||Srimad Bhagavath
Mahapuran||
||Om Namo Bhagavathe
Vasudevaya||
Chapter – 36– The Legend of
Druva – The penance of Druva
Maharishi Narada arrived at
the place of King Uththanapadha and found the King was besieged with intense
grief; Narada enquired the reason for his agony. The King replied “ Oh! Maharishi, I have
deeply hurt my five-year-old son Druva, I did not respond to the affection of my
child who was trying to get on my lap. My son left to woods, I am deeply
worried about him, and he should not get into trouble by the wild animals in the
woods.” Maharishi Narada said “Your son will be a great soul, he will envision
the supreme Lord Hari, I have met him in the woods, he is determined to witness
the supreme Lord. One day he will add fame to
your clan.” The King Uththanapadha was
extremely happy to hear about the five-year-old Druva. Suruchi heard the conversation between the
King and Maharishi, she rushed to Sunithi and fallen at her feet, begged for
forgiveness. Later, the two wives
peacefully started living with the King in the palace.
Druva arrived in Madhuvan
and performed ablution, and immersed in the meditation upon the Supreme Lord. During the first month, every three days
he woke up from the meditation and consumed fruits from the forest, on the second month he woke up from the meditation on every sixth day and consumed
leaves, on the third month, he woke up from the meditation on every ninth day
and consumed water from the river Yamuna, on the fourth month, he woke up from
meditation on every twelfth day and consumed air, on the fifth month, he did
not wake up from the meditation, he stood on the one leg and controlled his
breath, in this way he continued to penance for five months.
He witnessed the glorious form of the Supreme Lord within his heart and continued
to recite the glorious chant. The
deities appealed to Lord Vishnu that the essential elements felt uneasiness by
the penance of Druva. Lord Vishnu pacified the deities and said: “ Uththanapadhi is undertaking extreme penance
contemplating upon me, soon he will be blessed and come back to the real
world.” Thus Lord Hari left the abode of
Sri Vaikundham to bless the child Druva.
The Supreme Lord Vishnu
mounted on his celestial vehicle Garuda and arrived at Madhuvan to bless his
ardent devotee. Druva did not open his
eyes and was immersed in meditation, in fact, he was taking pleasure in the magnificent
form of Lord in his heart, soon Lord Hari erased his form from the heart of
Druva, he felt disturbed and immediately opened his eyes, witnessed the supreme Lord before
him. He remembered the glorious form of
Lord Vishnu described by Maharishi Narada.
He prostrated before Lord and his eyes overflow with tears, he was
trying to utter words, but Druva found difficulty in uttering any words. The supreme Lord affectionately touched with
his conch on his cheek and patted on his head.
Druva realized the compassion of Lord, soon he started eulogizing Lord
in marvelous verses.
