 Brahmā 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 (23). The great sage Maitreya continued: The instruction of Dhruva Mahārāja’s mother, Sunīti, was actually meant for fulfilling his de sired objective. Therefore, after deliberate con sideration and with intelligence and fixed de termination, he left his father’s house (24).

The great sage Nārada overheard this news, and un derstanding all the activities of Dhruva Mahārāja, he was struck with wonder. He ap proached Dhruva, and touching the boy’s head with his all-virtuous hand, he spoke as follows (25).How wonderful are the powerful kṣatri yas! They cannot tolerate even a slight infringe ment upon their prestige. Just imagine! This boy is only a small child, yet harsh words from his stepmother proved unbearable to him (26). The great sage Nārada told Dhruva: My dear boy, you are only a little boy whose attach ment is to sports and other frivolities. Why are you so affected by words insulting your honor? (27) My dear Dhruva, if you feel that your sense of honor has been insulted, you still have no cause for dissatisfaction. This kind of dissat isfaction is another feature of the illusory en ergy; every living entity is controlled by his previous actions, and therefore there are differ ent varieties of life for enjoying or suffering (28).The process of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very wonderful. One who is intelli gent should accept that process and be satisfied with whatever comes, favorable or unfavora ble, by His supreme will (29).

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 pos sible for any ordinary man. It is very difficult to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead (30).Nārada 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 yogīs were unable to find the end of the path of God realization (31).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 perfor mances. At that time you may execute this function (32).One should try to keep himself satisfied in any condition of life whether dis tress or happiness which is offered by the su preme will. A person who endures in this way is able to cross over the darkness of nescience very easily (33).

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 (34). Dhruva Mahārāja said: My dear Lord Nāradajī, for a person whose heart is disturbed by the material conditions of happiness and dis tress, whatever you have so kindly explained for attainment of peace of mind is certainly a very good instruction. But as far as I am con cerned, I am covered by ignorance, and this kind of philosophy does not touch my heart (35).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 kṣat riya family. My stepmother, Suruci, has pierced my heart with her harsh words. Therefore your valuable instruction does not stand in my heart (36).

O learned brāhmaṇa, I want to occupy a position more exalted than any yet achieved within the three worlds by anyone, even by my father and grandfather. If you will oblige, kindly advise me of an honest path to follow by which I can achieve the goal of my life (37).My dear lord, you are a worthy son of Lord Brahmā, and you travel, playing on your musi cal instrument, the vīṇā, for the welfare of the entire universe. You are like the sun, which ro tates in the universe for the benefit of all living beings (38). The sage Maitreya continued: The great personality Nārada Muni, upon hearing the words of Dhruva Mahārāja, became very com passionate toward him, and in order to show him his causeless mercy, he gave him the fol lowing expert advice (39). The great sage Nārada told Dhruva Mahārāja: The instruction given by your mother, Sunīti, to follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is just suitable for you. You should therefore completely absorb yourself in the devotional service of the Lord (40).

Any person who de sires the fruits of the four principles religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, liberation, should engage him self in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for worship of His lo tus feet yields the fulfillment of all of these (41).My dear boy, I therefore wish all good for tune for you. You should go to the bank of the Yamunā, where there is a virtuous forest named Madhuvana, and there be purified. Just by go ing there, one draws nearer to the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead, who always lives there (42).Nārada Muni instructed: My dear boy, in the waters of the Yamunā River, which is known as Kālindī, you should take three baths daily because the water is very auspicious, sa cred and clear. After bathing, you should per form the necessary regulative principles for aṣṭāṅga-yoga and then sit down on your āsana [sitting place] in a calm and quiet position (43).

After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all mate rial contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead (44). [The form of the Lord is described herein.] The Lord’s face is perpetually very beautiful and pleasing in attitude. To the devotees who see Him, He appears never to be displeased, and He is always prepared to award benedic tions to them. His eyes, His nicely decorated eyebrows, His raised nose and His broad fore head are all very beautiful. He is more beautiful than all the demigods (45).Nārada Muni contin ued: The Lord’s form is always youthful. Every limb and every part of His body is properly formed, free from defect. His eyes and lips are pinkish like the rising sun. He is always pre pared to give shelter to the surrendered soul, and anyone so fortunate as to look upon Him feels all satisfaction. The Lord is always worthy to be the master of the surrendered soul, for He is the ocean of mercy (46).

The Lord is further described as having the mark of Śrīvatsa, or the sitting place of the goddess of fortune, and His bodily hue is deep bluish. The Lord is a person, He wears a garland of flowers, and He is eter nally manifest with four hands, which hold [be ginning from the lower left hand] a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower (47).The entire body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, is decorated. He wears a valuable jeweled helmet, necklaces and bracelets, His neck is adorned with the Kaustubha jewel, and He is dressed in yellow silk garments (48).The Lord is decorated with small golden bells around His waist, and His lotus feet are deco rated with golden ankle bells. All His bodily features are very attractive and pleasing to the eyes. He is always peaceful, calm and quiet and very pleasing to the eyes and the mind (49).Real yogīs meditate upon the transcenden tal form of the Lord as He stands on the whorl of the lotus of their hearts, the jewellike nails of His lotus feet glittering (50).

The Lord is always smiling, and the devotee should constantly see the Lord in this form, as He looks very merci fully toward the devotee. In this way the medi tator should look toward the Supreme Person ality of Godhead, the bestower of all benedic tions (51).One who meditates in this way, con centrating his mind upon the always auspicious form of the Lord, is very soon freed from all material contamination, and he does not come down from meditation upon the Lord (52). O son of the King, now I shall speak unto you the mantra which is to be chanted with this process of meditation. One who carefully chants this mantra for seven nights can see the perfect human beings flying in the sky (53).Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. This is the twelve-syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. One should install the physical forms of the Lord, and with the chanting of the mantra one should offer flowers and fruits and other varieties of foodstuffs exactly according to the rules and regulations prescribed by authorities. But this should be done in consideration of place, time, and attendant conveniences and in conveniences (54).

One should worship the Lord by offering pure water, pure flower gar lands, fruits, flowers and vegetables which are available in the forest, or by collecting newly grown grasses, small buds of flowers or even the skins of trees, and if possible, by offering tulasī leaves, which are very dear to the Su preme Personality of Godhead (55).It is possi ble to worship a form of the Lord made of phys ical elements such as earth, water, pulp, wood and metal. In the forest one can make a form with no more than earth and water and worship Him according to the above principles. A dev otee who has full control over his self should be very sober and peaceful and must be satisfied simply with eating whatever fruits and vegeta bles are available in the forest (56).My dear Dhruva, besides worshiping the Deity and chanting the mantra three times a day, you should meditate upon the transcendental activ ities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His different incarnations, as exhibited by His supreme will and personal potencies (57).

One should follow in the footsteps of previous dev otees regarding how to worship the Supreme Lord with the prescribed paraphernalia, or one should offer worship within the heart by recit ing the mantra to the Personality of Godhead, who is nondifferent from the mantra (58). Anyone who thus engages in the devotional service of the Lord, seriously and sincerely, with his mind, words and body, and who is fixed in the activities of the prescribed devo tional methods, is blessed by the Lord accord ing to his desire. If a devotee desires material religiosity, economic development, sense grat ification or liberation from the material world, he is awarded these results (59-60).If one is very serious about liberation, he must stick to the process of transcendental loving service, engaging twenty-four hours a day in the highest stage of ecstasy, and he must certainly be aloof from all activities of sense gratification (61).

When Dhruva Mahārāja, the son of the King, was thus advised by the great sage Nārada, he circumambulated Nārada, his spir itual master, and offered him respectful obei sances. Then he started for Madhuvana, which is always imprinted with the lotus footprints of Lord Kṛṣṇa and which is therefore especially auspicious (62).After Dhruva entered Madhuvana Forest to execute devotional ser vice, the great sage Nārada thought it wise to go to the King to see how he was faring within the palace. When Nārada Muni approached, the King received him properly, offering him due obeisances. After being seated comfortably, Nārada began to speak (63). The great sage Nārada inquired: My dear King, your face appears to be withering up, and you look like you have been thinking of some thing for a very long time. Why is that? Have you been hampered in following your path of religious rites, economic development and sense gratification? (64)

The King replied: O best of the brāhmaṇas, I am very much addicted to my wife, and I am so fallen that I have abandoned all merciful be havior, even to my son, who is only five years old. I have banished him and his mother, even though he is a great soul and a great devotee (65).My dear brāhmaṇa, the face of my son was just like a lotus flower. I am thinking of his pre carious condition. He is unprotected, and he might be very hungry. He might have lain down somewhere in the forest, and the wolves might have attacked him to eat his body (66).Alas, just see how I was conquered by my wife! Just imagine my cruelty! Out of love and affection the boy was trying to get up on my lap, but I did not receive him, nor did I even pat him for a moment. Just imagine how hardhearted I am (67).

The great sage Nārada replied: My dear King, please do not be aggrieved about your son. He is well protected by the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead. Although you have no ac tual information of his influence, his reputation is already spread all over the world (68).My dear King, your son is very competent. He will perform activities which would be impossible even for great kings and sages. Very soon he will complete his task and come back home. You should know that he will also spread your reputation all over the world (69). The great Maitreya continued: The King, Uttānapāda, after being advised by Nārada Muni, practically gave up all duties in relation with his kingdom, which was very vast and wide, opulent like the goddess of fortune, and he simply began to think of his son Dhruva (70).Elsewhere, Dhruva Mahārāja, having ar rived at Madhuvana, took his bath in the river Yamunā and observed fasting in the night with great care and attention. After that, as advised by the great sage Nārada, he engaged himself in worshiping the Supreme Personality of God head (71).

For the first month Dhruva Mahārāja ate only fruits and berries on every third day, only to keep his body and soul together, and in this way he progressed in his worship of the Su preme Personality of Godhead (72).In the sec ond month Dhruva Mahārāja ate only every six days, and for his eatables he took dry grass and leaves. Thus he continued his worship (73).In the third month he drank water only every nine days. Thus he remained completely in trance and worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is adored by selected verses (74).In the fourth month Dhruva Mahārāja be came a complete master of the breathing exer cise, and thus he inhaled air only every twelfth day. In this way he became completely fixed in his position and worshiped the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead (75).By the fifth month, Mahārāja Dhruva, the son of the King, had con trolled his breathing so perfectly that he was able to stand on only one leg, just as a column stands, without motion, and concentrate his mind fully on the Parabrahman (76).

He com pletely controlled his senses and their objects, and in this way he fixed his mind, without di version to anything else, upon the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (77).When Dhruva Mahārāja thus captured the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the refuge of the total material creation and who is the master of all living entities, the three worlds began to tremble (78).As Dhruva Mahārāja, the King’s son, kept himself steadily standing on one leg, the pressure of his big toe pushed down half the earth, just as an elephant being carried on a boat rocks the boat left and right with his every step (79).When Dhruva Mahārāja became practi cally one in heaviness with Lord Viṣṇu, the to tal consciousness, due to his fully concentrating and his closing all the holes of his body, the to tal universal breathing became choked up, and all the great demigods in all the planetary sys temsfelt suffocated and thus took shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (80).

The demigods said: Dear Lord, You are the refuge of all moving and nonmoving living en tities. We feel all living entities to be suffocat ing, their breathing processes choked up. We have never experienced such a thing. Since You are the ultimate shelter of all surrendered souls, we have therefore approached You; kindly save us from this danger (81). The Supreme Personality of Godhead re plied: My dear demigods, do not be perturbed by this. It is due to the severe austerity and full determination of the son of King Uttānapāda, who is now fully absorbed in thought of Me. He has obstructed the universal breathing process. You can safely return to your respective homes. I shall stop this boy in his severe acts of auster ities, and you will be saved from this situation (82).

The sage Maitreya said: O mighty-armed Vidura, Lord Śiva, being thus pacified by the words of Lord Brahmā, spoke as follows in an swer to Lord Brahmā’s request (1). Lord Śiva said: My dear father, Brahmā, I do not mind the offenses created by the demi gods. Because these demigods are childish and less intelligent, I do not take a serious view of their offenses, and I have punished them only in order to right them (2).Lord Śiva continued: Since the head of Dakṣa has already been burned to ashes, he will have the head of a goat. The demigod known as Bhaga will be able to see his share of sacrifice through the eyes of Mitra (3).

The demigod Pūṣā will be able to chew only through the teeth of his disciples, and if alone, he will have to satisfy himself by eating dough made from chickpea flour. But the demigods who have agreed to give me my share of the sacrifice will recover from all their inju ries (4).Those who have had their arms cut off will have to work with the arms of Aśvinī kumāra, and those whose hands were cut off will have to do their work with the hands of Pūṣā. The priests will also have to act in that manner. As for Bhṛgu, he will have the beard from the goat’s head (5). The great sage Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, all the personalities present were very much satisfied in heart and soul upon hearing the words of Lord Śiva, who is the best among the benedictors (6).

Thereafter, Bhṛgu, the chief of the great sages, invited Lord Śiva to come to the sacrificial arena. Thus the demigods, ac companied by the sages, Lord Śiva, and Lord Brahmā, all went to the place where the great sacrifice was being performed (7).After every thing was executed exactly as directed by Lord Śiva, Dakṣa’s body was joined to the head of the animal meant to be killed in the sacrifice (8).When the animal’s head was fixed on the body of King Dakṣa, Dakṣa was immediately brought to consciousness, and as he awakened from sleep, the King saw Lord Śiva standing before him (9).At that time, when Dakṣa saw Lord Śiva, who rides upon a bull, his heart, which was polluted by envy of Lord Śiva, was immediately cleansed, just as the water in a lake is cleansed by autumn rains (10).

King Dakṣa wanted to offer prayers to Lord Śiva, but as he remembered the ill-fated death of his daughter Satī, his eyes filled with tears, and in bereavement his voice choked up and he could not say anything (11).At this time, King Dakṣa, afflicted by love and affection, was very much awakened to his real senses. With great en deavor, he pacified his mind, checked his feel ings, and with pure consciousness began to of fer prayers to Lord Śiva (12). King Dakṣa said: My dear Lord Śiva, I committed a great offense against you, but you are so kind that instead of withdrawing your mercy, you have done me a great favor by pun ishing me. You and Lord Viṣṇu never neglect even useless, unqualified brāhmaṇas. Why, then, should you neglect me, who am engaged in performing sacrifices? (13)

My dear great and powerful Lord Śiva, you were created first from the mouth of Lord Brahmā in order to pro tect the brāhmaṇas in pursuing education, aus terities, vows and self-realization. As protector of the brāhmaṇas, you always protect the regu lative principles they follow, just as a cowherd boy keeps a stick in his hand to give protection to the cows (14).I did not know your full glo ries. For this reason, I threw arrows of sharp words at you in the open assembly, although you did not take them into account. I was going down to hell because of my disobedience to you, who are the most respectable personality, but you took compassion upon me and saved me by awarding punishment. I request that you be pleased by your own mercy, since I cannot satisfy you by my words (15).

The great sage Maitreya said: Thus being pardoned by Lord Śiva, King Dakṣa, with the permission of Lord Brahmā, again began the performance of the yajña, along with the great learned sages, the priests and others (16). Thereafter, in order to resume the activities of sacrifice, the brāhmaṇas first arranged to purify the sacrificial arena of the contamination caused by the touch of Vīrabhadra and the other ghostly followers of Lord Śiva. Then they ar ranged to offer into the fire the oblations known as puroḍāśa (17).The great sage Maitreya said to Vidura: My dear Vidura, as soon as King Dakṣa offered the clarified butter with Yajur Veda mantras in sanctified meditation, Lord Viṣṇu appeared there in His original form as Nārāyaṇa (18).Lord Nārāyaṇa was seated on the shoulder of Stotra, or Garuḍa, who had big wings. As soon as the Lord appeared, all direc tions were illuminated, diminishing the luster of Brahmā and the others present (19).

His com plexion was blackish, His garment yellow like gold, and His helmet as dazzling as the sun. His hair was bluish, the color of black bees, and His face was decorated with earrings. His eight hands held a conchshell, wheel, club, lotus flower, arrow, bow, shield and sword, and they were decorated with golden ornaments such as bangles and bracelets. His whole body resem bled a blossoming tree beautifully decorated with various kinds of flowers (20).Lord Viṣṇu looked extraordinarily beautiful because the goddess of fortune and a garland were situated on His chest. His face was beautifully deco rated with a smiling attitude which can capti vate the entire world, especially the devotees. Fans of white hair appeared on both sides of the Lord like white swans, and the white canopy overhead looked like the moon (21). As soon as Lord Viṣṇu was visible, all the demigods Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, the Gandharvas and all present there immediately offered their respectful obeisances by falling down straight before Him (22).

In the presence of the glaring effulgence of the bodily luster of Nārāyaṇa, everyone else’s luster faded away, and everyone stopped speaking. Fearful with awe and veneration, all present touched their hands to their heads and prepared to offer their prayers to the Supreme Personality of God head, Adhokṣaja (23). Although the mental scope of even demigods like Brahmā was una ble to comprehend the unlimited glories of the Supreme Lord, they were all able to perceive the transcendental form of the Supreme Person ality of Godhead by His grace. Only by such grace could they offer their respectful prayers according to their different capacities (24).When Lord Viṣṇu accepted the oblations offered in the sacrifice, Dakṣa, the Prajāpati, began with great pleasure to offer respectful prayers unto Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the master of all sacrifices and preceptor of all the Prajāpatis, and He is served even by such personalities as Nanda and Sunanda (25).

Dakṣa addressed the Supreme Personality of Godhead: My dear Lord, You are transcen dental to all speculative positions. You are completely spiritual, devoid of all fear, and You are always in control of the material en ergy. Even though You appear in the material energy, You are situated transcendentally. You are always free from material contamination because You are completely self-sufficient (26). The priests addressed the Lord, saying: O Lord, transcendental to material contamination, by the curse offered by Lord Śiva’s men we have become attached to fruitive activities, and thus we are now fallen and therefore do not know anything about You. On the contrary, we are now involved in the injunctions of the three departments of the Vedic knowledge under the plea of executing rituals in the name of yajña. We know that You have made arrangements for distributing the respective shares of the demi gods (27).

The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter for all who are sit uated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike. This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many fe rocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mi rage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish per sons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called du ties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet. (28) Lord Śiva said: My dear Lord, my mind and consciousness are always fixed on Your lo tus feet, which, as the source of all benediction and the fulfillment of all desires, are worshiped by all liberated great sages because Your lotus feet are worthy of worship. With my mind fixed on Your lotus feet, I am no longer disturbed by persons who blaspheme me, claiming that my activities are not purified. I do not mind their accusations, and I excuse them out of compas sion, just as You exhibit compassion toward all living entities (29).

Śrī Bhṛgu said: My dear Lord, all living en tities, beginning from the highest, namely Lord Brahmā, down to the ordinary ant, are under the influence of the insurmountable spell of illu sory energy, and thus they are ignorant of their constitutional position. Everyone believes in the concept of the body, and all are thus sub merged in the darkness of illusion. They are ac tually unable to understand how You live in every living entity as the Supersoul, nor can they understand Your absolute position. But You are the eternal friend and protector of all surrendered souls. Therefore, please be kind to ward us and forgive all our offenses (30). Lord Brahmā said: My dear Lord, Your personality and eternal form cannot be under stood by any person who is trying to know You through the different processes of acquiring knowledge. Your position is always transcen dental to the material creation, whereas the em piric attempt to understand You is material, as are its objectives and instruments (31).

King Indra said: My dear Lord, Your tran scendental form with eight hands and weapons in each of them appears for the welfare of the entire universe, and it is very pleasing to the mind and eyes. In such a form, Your Lordship is always prepared to punish the demons, who are envious of Your devotees (32). The wives of the performers of the sacri fice said: My dear Lord, this sacrifice was ar ranged under the instruction of Brahmā, but un fortunately Lord Śiva, being angry at Dakṣa, devastated the entire scene, and because of his anger the animals meant for sacrifice are lying dead. Therefore the preparations of the yajña have been lost. Now, by the glance of Your lo tus eyes, the sanctity of this sacrificial arena may be again invoked (33). The sages prayed: Dear Lord, Your activi ties are most wonderful, and although You do everything by Your different potencies, You are not at all attached to such activities. You are not even attached to the goddess of fortune, who is worshiped by the great demigods like Brahmā, who pray to achieve her mercy (34).

The Siddhas prayed: Like an elephant that has suffered in a forest fire but can forget all its troubles by entering a river, our minds, O Lord, always merge in the nectarean river of Your transcendental pastimes, and they desire never to leave such transcendental bliss, which is as good as the pleasure of merging in the Absolute (35). The wife of Dakṣa prayed as follows: My dear Lord, it is very fortunate that You have ap peared in this arena of sacrifice. I offer my re spectful obeisances unto You, and I request that You be pleased on this occasion. The sacrificial arena is not beautiful without You, just as a body is not beautiful without the head (36). The governors of various planets spoke as follows: Dear Lord, we believe only in our di rect perception, and therefore we see You as a creation of the material world. But under the circumstances we do not know whether we have actually seen You with our material senses. By our material senses we can simply perceive the cosmic manifestation, but You are beyond the five elements. You are the sixth (37).

The great mystics said: Dear Lord, persons who see You as nondifferent from themselves, knowing that You are the Supersoul of all liv ing entities, are certainly very, very dear to You. You are very favorable toward those who engage in devotional service, accepting You as the Lord and themselves as the servants. By Your mercy, You are always inclined in their favor (38).We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who has created varieties of manifestations and put them under the spell of the three qualities of the material world in order to create, maintain and annihilate them. He Himself is not under the control of the external energy: in His personal feature He is com pletely devoid of the variegated manifestation of material qualities, and He is under no illu sion of false identification (39). The personified Vedas said: We offer our respectful obeisances unto You, the Lord, the shelter of the quality of goodness and therefore the source of all religion, austerity and penance, for You are transcendental to all material qual ities and no one knows You or Your actual sit uation (40).

The fire-god said: My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because by Your favor I am as luminous as blazing fire and I accept the offerings mixed with butter and of fered in sacrifice. The five kinds of offerings according to the Yajur Veda are all Your dif ferent energies, and You are worshiped by five kinds of Vedic hymns. Sacrifice means You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (41). The demigods said: Dear Lord, formerly, when there was a devastation, You conserved all the different energies of material manifesta tion. At that time, all the inhabitants of the higher planets, represented by such liberated souls as7 Sanaka, were meditating on You by philosophical speculation. You are therefore the original person, and You rest in the water of devastation on the bed of the Śeṣa snake. Now, today, You are visible to us, who are all Your servants. Please give us protection (42).

The Gandharvas said: Dear Lord, all the demigods, including Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and Indra, along with Marīci and the other great sages, are all only differentiated parts and par cels of Your body. You are the Supreme Al mighty Great; the whole creation is just like a plaything for You. We always accept You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we offer our respectful obeisances unto You (43). The Vidyādharas said: Dear Lord, this hu man form of body is meant for attaining the highest perfectional objective, but, impelled by Your external energy, the living entity misiden tifies himself with his body and with the mate rial energy, and therefore, influenced by māyā, he wants to become happy by material enjoy ment. He is misled and always attracted by tem porary, illusory happiness. But Your transcen dental activities are so powerful that if one en gages in hearing and chanting such topics, he can be delivered from illusion (44).

The brāhmaṇas said: Dear Lord, You are sacrifice personified. You are the offering of clarified butter, You are the fire, You are the chanting of Vedic hymns by which the sacrifice is conducted, You are the fuel, You are the flame, You are the kuśa grass, and You are the sacrificial pots. You are the priests who per form the yajña, You are the demigods headed by Indra, and You are the sacrificial animal. Everything that is sacrificed is You or Your en ergy (45).Dear Lord, O personified Vedic knowledge, in the past millennium, long, long ago, when You appeared as the great boar in carnation, You picked up the world from the water, as an elephant picks up a lotus flower from a lake. When You vibrated transcendental sound in that gigantic form of a boar, the sound was accepted as a sacrificial hymn, and great sages like Sanaka meditated upon it and offered prayers for Your glorification (46).

Dear Lord, we were awaiting Your audience because we have been unable to perform the yajñas accord ing to the Vedic rituals. We pray unto You, therefore, to be pleased with us. Simply by chanting Your holy name, one can surpass all obstacles. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You in Your presence (47). Śrī Maitreya said: After Lord Viṣṇu was glorified by all present, Dakṣa, his conscious ness purified, arranged to begin again the yajña which had been devastated by the followers of Lord Śiva (48).Maitreya continued: My dear sinless Vidura, Lord Viṣṇu is actually the en joyer of the results of all sacrifices, yet because of His being the Supersoul of all living entities, He was satisfied simply with His share of the sacrificial offerings. He therefore addressed Dakṣa in a pleasing attitude (49). Lord Viṣṇu replied: Brahmā, Lord Śiva and I are the supreme cause of the material manifestation. I am the Supersoul, the self-suf ficient witness. But impersonally there is no difference between Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Me (50).

The Lord continued: My dear Dakṣa Dvija, I am the original Personality of God head, but in order to create, maintain and anni hilate this cosmic manifestation, I act through My material energy, and according to the dif ferent grades of activity, My representations are differently named (51).The Lord continued: One who is not in proper knowledge thinks that demigods like Brahmā and Śiva are independ ent, or he even thinks that the living entities are independent (52).A person with average intel ligence does not think the head and other parts of the body to be separate. Similarly, My devo tee does not differentiate Viṣṇu, the all-pervad ing Personality of Godhead, from any thing or any living entity (53).The Lord continued: One who does not consider Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva or the living entities in general to be separate from the Supreme, and who knows Brahman, actu ally realizes peace; others do not (54).

The sage Maitreya said: Thus Dakṣa, the head of all Prajāpatis, having been nicely in structed by the Supreme Personality of God head, worshiped Lord Viṣṇu. After worshiping Him by performing the prescribed sacrificial ceremonies, Dakṣa separately worshiped Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva (55).With all respect, Dakṣa worshiped Lord Śiva with his share of the remnants of the yajña. After finishing the ritualistic sacrificial activities, he satisfied all the other demigods and the other people assem bled there. Then, after finishing all these duties with the priests, he took a bath and was fully satisfied (56).Thus worshiping the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu by the ritualistic performance of sacrifice, Dakṣa was completely situated on the religious path. Moreover, all the demigods who had assembled at the sacrifice blessed him that he might increase his piety, and then they left (57).

Maitreya said: I have heard that after giving up the body she had received from Dakṣa, Dākṣāyaṇī (his daughter) took her birth in the kingdom of the Himālayas. She was born as the daughter of Menā. I heard this from authorita tive sources (58).Ambikā [goddess Durgā], who was known as Dākṣāyiṇī [Satī], again ac cepted Lord Śiva as her husband, just as differ ent energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead act during the course of a new crea tion (59). Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, I heard this story of the Dakṣa yajña, which was devastated by Lord Śiva, from Uddhava, a great devotee and a disciple of Bṛhaspati (60). The great sage Maitreya concluded: If one hears and again narrates, with faith and devotion, this story of the Dakṣa yajña as it was conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, then certainly one is cleared of all contamina tion of material existence, O son of Kuru (61).