Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 1
Dhruva-loka as the Cosmic Pivot and the Śiśumāra-cakra
Viṣṇu’s Astral Form
श्रीशुक उवाच अथ तस्मात्परतस्त्रयोदशलक्षयोजनान्तरतो यत्तद्विष्णो: परमं पदमभिवदन्ति यत्र ह महाभागवतो ध्रुव औत्तानपादिरग्निनेन्द्रेण प्रजापतिना कश्यपेन धर्मेण च समकालयुग्भि: सबहुमानं दक्षिणत: क्रियमाण इदानीमपि कल्पजीविनामाजीव्य उपास्ते तस्येहानुभाव उपवर्णित: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca atha tasmāt paratas trayodaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntarato yat tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam abhivadanti yatra ha mahā-bhāgavato dhruva auttānapādir agninendreṇa prajāpatinā kaśyapena dharmeṇa ca samakāla-yugbhiḥ sabahu-mānaṁ dakṣiṇataḥ kriyamāṇa idānīm api kalpa-jīvinām ājīvya upāste tasyehānubhāva upavarṇitaḥ.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, 1,300,000 yojanas above the planets of the seven sages lies the realm that the learned proclaim as the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu. There Mahārāja Dhruva, the great devotee, son of Uttānapāda, still resides as the life-support of those beings who endure until the end of the kalpa. Agni, Indra, Prajāpati, Kaśyapa, and Dharma assemble there to honor him, offer reverent obeisances, and circumambulate him keeping their right sides toward him. I have already described Dhruva Mahārāja’s glories earlier.
FAQs
This verse states that beyond the described region lies the supreme position of Lord Viṣṇu, revered by the wise as the highest destination.
Śukadeva highlights Dhruva’s exalted, enduring position near the Lord’s supreme abode, showing how a perfected devotee is honored and central within the universe’s sacred order.
Steady devotion and single-minded worship of the Lord can elevate one beyond ordinary fame—toward lasting spiritual honor and nearness to Viṣṇu.