स राजराजेन वराय चोदितो
ध्रुवो महाभागवतो महामतिः ।
हरौ स वव्रेऽचलितां स्मृतिं यया
तरत्ययत्नेन दुरत्ययं तमः ॥८॥
maitreya uvÄca
sa rÄja-rÄjena varÄya codito
dhruvo mahÄ-bhÄgavato mahÄ-matiḥ
harau sa vavre 'calitÄá¹ smá¹›tiá¹ yayÄ
taraty ayatnena duratyayaṠtamaḥ
maitreyaḥ uvÄca - the great sage Maitreya said; saḥ - he; rÄja-rÄjena - by the king of kings (Kuvera); varÄya - for a benediction; coditaḥ - being asked; dhruvaḥ - Dhruva MahÄrÄja; mahÄ-bhÄgavataḥ - a first-class pure devotee; mahÄ-matiḥ - most intelligent or thoughtful; harau - unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saḥ - he; vavre - asked; acalitÄm - unflinching; smá¹›tim - remembrance; yayÄ - by which; tarati - crosses over; ayatnena - without difficulty; duratyayam - unsurpassable; tamaḥ - nescience.
The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when thus asked to accept a benediction from Kuvera the Yaká¹£arÄja [King of the Yaká¹£as], Dhruva MahÄrÄja, that most elevated pure devotee, who was an intelligent and thoughtful king, begged 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.
According to the opinion of expert followers of Vedic rites, there are different types of benedictions in terms of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. These four principles are known as catur-vargas. Of all the catur-vargas, the benediction of liberation is considered to be the highest in this material world. To be enabled to cross over material nescience is known as the highest puruá¹£Ärtha, or benediction for the human being. But Dhruva MahÄrÄja wanted a benediction which surpasses even the highest puruá¹£Ärtha, liberation. He wanted the benediction that he might constantly remember the lotus feet of the Lord. This stage of life is called pañcama-puruá¹£Ärtha. When a devotee comes to the platform of pañcama-puruá¹£Ärtha, simply engaging in devotional service to the Lord, the fourth puruá¹£Ärtha, liberation, becomes very insignificant in his eyes. ÅšrÄ«la PrabodhÄnanda SarasvatÄ« has stated in this connection that for a devotee liberation is a hellish condition of life; as for sense gratification, which is available in the heavenly planets, the devotee considers it to be a will-o’-the-wisp, having no value in life. YogÄ«s endeavor to control the senses, but for a devotee, controlling the senses is no difficulty at all. The senses are compared to serpents, but for a devotee the serpents’ poison teeth are broken. Thus ÅšrÄ«la PrabodhÄnanda SarasvatÄ« has analyzed all kinds of benedictions available in this world, and he has clearly declared that for a pure devotee they are all of no significance. Dhruva MahÄrÄja was also a mahÄ-bhÄgavata, or a first-class pure devotee, and his intelligence was very great (mahÄ-matiḥ). Unless one is very intelligent, one cannot take to devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Naturally, anyone who is a first-class devotee must be a first-class intelligent person and therefore not interested in any kind of benediction within this material world. Dhruva MahÄrÄja was offered a benediction by the king of the kings. Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, whose only business is to supply immense riches to persons within this materialistic world, is described as the king of kings because unless one is blessed by Kuvera one cannot become a king. The king of kings personally offered Dhruva MahÄrÄja any amount of riches, but he declined to accept them. Therefore he is described here as mahÄ-matiḥ — very thoughtful, or highly intellectual.
