Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead (Srimad Bhagavatam #54)
Dhruva desired to achieve a position superior to all his ancestors, and his achievement is unique: no one before in the history of the universe became the ruler of a Vaikuṇṭha planet as he did.
After receiving these instructions, Dhruva Maharaja immediately stopped fighting. The whole battle happened on the outskirts of Alakāpurī, the city of Kuvera, and thus, as soon as Dhruva stopped fighting, Kuvera heard the news and went to the spot to meet him.
Although a demigod living in great opulence, Kuvera is a greatly enlightened person and a devotee of the Lord. He regularly hears about self-realization from Lord Shiva, and thus, he is highly advanced in knowledge. Although he is the ruler and father of the Yakṣas, he was well aware of the great achievements of Dhruva and his position as a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, he didn't take his killing of the Yakṣas very seriously, understanding that they were also at fault.
After concluding his allotted time as the king, Dhruva Maharaja installed his son on the throne and retired to Badarīkāśrama to dedicate himself fully to the practice of devotional service. By the mercy of the Lord, he had the opportunity to enjoy the experience of being a king, including the execution of different types of duties and satisfaction of all material desires. However, just like other saintly kings, he was not attached to his position. As soon as a qualified son was ready to take the post, he left, considering his palaces, gardens, and other dominions to be creations of the illusory energy.
Dhruva desired to achieve a position superior to all his ancestors, and his achievement is unique: no one before in the history of the universe became the ruler of a Vaikuṇṭha planet as he did. This position is much superior to the position of Brahma, who rules an insignificant material universe and for just a short period.
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Lesson 54: Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead (chapter 4.12)
After receiving these instructions, Dhruva Maharaja immediately stopped fighting. The whole battle happened on the outskirts of Alakāpurī, the city of Kuvera, and thus, as soon as Dhruva stopped fighting, Kuvera heard the news and went to the spot to meet him.
Although a demigod living in great opulence, Kuvera is a greatly enlightened person and a devotee of the Lord. He regularly hears about self-realization from Lord Shiva, and thus, he is highly advanced in knowledge. Although he is the ruler and father of the Yakṣas, he was well aware of the great achievements of Dhruva and his position as a pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, he didn't take his killing of the Yakṣas very seriously, understanding that they were also at fault.
Verse 4.12.1 describes that when Kuvera appeared, he was immediately worshiped not only by the remaining Yakṣas but also by Kinnaras and Cāraṇas, other inhabitants of Bhu-Mandala. Dhruva also showed all respect, standing before him with folded hands.
Kuvera immediately revealed his intentions, stating he was not at all displeased with Dhruva. On the contrary, he was happy to meet such an exalted devotee of the Lord, and pleased he was able to so easily control his senses and stop fighting following the instructions of Manu:
"The master of the treasury, Kuvera, said: O sinless son of a kṣatriya, I am very glad to know that under the instruction of your grandfather you have given up your enmity, although it is very difficult to avoid. I am very pleased with you. Actually, you have not killed the Yakṣas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord" (SB 4.12.2-3)
Dhruva, at this point, was considering himself responsible for killing so many Yakṣas, but Kuvera was quick to reassure him by addressing him as anagha (O sinless one). Mentioning that "Actually, you have not killed the Yakṣas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord."
Dhruva's brother was killed due to reactions to his own past activities, and therefore, the Yakṣas were just instruments in the realization of the results of his own karma. The Yakṣas, in turn, were killed as a reaction to their own activities, and Dhruva just acted as an instrument, following his duty as a king. Dhruva thus was not sinful, and simultaneously,y he had no reason to blame the Yakṣas for the death of his brother. Ultimately, no one died, because the soul is immortal and the body is never alive.
As Krsna mentions in the Gītā: "Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain." The soul never dies, and the body is never alive; therefore, ultimately, no one kills and no one is killed. Just as it is incorrect to say that "someone killed my car", ultimately it is also incorrect to say that "someone killed my brother".
Apart from that, everyone just acts under the influence of material nature, which in turn acts under the influence of eternal time. Time is thus ultimately the cause of generation and annihilation. Time is not responsible, because it acts under the direction of the Lord, and the Lord in turn is also not responsible, since He is completely transcendental, creating the conditions for the existence of the material creation out of His desire to give conditions for the fallen souls to awaken their original transcendental consciousness.
Kuvera continued:
"Misidentification of oneself and others as “I” and “you” on the basis of the bodily concept of life is a product of ignorance. This bodily concept is the cause of repeated birth and death, and it makes us go on continuously in material existence.
My dear Dhruva, come forward. May the Lord always grace you with good fortune. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond our sensory perception, is the Supersoul of all living entities, and thus all entities are one, without distinction. Therefore begin rendering service unto the transcendental form of the Lord, who is the ultimate shelter of all living entities.
Engage yourself fully, therefore, in the devotional service of the Lord, for only He can deliver us from this entanglement of materialistic existence. Although the Lord is attached to His material potency, He is aloof from her activities. Everything in this material world is happening by the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 4.12.4-6)
The central mistake of material existence is that we identify the body as the self, and thus classify other people as "friends" or "enemies" based on their relationship with the body. Kuvera explains that this material concept is a product of ignorance. This type of identification leads to just more birth and death since it keeps us bound to this material world.
When we see ourselves as eternal souls, part and parcel of Krsna, this distinction between friends and enemies disappears, since we understand that we are all parts and parcels of Krsna meant to serve the whole. We may be different individuals and serve in different capacities, but we are all one in this sense. As Prabhupada explains, "the hand is the hand, and the leg is the leg, but when both of them engage in the service of the whole body, there is no such distinction as “hands” and “legs,” for all of them belong to the whole body, and all the parts working together constitute the whole body."
Dhruva understands this concept, but because he was acting like a king, he had to adjust his vision according to his duties, and thus was forced to make distinctions. Now, Kuvera is bringing him back to his original understanding, urging him to abandon all artificial distinctions and simply engage in the service of the Lord, seeing all living entities as one in quality, seeing all in their original position as servants of the Lord, and not according to the temporary material identification. By engaging in the service to the Lord, one offers the best service to everyone, just as watering the root one offers the best service to the whole plant.
Kuvera is genuinely pleased with Dhruva Maharaja due to his devotional service to the Lord, and addresses him as vara-arhaḥ, "worthy to take benediction". He thus urges Dhruva to ask for any benediction he desires. Kuvera is the treasurer of the demigods, and therefore, he is qualified to offer any amount of richness one may desire.
In his purport, Prabhupada mentions that a pure devotee is worthy of receiving all benedictions from the demigods (and in fact, all benedictions of the world) without having to separately worship anyone for this. Just by worshiping the Lord, all demigods become satisfied, just like in the case of Kuvera being so satisfied with Dhruva just because of his pure devotional service to the Lord.
Kuvera, however, understands that Dhruva would not be interested in any kind of material opulence, and therefore, he mentions that he is always thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord. He already understands that Dhruva will not ask for anything apart from always remembering the lotus feet of the Lord.
"The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when thus asked to accept a benediction from Kuvera the Yakṣarāja [King of the Yakṣas], Dhruva Mahārāja, 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." (SB 4.12.8)
Dhruva is described in this verse as mahā-matiḥ (most intelligent or thoughtful) because even when asked to take a benediction from the richest person, he didn't desire anything material.
Most people are interested in the four principles of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and impersonal liberation. These four principles are known as catur-vargas. Materialists are interested in economic development because they see it as a tool to obtain sense gratification, and the ones who are a little pious will try to obtain that through some form of religious practice. To such persons, the Vedas offer the path of karma-kanda, so they can satisfy their material desires and gradually come to the platform of devotional service.
When offered a benediction, such persons would ask for material resources, or directly for objects of sense gratification they desire, such as a wife or husband. Both material development and sense gratification can make one's stay here in the material world a little more pleasant, but only for a short time. Because it implies the end of material suffering, liberation is considered higher than this. Liberation in itself, however, is not such a higher goal. Even if one can reach the impersonal brahmajyoti, his original position as an eternal servant of the Lord is not re-established, and as a result, one can fall back into material suffering. Being thoughtful, Dhruva understands all that, therefore, he is not interested in any of these. Instead, he asked to have unflinching faith in and remembrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because this allows one to easily cross the ocean of material ignorance and attain the ultimate goal.
The next question is why Dhruva Mahārāja accepted a benediction from a demigod.
Prabhupada answers it in his purport to text 9: "Why did Dhruva Mahārāja take a benediction from a demigod?” The answer is that for a Vaiṣṇava there is no objection to taking a benediction from a demigod if it is favorable for advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The gopīs, for example, worshiped Kātyāyanī, a demigoddess, but the only benediction they wanted from the goddess was to have Kṛṣṇa as their husband. A Vaiṣṇava is not interested in asking any benediction from the demigods, nor is he interested in asking benedictions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said in the Bhāgavatam that liberation can be offered by the Supreme Person, but even if a pure devotee is offered liberation by the Supreme Lord, he refuses to accept it. Dhruva Mahārāja did not ask Kuvera for transference to the spiritual world, which is called liberation; he simply asked that wherever he would remain — whether in the spiritual or material world — he would always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A Vaiṣṇava is always respectful to everyone. So when Kuvera offered him a benediction, he did not refuse it. But he wanted something which would be favorable to his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Although a devotee is not interested in material benedictions from anyone, accepting a blessing from a demigod that will help us in our devotional service is not contradictory to the principles of bhakti. Apart from that, when a senior person offers us a benediction is proper to accept it. A Vaishnava is respectful to anyone, what to say about well-wishers, and even if a person is not fully qualified to grant it, still, his well wishes will help us.
Another side, explained by Srila Jīva Gosvāmī, is that Dhruva was concerned that the offenses he committed to Kuvera by attacking his sons could hamper his meditation on the Lord, and therefore, by asking Kuvera for unflinching faith in and remembrance of the Lord, Dhruva wanted to clear it. Certainly, when Kuvera granted this benediction, any lingering resentment on his part was fully cleared. After granting this boon, Kuvera left, and Dhruva returned to his capital.
"The son of Iḍaviḍā, Lord Kuvera, was very pleased, and happily he gave Dhruva Mahārāja the benediction he wanted. Thereafter he disappeared from Dhruva’s presence, and Dhruva Mahārāja returned to his capital city." (SB 4.12.9)
Dhruva rules as the King
The death of Uttama and the meeting of Dhruva with Kuvera happened relatively early in his rule, when he still had most of his 36,000-year rule ahead. How did Dhruva rule his kingdom after that?
"As long as he remained at home, Dhruva Mahārāja performed many great ceremonial sacrifices in order to please the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prescribed ceremonial sacrifices are especially meant to please Lord Viṣṇu, who is the objective of all such sacrifices and who awards the resultant benedictions." (SB 4.12.10)
Bhu-mandala, or the intermediate planetary system, and especially Bhārata-varṣa, is a place for the performance of sacrifices. In the 5th canto, we have a description of the processes of worship followed by the different inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa, and there are many descriptions in the scriptures for the process of sacrifice practiced by human beings in different eras.
Dhruva Maharaja ruled over the whole of Bhu-mandala, succeeding his grandfather Svāyambhuva Manu and his father Uttānapāda. As the king, he had a duty to perform sacrifices to teach the path of Dharma to his subjects and distribute charity, and so he did. As Prabhupada mentions: "Although Dhruva Mahārāja was a great devotee and had nothing to do with these sacrifices, to set an example to his people he performed many sacrifices and gave all his wealth in charity. For as long as he lived as a householder, he never spent a farthing for his sense gratification."
One could question why Dhruva Maharaja was performing sacrifices if he ruled during Satya-yuga, where the Dharma is meditation. There are two possible answers. In his commentary on the Mundaka Upaniṣad, Srila Madhvācārya explains that even though the main process of self-realization was meditation, inhabitants of Satya-yuga also studied the Vedas and performed sacrifices, but with a higher understanding of their meaning. While in Tretā-yuga onward, sacrifices are usually performed with fruitive intention, in Satya-yuga, they are performed in perfect understanding, exclusively for the satisfaction of the Lord.
Another explanation is that the cycles of four eras go on in Bhārata-varṣa, allowing different grades of living entities to take birth, perform activities, and accumulate a new set of karma, which will decide their next destination. As described in the 5th canto, inhabitants of the other varṣas in Bhu-mandala live like human beings of Tretā-yuga, living for 10,000 years and performing sacrifices. Although enjoying much longer lifespans, the demigods in Svargaloka also live like Kṣatriyas and perform sacrifices, just as in the case of Daksa. The standard of Satya-yuga, with the practice of meditation and everyone being a Brāhmaṇa in qualification, is similar to life in the higher planetary systems, starting from Janaloka. Satya-yuga is thus meant for souls on the path of elevation to these planetary systems, or liberation, while Tretā-yuga is the time for souls on the fruitive path.
In his purport to text 10, Srila Prabhupada details the qualifications of a saintly king and explains how saṅkīrtana-yajña is the prescribed form of sacrifice for our age, replacing the costly performances of previous eras.
"Dhruva Mahārāja rendered devotional service unto the Supreme, the reservoir of everything, with unrelenting force. While carrying out his devotional service to the Lord, he could see that everything is situated in Him only and that He is situated in all living entities. The Lord is called Acyuta because He never fails in His prime duty, to give protection to His devotees." (SB 4.12.11)
Married life always demands a certain compromise between the performance of material duties and the performance of devotional service to the Lord, while sense gratification should be reduced as far as possible. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna explains how material duties can be connected with devotional service through the practice of karma-yoga, and He also explains the importance of restraining ourselves from unlawful sense gratification. Dhruva Maharaja performed this process perfectly, not spending even a farting for his sense gratification, and performed all kinds of sacrifices as an offering to the supreme Lord, without expecting material results. Above all that, he rendered devotional service with unrelenting force, giving the perfect example to all of us.
Apart from maintaining his devotional service to the Lord even while performing his duties as a king, Dhruva Maharaja showed all the good qualities of a pure Vaishnava:
"Dhruva Mahārāja was endowed with all godly qualities; he was very respectful to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and very kind to the poor and innocent, and he protected religious principles. With all these qualifications, he was considered to be the direct father of all the citizens." (SB 4.12.12)
Dhruva Maharaja retires
After concluding his allotted time as the king, Dhruva Maharaja installed his son on the throne and retired to Badarīkāśrama to dedicate himself fully to the practice of devotional service. By the mercy of the Lord, he had the opportunity to enjoy the experience of being a king, including the execution of different types of duties and satisfaction of all material desires. However, just like other saintly kings, he was not attached to his position. As soon as a qualified son was ready to take the post, he left, considering his palaces, gardens, and other dominions to be creations of the illusory energy.
Badarīkāśrama is situated close to Bhārata-varṣa in the region of the higher-dimensional Himalayas. This is the abode of great sages, led by Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the ideal place for meditating on the Lord.
Like in other chapters, different words are used to indicate the extension of the kingdom of Dhruva Maharaja. Verse 13, for example, mentions the word kṣiti-maṇḍalam (the earth planet). Verse 16, however, uses the term bhū-maṇḍalam (the complete earth), which is consistent with other passages that mention that Manu and his descendants reign over the complete planetary system of Bhu-mandala. These different references can be reconciled by the idea that Bhu-mandala is manifested in the gross dimension we live on as our planet, and thus, one may refer to the planet Earth or to the complete structure of Bhu-mandala according to the context. Since different terms are used in different verses, they must be equivalent in some sense.
What kind of process of self-realization did Dhruva Maharaja practice while living in Badarīkāśrama? Srila Prabhupada confirms that he just resumed the practice of meditation on the form of the Lord he learned from Narada Muni, just as he was practicing before.
"In Badarīkāśrama Dhruva Mahārāja’s senses became completely purified because he bathed regularly in the crystal-clear, purified water. He fixed his sitting position and by yogic practice controlled the breathing process and the air of life; in this way his senses were completely withdrawn. Then he concentrated his mind on the arcā-vigraha form of the Lord, which is the exact replica of the Lord and, thus meditating upon Him, entered into complete trance.
Because of his transcendental bliss, incessant tears flowed from his eyes, his heart melted, and there was shivering and standing of the hairs all over his body. Thus transformed, in a trance of devotional service, Dhruva Mahārāja completely forgot his bodily existence, and thus he immediately became liberated from material bondage." (SB 4.12.17-18)
Like other perfect devotees, Dhruva Maharaja became completely free from material conditioning while still living in the body. In his purport to verse 18, Srila Prabhupada explains this process in more detail:
"Due to constant engagement in devotional service — hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping the Deity, etc., as prescribed in nine varieties — there are different symptoms which appear in the body of a devotee. These eight bodily transformations, which indicate that a devotee is already liberated within himself, are called aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāra. When a devotee completely forgets his bodily existence, he should be understood to be liberated. He is no longer encaged in the body. The example is given that when a coconut becomes completely dry, the coconut pulp within the coconut shell separates from the bondage of the shell and the outer covering. By moving the dry coconut, one can hear that the pulp within is no longer attached to the shell or to the covering. Similarly, when one is fully absorbed in devotional service, he is completely disconnected from the two material coverings, the subtle and gross bodies. Dhruva Mahārāja actually attained this stage of life by constantly discharging devotional service. He has already been described as a mahā-bhāgavata, for unless one becomes a mahā-bhāgavata, or a first-class pure devotee, these symptoms are not visible."
Just like the pulp of a dry coconut becomes separated from the shell, even while still inside of it, a mahā-bhāgavata becomes disconnected from his material body, even while living in it. This means that he fully identifies with his eternal spiritual nature as a servant of the Lord, and not with the temporary material identity connected with the false ego.
This stage is different from the simple disconnection from the gross material body we all experience at the time of death. At death, the gross body expires, but due to the false ego, the consciousness of the soul remains covered by the subtle body, which carries it to the next body. The situation of a perfect devotee is different. Dhruva Maharaja is described as mukta-liṅgaḥ, because he became free from the covering of the subtle body by breaking the bounds of the false ego. As Prabhupada mentions later in his purport:
"The description of the bodily symptoms of Śrī Dhruva Mahārāja makes it apparent that he became perfectly fit to be transferred to the spiritual world. One can experience the distinction between the subtle and gross bodies even daily: in a dream, one’s gross body is lying on the bed while the subtle body carries the soul, the living entity, to another atmosphere. But because the gross body has to be continued, the subtle body comes back and settles in the present gross body. Therefore one has to become free from the subtle body also. This freedom is known as mukta-liṅga."
Normally, when a devotee attains the stage of liberation, he continues living in the body until the results derived from the prārabdha karma (the karma that is already giving fruits) completely cease. This gives a devotee the opportunity of further perfecting his devotional service, and also the opportunity of teaching others. In the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.4) it is mentioned that: "Indeed, the Lord is the Supreme life force behind everything. He shines in all beings and He is the shelter of all. One who realizes that, becomes absorbed in meditation into the Lord and enjoys the transcendental bliss of His association. He teaches others about devotional service and becomes dear to the Lord."
In the case of Dhruva, however, there was nothing to further realize, and nothing more to achieve in this world. Therefore, as soon as he attained this stage of perfect devotional service, he saw an airplane coming from Vaikuṇṭha to bring him to the eternal abode, driven by Nanda and Sunanda, two confidential servants of the Lord.
"Dhruva Mahārāja, seeing that these uncommon personalities were direct servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately stood up. But, being puzzled, in hastiness he forgot how to receive them in the proper way. Therefore he simply offered obeisances with folded hands and chanted and glorified the holy names of the Lord." (SB 4.12.21)
Dhruva was at first puzzled by the vision, but because he chanted the holy names, the Viṣṇudutas became immediately satisfied. As Prabhupada mentions: "The chanting of the holy name of the Lord is perfect; even though one does not know how to please Lord Viṣṇu or His associates, simply by sincerely chanting the holy name of the Lord, everything becomes perfect. A devotee, therefore, either in danger or in happiness, constantly chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. When he is in danger he is immediately relieved, and when he is in a position to see Lord Viṣṇu or His associates directly, by chanting this mahā-mantra he can please the Lord. This is the absolute nature of the mahā-mantra. Either in danger or in happiness, it can be chanted without limitation."
Nanda and Sunanda glorified Dhruva Maharaja by describing how he performed severe austerities when just five years old and in this way satisfied the Lord. They then revealed their mission of taking him back home, back to Godhead, escorting him to Viṣṇuloka, the Polestar, the abode of Lord Kṣīrodakaśāyī Vishnu, who the Lord desired would be ruled by Dhruva Maharaja. Because of him, the planet is now known as Dhruvaloka.
Although the Polestar appears inside our universe, it is not a material planet, but an eternal Vaikuṇṭha planet that just manifests inside the material universe, just as Vṛndāvana, Navadvīpa, and Jagannātha Purī, which are part of Goloka Vṛndāvana, are also manifested here. Dhruva's position in the Polestar is eternal, just as when one attains any of the other Vaikuṇṭha planets. When the universe is finally destroyed, his planet remains as part of the spiritual sky, and he eternally resides there with the Lord.
"To achieve Viṣṇuloka is very difficult, but by your austerity you have conquered. Even the great ṛṣis and demigods cannot achieve this position. Simply to see the supreme abode [the Viṣṇu planet], the sun and moon and all the other planets, stars, lunar mansions and solar systems are circumambulating it. Now please come; you are welcome to go there." (SB 4.12.25)
Dhruva desired to achieve a position superior to all his ancestors. Nanda and Sunanda reveal that his achievement is unique: no one before in the history of the universe became the ruler of a Vaikuṇṭha planet as he did. This position is much superior to the position of Brahma, who rules an insignificant material universe and for just a short period.
It's also interesting to note that Dhruva Maharaja didn't board the airplane immediately after meeting the Viṣṇudutas. After getting notice of his departure, he took a bath, dressed himself suitably, performed his daily sādhana, and took blessings from the great sages present in Badarīkāśrama. This shows that the performance of devotional service by Dhruva Maharaja was natural and spontaneous, and not just to attain liberation. As Prabhupada notes in his purport, this also shows how he was alert in the performance of his spiritual practice, and he didn't become proud in receiving the news of his liberation, taking time to ask for the blessings of the sages.
In the spiritual world, everything is alive. Everything is part and parcel of the Lord, even seemingly inanimate objects. In truth, there is nothing unconscious in the spiritual world. Rocks may not move, but even they are conscious. Understanding this perfectly, Dhruva Maharaja worshiped not only the associates of the Lord but also the airplane they were boarding. In the process, he assumed a golden, spiritual form.
"When Dhruva Mahārāja was attempting to get on the transcendental plane, he saw death personified approach him. Not caring for death, however, he took advantage of the opportunity to put his feet on the head of death, and thus he got up on the airplane, which was as big as a house." (SB 4.12.30)
Everyone has to face death at some point. Usually, we don't see death itself but just feel its effects. Death, however, has a predominating deity, just as all other material potencies. Dhruva could literally see personified death approaching him, but instead of being afraid, he just used him as a stepping stone to board the plane, stepping on his head. A materialist fears death because death means the end of the illusory life he is so attached to, but for a pure devotee, death is not a cause of fear, since he doesn't fear losing his material body. On the contrary, death for a pure devotee is an opportunity to join the Lord in His eternal pastimes.
In his purport, Prabhupada mentions that death personified came actually to offer obeisances to Dhruva Maharaja, who had defeated him and attained immortality. One may argue that a pure devotee has to face death just like anyone else, but this is not exactly correct. The soul never dies; therefore, in fact, there is no death for anyone, but a materialist experiences death due to his attachment to his body. A pure devotee identifies with his eternal spiritual identity, which death can't take away. The body is just something he uses, such as a piece of cloth. When death finally comes to take away his old body, he welcomes it. This difference between the effects of death for a devotee and a materialist is explored by Srila Prabhupada in his purport:
"A cat carries its kittens in its mouth, and it also catches a rat in its mouth. Superficially, the catching of the rat and the kitten appear to be one and the same, but actually they are not. When the cat catches the rat in its mouth it means death for the rat, whereas when the cat catches the kitten, the kitten enjoys it. When Dhruva Mahārāja boarded the airplane, he took advantage of the arrival of death personified, who came to offer him obeisances; putting his feet on the head of death, he got up on the unique airplane, which is described here to be as big as a house (gṛham)."
The departure of a pure devotee to the spiritual world is an extremely auspicious event, and thus, as Dhruva boarded the plane, kettledrums resounded from the sky, Gandharvas sang, and demigods showered flowers. Dhruva, however, remembered his mother and questioned himself: “How shall I go alone to the Vaikuṇṭha planet and leave behind my poor mother?”
Suniti showed the way of spiritual realization to Dhruva by instructing him to search for the Lord in the forest. Although Nārada Muni later gave him initiation and more instructions, everything started with his mother. Dhruva was thus concerned about her.
Suniti was a great devotee on her own merit, and the connection with her exalted son made her even more qualified to return back to Godhead. If one can help his or her son, daughter, or disciple to attain perfection, he or she will also be able to go back to Godhead. Depending on the circumstances, this may happen in the same life or in the next few lives, but liberation will be assured. The mother of Dhruva went back to Godhead in the same life, while Hiraṇyakaśipu, the father of Prahlāda Maharaja, took two more lives, but both joined the Lord.
Prabhupada shows his incredible humility in the purport to text 32: "This incident proves that the śikṣā- or dīkṣā-guru who has a disciple who strongly executes devotional service like Dhruva Mahārāja can be carried by the disciple even though the instructor is not as advanced. Although Sunīti was an instructor to Dhruva Mahārāja, she could not go to the forest because she was a woman, nor could she execute austerities and penances as Dhruva Mahārāja did. Still, Dhruva Mahārāja was able to take his mother with him. Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja also delivered his atheistic father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. The conclusion is that a disciple or an offspring who is a very strong devotee can carry with him to Vaikuṇṭhaloka either his father, mother or śikṣā- or dīkṣā-guru. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to say, “If I could perfectly deliver even one soul back home, back to Godhead, I would think my mission — propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness — to be successful.” The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading now all over the world, and sometimes I think that even though I am crippled in many ways, if one of my disciples becomes as strong as Dhruva Mahārāja, then he will be able to carry me with him to Vaikuṇṭhaloka."
In his purport to verse 32, Srila Prabhupada mentions, "Sunīti, however, being a woman, and specifically his mother, could not become Dhruva Mahārāja’s dīkṣā-guru. Still, he was not less obliged to Sunīti." Some use this passage to sustain that no woman can become a spiritual master, regardless of qualification, but this is a misinterpretation.
Suniti was in a family relationship with Dhruva, his mother. She was also a woman, and therefore could not become the diksa guru of Dhruva Maharaja. Not only is it uncommon for a father or mother to become the diksa guru for their children, but at the time, people were apparently following the Vaidika system of initiation, instead of the Pañcarātrika system that is current. The Vaidika system is much more strict (appropriate for the time), barring ladies from even being initiated, what to say about giving initiation? The Pañcarātrika system is much more liberal (more appropriate for our time), allowing people of lower birth or who had done sinful things in the past to accept initiation, or even become spiritual masters later on, provided they become first qualified by following the appropriate process. If we consider all these factors, it becomes clear what Srila Prabhupada is explaining: Suniti, being Dhruva Maharaja's mother, being a woman, subject to the rules of the Vaidika system in use at the time, having not been initiated or received spiritual education, could not become diksa guru of Dhruva Maharaja.
Verses 34 to 39 give us important instructions related to both the liberation of a pure devotee and Vedic cosmology:
"While Dhruva Mahārāja was passing through space, he gradually saw all the planets of the solar system, and on the path he saw all the demigods in their airplanes showering flowers upon him like rain.
Dhruva Mahārāja thus surpassed the seven planetary systems of the great sages who are known as saptarṣi. Beyond that region, he achieved the transcendental situation of permanent life in the planet where Lord Viṣṇu lives.
The self-effulgent Vaikuṇṭha planets, by whose illumination alone all the illuminating planets within this material world give off reflected light, cannot be reached by those who are not merciful to other living entities. Only persons who constantly engage in welfare activities for other living entities can reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Persons who are peaceful, equipoised, cleansed and purified, and who know the art of pleasing all other living entities, keep friendship only with devotees of the Lord; they alone can very easily achieve the perfection of going back home, back to Godhead.
In this way, the fully Kṛṣṇa conscious Dhruva Mahārāja, the exalted son of Mahārāja Uttānapāda, attained the summit of the three statuses of planetary systems.
Saint Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, descendant of Kuru, as a herd of bulls circumambulates a central pole on their right side, all the luminaries within the universal sky unceasingly circumambulate the abode of Dhruva Mahārāja with great force and speed." (SB 4.12.34-39)
As part of the intermediate planetary system, the Earth rests on the plane of Bhu-mandala. In our gross dimension, there is apparently nothing else visible of the structure of Bhu-mandala, but in the refined dimension where other inhabitants live, there are many different tracts of land and oceans. Higher than the plane of Bhu-mandala are the other planets of our solar system, which are described as celestial abodes that exert astrological influence over us. Vedic cosmology describes Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, adding also Rāhu and Ketu. In Vedic cosmology, the Sun orbits the plane of Bhu-mandala, and our planet, being part of it, is stationary. The other planets of the solar system have their own orbits around the sun, and therefore their orbits appear to us like a mandala.
The numerous other planets and stars that form the higher planetary system form the Śiśumāra, which can be seen in the sky as the Milky Way. The format of Śiśumāra is sometimes compared with a snake and sometimes with a dolphin. In both analogies, the Polestar resides on the tail (the very top), surrounded by the Saptarṣi, the seven stars, abode of the great sages. All the planets and stars rotate around the Polestar in a circular motion once per day, including the sun. This movement is responsible for the passage of days and nights. As Maitreya describes: "as a herd of bulls circumambulates a central pole on their right side, all the luminaries within the universal sky unceasingly circumambulate the abode of Dhruva Mahārāja with great force and speed."
Simultaneously, the sun and the other planets and stars have their independent motions in the opposite direction. The sun, for example, moves once per day around the Polestar, and once per year in its own orbit, which is responsible for the movement of the sun going up and down in the sky, which in turn leads to the passage of the seasons.
Dhruva was thus carried by the airplane to the Polestar, passing through the planetary systems of Bhū-loka, Bhuvarloka, and Svargaloka, and he could see everything, but being his mind fixed in the Lord, He was not interested in anything available there. Just as in the case of Dhruva, when a devotee goes to Vaikuṇṭha, he passes through all the planetary systems and the coverings of the universe and can see all the wonderful material manifestations available there. One is free to stop at any point, but devotees who are fixed in their service to the Lord are not interested in anything temporary, remaining fixed in the ultimate destination.
Devotees who are elevated to Goloka Vṛndāvana, however, go back to Godhead through a different process, that is described by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to 10.1.23:
"In Bhagavad-gītā (BG 4.9) the Lord says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: after giving up the material body, the devotee of the Lord returns home, back to Godhead. This means that the devotee is first transferred to the particular universe where the Lord is at that time staying to exhibit His pastimes. There are innumerable universes, and the Lord is appearing in one of these universes at every moment. Therefore His pastimes are called nitya-līlā, eternal pastimes. The Lord's appearance as a child in the house of Devakī takes place continuously in one universe after another. Therefore, the devotee is first transferred to that particular universe where the pastimes of the Lord are current."
To be able to join the pastimes of the Lord in the Supreme abode and attain a service there, one has to first learn through the association of the eternal associates of the Lord. This birth to join the pastimes of the Lord is not considered a material birth.
Devotees who practice devotional service in this life, but are not able to attain perfection, take birth in pious families (śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate), be on Earth or in the celestial planets, and from there have the opportunity of continuing their devotional service. Although a birth on Earth is considered more favorable, there is no barrier to performing devotional service on the celestial planets. Many devotees join the Lord's eternal pastimes from there, such as the daughters of the demigods, who were promoted to the position of Gopis.
In any of the three cases, devotees are transported to their next destination by the Viṣṇudutas, who are always ready to assist devotees and protect them from any type of danger, according to the desire of the Lord. The Yamadūtas appear only for materialistic persons, both pious and impious, who are either punished or rewarded for their actions.