Dhruva is the God of Stars and is also called the North Pole Star. He is the son of Suniti and King Uttanapada and is personified as the grandson of Manu in the Maharabharata. Dhruva means fixed, immovable and constant. He is the devotee of Vishnu as mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana. In the Mahabharata, the term dhruva nakshatra – the immovable star is used as a polar star.
King Uttanapada had a second queen named Suruchi who gave birth to a son Uttama, for whom the king had great affection. Suruchi always was jealours of Dhruva –the to-be heir to the throne. In anger she removed Dhruva from his father’s lap and beratingly told him to go and ask only God to grant him such a privilege. The distraught Dhruva was consoled by his gentle mother Suniti. However he set out on a long journey to the forest alone where he met Narada sage who was astonished to see him.
Narada taught Dhruva mantras and rituals to seek Lord Vishnu. On chanting the mantra – Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, most effectively and with intense tapasya, Lord Vishnu came before him. Vishnu granted him a wish but Dhruva had no personal desires and asked for the knowledge of stuti (hymn praising Lord Vishnu). Vishnu was so pleased that he granted him attainment of Dhruvapada – where he would become a heavenly body which could not be touched by final cataclysm or Maha Pralaya. On returning back to his kingdom at the age of 6, his family welcomed him warmly and ruled in a just and fair manner for decades.
