Shloka 9
Dhruva’s Darśana, Transformative Prayers, and the Boon of the Dhruva-loka
Pole Star
नूनं विमुष्टमतयस्तव मायया ते ये त्वां भवाप्ययविमोक्षणमन्यहेतो: । अर्चन्ति कल्पकतरुं कुणपोपभोग्य- मिच्छन्ति यत्स्पर्शजं निरयेऽपि नृणाम् ॥ ९ ॥
nūnaṁ vimuṣṭa-matayas tava māyayā te ye tvāṁ bhavāpyaya-vimokṣaṇam anya-hetoḥ arcanti kalpaka-taruṁ kuṇapopabhogyam icchanti yat sparśajaṁ niraye ’pi nṝṇām
Those who worship You only for the pleasure of this “bag of skin” are surely robbed of discernment by Your māyā. Though You are like a wish-fulfilling tree and the very cause of release from birth and death, fools (like me) still beg from You boons for sense enjoyment—pleasures available even to those in hellish states.
Dhruva Mahārāja repented because he had come to the Lord to render devotional service for material profit. He here condemns his attitude. Only due to gross lack of knowledge does one worship the Lord for material profit or for sense gratification. The Lord is like a desire tree. Anyone can have whatever he desires from the Lord, but people in general do not know what kind of benediction they should ask from Him. Happiness derived from the touch of skin, or sensuous happiness, is present in the life of hogs and dogs. Such happiness is very insignificant. If a devotee worships the Lord for such insignificant happiness, he must be considered devoid of all knowledge.
FAQs
This verse says that when intelligence is covered by māyā, people worship the Lord—who grants liberation—for other motives, treating Him like a wish-fulfilling tree to obtain bodily pleasures.
Having directly seen the Lord, Dhruva felt repentant that he had performed devotion with a material agenda; he contrasts pure liberation-giving devotion with the smallness of sense pleasures.
Examine your intentions in prayer and practice: shift from asking mainly for temporary comforts to seeking devotion, character, and freedom from compulsive sense enjoyment.