Category:Dhruva's Father
Theme Analysis
The history of King Uttānapāda serves as a sobering example of how material attachment can cloud the judgment of even a great monarch. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that although the king was naturally affectionate toward Dhruva, his intense addiction to his second wife, Suruci, led him to abandon his paternal duties and remain silent during a grave insult. This analysis explores the transition of the king from a state of "fallen" addiction to one of deep repentance and eventually to a life of renounced self-realization. By observing the spiritual success of his son, the king was inspired to leave his opulent palace and finish his life in austerity, illustrating that the influence of a devotee child can elevate even a materialistic father to the platform of spiritual perfection.
- The Rejection and Its Catalyst: The silent neglect shown by King Uttānapāda when his son was insulted became the turning point that drove Dhruva to seek the shelter of the Supreme Lord.
- Repentance of the Addicted King: After the departure of his son, the king realized his cruelty and hardheartedness, acknowledging that he had abandoned a great soul due to his own material infatuation.
- Following the Footsteps of the Son: In his old age, inspired by the glories of Dhruva, King Uttānapāda detached himself from his vast kingdom and entered the forest to practice austerity.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: From Material Addiction to Forest Penance - The Example of the Father of Dhruva.
Pages in category "Dhruva's Father"
The following 59 pages are in this category, out of 59 total.
A
- According to her (Suruci), first of all he had to die, then take his next body in her womb, and only then would it be possible for Dhruva Maharaja to ascend the throne of his father
- After your (Dhruva) 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
- Although as a father the King was affectionate toward his son, he minimized his affection for Dhruva Maharaja because he was too much addicted to the second wife. Now he was repenting that both Dhruva and his mother, Suniti, were practically banished
- An example of the neophyte class is Maharaja Dhruva. He was in need of his father's kingdom and therefore engaged himself in devotional service to the Lord
- Another aspect of this verse (SB 4.9.62) is that Dhruva Maharaja's father, Uttanapada, would very soon give up attachment for his palaces and would go to the forest for self-realization
- As Maharaja Dhruva practiced austerity in his early age, his father, Maharaja Uttanapada, in his old age also practiced austerity in the forest
B
- 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
- By worshiping the lotus feet of the Lord in devotional service as instructed by Narada Muni, Dhruva Maharaja achieved the desired result. His desire was to get a very exalted position, excelling that of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather
D
- Dear Mother - he (Dhruva) said, "my stepmother has insulted me by dragging me from my father's lap." "Dear son," the mother replied, "what can I do? I am helpless, and your father no longer cares for me."Well, how can I take revenge?" the boy asked
- Dhruva Maharaja at first wanted to achieve the greatest material kingdom and greater material possessions than his father, but when he was actually favored by the Lord, who appeared before him to give him the benediction he desired, he refused it
- Dhruva Maharaja left his father's capital city to go to a secluded place to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Dhruva Maharaja lived many millions of years ago, but the description of the palace of Dhruva's father is so glorious that we cannot accept that advanced human civilization did not exist even forty or fifty thousand years ago
- Dhruva Maharaja regretted that he had rejected the advice of Narada Muni and was adamant in asking him for something perishable, namely revenge against his stepmother for her insult, and possession of the kingdom of his father (King Uttanapada)
- Dhruva Maharaja wanted the material benediction of a kingdom greater than that of his father, and although he received a spiritual body, he also got the kingdom, for the SP of Godhead does not disappoint anyone who takes shelter of His lotus feet
- Dhruva Maharaja wanted to have the kingdom of his father, but his father refused even to allow him to get on his lap. In order to fulfill his desire, the Lord had already created a planet known as the polestar, Dhruvaloka
- Dhruva Maharaja's affectionate father thought his young boy, only five years old, to be in a very precarious position in the jungle, but Narada Muni assured him, You do not have sufficient information about the influence of your son
- 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
- Dhruva Maharaja, for example, became a bhakta with the motive of getting a better kingdom than that of his father, but finally he became an akama-bhakta
- Dhruva thereafter lived in his father's palace which had walls bedecked with highly valuable jewels. His affectionate father took particular care of him & he dwelled in that house just as the demigods live in their palaces in the higher planetary systems
- Dhruva wanted the kingdom better than his father, grandfather. So he had to undergo severe austerities. He got Krsna. But when he got Krsna, he said: "I don't want any benediction." This position you can attain any moment. This is the result of tapasya
- Dhruva was very much ashamed to think that although he had gone to Madhuvana, giving up the kingdom of his father (Uttanapada), and he had gotten a spiritual master like Narada Muni, he was still thinking of revenge against his stepmother
H
- He (Dhruva Maharaja) was also only five years old, and in his childish way he desired to have a kingdom far greater than his father's, grandfather's or great-grandfather's
- He (Dhruva) left this world at an early age, as a young boy, although he had attained the throne of his father and had several children of his own. Because he was due to quit this world, death was waiting for him
- He (Dhruva) wanted to acquire the throne of his father - or attain an even better position - but when he was actually in the presence of the Supreme Lord, he forgot everything. He said, "My dear Lord, I do not wish to ask any benediction."
- He (Dhruva) was the son of a ksatriya, and ksatriyas are notorious for their quick tempers. Dhruva took this (his mother's dragging him from his father's lap) to be a great insult, and he went to his mother who had been deposed
- He (father of Dhruva) then took another woman as queen, and she became stepmother to the boy. She was very envious of him, and one day, as Dhruva was sitting on the father's knee, she insulted him
- His (Dhruva Maharaja's) father, Uttanapada, was the son of Manu, and Manu was the son of Lord Brahma. Dhruva wanted to excel all these great family members
- His (Dhruva Maharaja's) 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
- His (Dhruva's) father was Uttanapada, his grandfather was Manu, and his great-grandfather was Lord Brahma. So Dhruva wanted a kingdom even greater than Lord Brahma could achieve, and he requested Narada Muni to give him facility for achieving it
- His father did not make any protest, for he was too attached to his second wife. After this incident, Prince Dhruva went to his own mother and complained. His real mother also could not take any step against this insulting behavior, and so she wept
- His father, Uttanapada, 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
I
- I (Uttanapada) am very much addicted to my wife, and I am so fallen that I have abandoned all merciful behavior, even to my son (Dhruva), who is only five years old. I have banished him and his mother, even though he is a great soul and a great devotee
- In the beginning, Dhruva Maharaja was interested in the kingdom of his father, but later he became a great devotee, maha-bhagavata, and had no interest in material enjoyment. The perfection of life can be achieved only by devotees
- In the very beginning, of course, he (Dhruva Maharaja) was after the kingdom of his father, and in order to get it he went to search for the Supreme Lord. But he later realized that everything is the creation of the illusory energy
- It appears that Dhruva Maharaja married after being installed on the throne of his father and after the departure of his father to the forest for self-realization
- It is suggested by Srimad Vijayadhvaja Tirtha that on this occasion (abhiseka ceremony) the demigods from higher planetary systems also came in their airplanes to bestow their blessings on Dhruva Maharaja on his arrival at the capital of his father
M
- Maitreya continued: The instruction of Dhruva Maharaja's mother, Suniti, was actually meant for fulfilling his desired objective. Therefore, after deliberate consideration & with intelligence & fixed determination, he left his father's house
- My dear boy - Narada said (to Dhruva) - you belong to the royal family. You cannot suffer all this penance and austerity. Please return to your home. Your mother and father are very much anxious for you
- My dear Dhruva, what do you want? You can take from Me (God) whatever you want. - "My dear Lord," the boy replied - I was undergoing such severe penances simply for my father's kingdom and land, but now I have seen You
O
- Oh you cannot sit on the lap of your father - she (stepmother of Dhruva) said - because you are not born of me. She dragged Dhruva from his father's lap and the boy became very angry
- One cannot argue, How is it that Dhruva Maharaja, who was prevented from getting up on the lap of his father, could press down the whole earth?" This argument is not very much appreciated by the learned, for it is an example of nagna-matrka logic
S
- Since she (the stepmother of Dhruva Maharaja) had refused to allow him to get up on the lap of his father, how could Dhruva perform such wonderful activities as pressing down the whole earth
- Suruci told Dhruva Maharaja: 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 because you didn't take your birth from my womb, you are not qualified to sit on your father's lap
T
- The father of Dhruva Maharaja, King Uttanapada, ruled over the universe because his elder brother, Priyavrata, practiced austerity from the very beginning of his life
- The history of Dhruva Maharaja's leaving home was that his father refused to give him a place on his lap, and Dhruva Maharaja determined that unless he got the throne of his father he would not come back
- The Lord is so kind that because Dhruva Maharaja, in the beginning, had desired a kingdom greater than his father's, he was promoted to Dhruvaloka, the best planet in the universe
- The small child, Dhruva Maharaja, was naturally affectionate toward his father, and he did not know that there was a distinction between his two mothers
- The tears which flowed down from the eyes of Suniti were all-auspicious. This auspiciousness of the abhiseka ceremony performed by his mother was an indication that in the very near future Dhruva Maharaja would be installed on the throne of his father
- Then Dhruva Maharaja, 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
- There is a story of a little boy, about five years old, named Dhruva, who belonged to a royal family. In the course of time his father, the king, tired of his mother and deposed her as his queen
W
- When Dhruva Maharaja was at home, although he was a king's son, he was prevented from getting on the lap of his father
- When Dhruva Maharaja was away from his home, his father thought that he was dead
- When Dhruva Maharaja was in the forest executing his austerities, his father, Uttanapada, heard everything about his very wonderful activities
- When he (Dhruva) saw that his father (Maharaja Uttanapada) was silent and did not protest, he immediately left the palace and went to his mother (Queen Suniti)
- When he was only five years old, Prince Dhruva, a great devotee and the son of Maharaja Uttanapada, was sitting on the lap of his father
- While the child, Dhruva Maharaja, 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