Dhruva Mahārāja’s fight with the Yakṣas (Srimad Bhagavatam #53)

The army of the Yakṣas was 130,000 strong, and jointly they shot so many arrows and other weapons at Dhruva that they covered Dhruva with an incessant shower of weapons.

The army of the Yakṣas was 130,000 strong, and jointly they shot so many arrows and other weapons at Dhruva that they covered Dhruva with an incessant shower of weapons, just like a mountain covered by rain. However, this just served to make him even sharper and determined to fight.

For a moment, the Yakṣas thought they had won, but quickly Dhruva's chariot emerged, just as the sun appearing from the fog. From this point, Dhruva regained the initiative and used his bow to cut through their army.

Dhruva killed many soldiers and made the rest flee. However, using their power of illusion, the Yakṣas created terrible illusions, with dead bodies falling from the sky, dangerous animals coming to devour him, etc. These illusions presented a great challenge, and even Dhruva became perplexed for a short time, just as we may become perplexed when facing difficulties.

Great sages, however, quickly approached Dhruva and instructed him to surpass all illusions by the power of chanting the holy name, which is non-different from the Lord Himself.

Hearing the advice of the sages, Dhruva became again resolute. He prepared to use the nārāyaṇāstra, a specific arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi Himself. This weapon could be invoked by Dhruva Maharaja by chanting the holy name of the Lord. In this way, the chanting of the holy name by Dhruva became not just the source of purification and spiritual strength, but also a weapon that could defeat his enemies.

🔉 Audio of the lesson »

🎙Podcast (Search for “Mysteries of the Vedas” on Spotify, iTunes, etc. to hear all the lessons)

You can join the course on Telegram to get the links for the live sessions and be notified about the updates.

💬 Text of the lesson

Maharaja Uttānapāda left for the forest before organizing the marriage of Dhruva. He thought that achieving self-realization was more urgent than taking care of such family matters. Prabhupāda mentions in his purport to text one that Dhruva was still five years old when he was installed on the throne. In other words, Dhruva became the king shortly after returning from the forest, since now despite being a child he was perfectly qualified for the post. Since he had already received all transcendental knowledge from the Lord and achieved perfection, there was no need for him to go to the gurukula. Despite having been attached to Suruci, Uttānapāda was a saintly king, and his ultimate goal was self-realization. Different from ordinary materialists, who want to cling to power until their last breath, Rājarṣis like Uttānapāda rule out of duty and are anxious to leave the throne to dedicate themselves to self-realization as soon as a qualified son is present.

Even though Dhruva was a pure devotee at this point, ruling a kingdom demands having a wife since the duties of a king include not only begetting children to continue his lineage but performing many different types of sacrifices where the wife should be present, apart from other duties. As an exemplary king, Dhruva fulfilled perfectly all these duties, by later marrying two qualified ladies from respectable lineages and begetting four children. Nowadays, if a man thinks about having more than one wife, he will do so with the idea of enjoyment, but in previous eras, qualified men would often marry more than one wife to beget more qualified children. Even Srila Bhaktivinoda Thākura married a second time after his first wife passed away because he desired to beget more children, out of his desire to bring a ray of Viṣnu to this planet. Ultimately, begetting qualified children is the duty of every man who enters family life. As Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita, He is sexual life that follows the principles of the scriptures, bringing enlightened children to this world and properly educating them in Krsna Consciousness.

Dhruva first married Bhrami, the wife of Prajāpati Śiśumāra, and begot two sons: Kalpa and Vatsara. Later he married Ilā, the daughter of the demigod Vāyu, and begot a son named Utkala and a beautiful daughter.

One could question how Dhruva could marry the daughter of a demigod. Are demigods and human beings not supposed to have different types of bodies? The first point is that inhabitants of the celestial planets have the power to come to Earth and assume human forms if they so desire, like in the case of Ūrvaśī and other apsarās coming to Earth to beget children with different kings and sages. The second point however is that just as other saintly kings from previous ages, Dhruva didn't rule just over the gross Earth we have access to, but over the whole higher-dimensional Bhu-mandala. This means he lived in a higher dimension and had a more refined type of body than we have nowadays, capable of interacting with the demigods. There are many other examples of this in both the Purāṇas and Mahabharata. Arjuna, for example, visited the heavens, where he fought demons, interacted with demigods, and was approached by Ūrvaśī, who became lusty after him. Similarly, Bhīma fought with Yakṣas, Arjuna begot a son in Ulūpī, a princess from Nāgaloka, Parīkṣit met and punished Kali, and so on. It appears that up to Dvāpara-yuga qualified people had refined bodies and access to the higher-dimensional realm of Bhu-mandala, different from us who have dull bodies and are confined in the gross dimension, having access to only our small planet.

Uttama, the half-brother of Dhruva didn't inherit the throne as his mother desired, but he was living comfortably in the palace, performing his duties as a Kṣatriya. Once, he went on a hunting excursion to the north and was killed by a powerful Yakṣa in the Himālaya Mountains. Suruci went in search of her son when he didn't return, and perished in a forest fire, just as predicted by the Lord. This didn't happen due to divine interference, but simply due to the results of her own actions. The Lord simply predicted it when He met Dhruva.

Dhruva and his brother lived in Bhārata-varṣa, in the southern part of Jambūdvīpa, the central island of Bhu-mandala. Nowadays, often the Indian subcontinent is referred to as "Bhārata-varṣa", but in the higher dimensional Bhu-mandala, Bhārata-varṣa is a much larger structure, which is connected to the other portions of Jambūdvīpa. This structure somehow is represented in the gross dimension as our spherical planet, but it is not exactly the same, just as a two-dimensional projection of a three-dimensional object is not exactly the same as the original object being represented.

There is a large chain of mountains in the center of Jambūdvīpa, just like the Himalayas are the center of the South Asian region, but the Himālaya Mountains in the central part of Jambūdvīpa are much larger and include other features not present in our planet, such as Mount Sumeru. It's difficult to conclude how these features of Bhu-mandala are represented in our gross dimension, but this is ultimately a futile exercise since even if they are present as part of other planets of our galaxy, we would not be able to go there by mechanical means.

Alakāpurī, in turn, is the capital of Kuvera, which is surrounded by beautiful gardens and lakes. The Mahabharata describes that the Pandavas visited the place during their exile, while Arjuna visited the celestial planets to collect weapons. Alakāpurī is situated in the northern part of Jambūdvīpa, north of Mount Sumeru, close to Mount Kailāsa, the abode of Lord Śiva.

The Yakṣas and Rākṣasas are the supernatural followers of Kuvera, who inhabit Alakāpurī and are present in the whole region of the higher-dimensional Himalaya mountains of Jambūdvīpa. Srila Prabhupada also connects them to Himālayan tribes like the Tibetans. Uttama was killed by the Yakṣas and this was a challenge to the authority of the king. Dhruva had authority over the whole Bhu-mandala, and killing his brother was a serious challenge to his rule, therefore it was his duty to avenge his brother and restore order. Dhruva took thus his chariot and weapons and went north to the Himalayas to meet the challenge. A great battle ensued, described in most of the chapter, where both Dhruva and the Yakṣas employed different types of mystical weapons. Kuvera is the treasurer of the demigods, and his abode is extremely opulent. The soldiers were also richly ornamented with earrings, turbans, golden bracelets, and armlets, etc.

The army of the Yakṣas was 130,000 strong, and jointly they shot so many arrows and other weapons at Dhruva that they covered Dhruva with an incessant shower of weapons, just like a mountain covered by rain. However, this just served to make him even sharper and determined to fight. Srila Prabhupada comments on his purport to verse 13:

"Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura points out in this connection that although Dhruva Mahārāja was covered by the incessant arrows of the enemy, this does not mean that he succumbed in the battle. The example of a mountain peak’s being covered by incessant rain is just suitable, for when a mountain is covered by incessant rain, all dirty things are washed from the body of the mountain. Similarly, the incessant shower of arrows from the enemy gave Dhruva Mahārāja new vigor to defeat them. In other words, whatever incompetency he might have had was washed away."

For a moment, the Yakṣas thought they had won, but quickly Dhruva's chariot emerged, just as the sun appearing from the fog. From this point, Dhruva regained the initiative and used his bow to cut through their army.

"Dhruva Mahārāja’s bow and arrows twanged and hissed, causing lamentation in the hearts of his enemies. He began to shoot incessant arrows, shattering all their different weapons, just as the blasting wind scatters the assembled clouds in the sky. The sharp arrows released from the bow of Dhruva Mahārāja pierced the shields and bodies of the enemy, like the thunderbolts released by the King of heaven, which dismantle the bodies of the mountains." (SB 4.10.16-17)

Dhruva conquered them using his bow, killing many soldiers and making the rest flee. However, using their power of illusion, the Yakṣas created terrible illusions, with dead bodies falling from the sky, dangerous animals coming to devour him, etc. These illusions presented a great challenge, and even Dhruva became perplexed for a short time, just as we may become perplexed when facing difficulties.

"Within a moment the whole sky was overcast with dense clouds, and severe thundering was heard. There was glittering electric lightning and severe rainfall. My dear faultless Vidura, in that rainfall there was blood, mucus, pus, stool, urine and marrow falling heavily before Dhruva Mahārāja, and there were trunks of bodies falling from the sky. Next, a great mountain was visible in the sky, and from all directions hailstones fell, along with lances, clubs, swords, iron bludgeons and great pieces of stone. Dhruva Mahārāja also saw many big serpents with angry eyes, vomiting forth fire and coming to devour him, along with groups of mad elephants, lions and tigers. Then, as if it were the time of the dissolution of the whole world, the fierce sea with foaming waves and great roaring sounds came forward before him." (SB 4.10.23-27)

Great sages, however, quickly approached Dhruva and instructed him to surpass all illusions by the power of chanting the holy name, which is non-different from the Lord Himself.

"All the sages said: Dear Dhruva, O son of King Uttānapāda, may the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Śārṅgadhanvā, who relieves the distresses of His devotees, kill all your threatening enemies. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord Himself. Therefore, simply by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, many men can be fully protected from fierce death without difficulty. Thus a devotee is saved." (SB 4.10.30)

By chanting the holy names we directly associate with the Lord, who is the only true shelter. We surely face many difficult and dangerous situations during life, but our connection with the Lord is established through the chanting of the holy names which can make us surpass all difficulties. The sages who came to Dhruva were inspired by the Lord inside the heart to do so, and this also emphasizes the power of sādhu-saṅga, which can save us in the most dangerous moments.

In his purport, Prabhupada makes the connection between Dhruva's predicament and the situation experienced by a devotee at the time of death, which is the most difficult test we can face: "By the grace of the Lord, if a devotee, at the time of death, can simply chant His holy name — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — simply by chanting this mahā-mantra he immediately surpasses the great ocean of the material sky and enters the spiritual sky. He never has to come back for repetition of birth and death. Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one can surpass the ocean of death, so Dhruva Mahārāja was certainly able to surpass the illusory magical feats of the Yakṣas, which for the time being disturbed his mind."

Dhruva defeats the Yakṣas (chapter 4.11)

Hearing the advice of the sages, Dhruva became again resolute. He prepared to use the nārāyaṇāstra, a specific arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi Himself. As is the norm for using a mystic weapon, he touched the water used for purification before invoking the astra.

There is no direct description in the Srimad Bhāgavatam about him obtaining this weapon, but in verse 4.11.3 Prabhupada translates the words ārṣa-astram (the weapon of the great sages) as "the weapon given by Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi" and on his purport to verse 4.11.1, he mentions that "Dhruva Mahārāja was given a specific arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself".

Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi is the direct incarnation of the Lord, and by the context of the verses and the description by Srila Prabhupada, it appears that Lord Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi was amongst the sages who instructed Dhruva Maharaja and that He personally delivered the nārāyaṇāstra to him in the battlefield. This weapon could be invoked by Dhruva Maharaja by chanting the holy name of the Lord. In this way, the chanting of the holy name by Dhruva became not just the source of purification and spiritual strength, but also a weapon that could defeat his enemies.

In his purports, Srila Prabhupada makes the connection with the congregational chanting of the holy names. That's our weapon, given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Just as the nārāyaṇāstra allowed Dhruva to defeat all dangers, the congregational chanting can save us from all the perplexities of modern life and put us on the path back to Godhead.

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhāgavatam: sāṅgopāṅgāstra — in this age, the nārāyaṇāstra, or weapon to drive away māyā, is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa."

"Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and māyā, or the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, is like darkness. Darkness means absence of light; similarly, māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness and māyā are always there, side by side. As soon as there is awakening of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the illusory pains and pleasures of material existence are vanquished. Māyām etāṁ taranti te: constant chanting of the mahā-mantra will keep us always aloof from the illusory energy of māyā." (SB 4.11.1-2 purport)

Just as we can instantly dispel all illusions by chanting the holy names in full faith, Dhruva was able to easily dispel the illusions created by the Yakṣas by using the weapon of Lord Vishnu:

"Even as Dhruva Mahārāja fixed the weapon made by Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi onto his bow, arrows with golden shafts and feathers like the wings of a swan flew out from it. They entered the enemy soldiers with a great hissing sound, just as peacocks enter a forest with tumultuous crowing.

Those sharp arrows dismayed the enemy soldiers, who became almost unconscious, but various Yakṣas on the battlefield, in a rage against Dhruva Mahārāja, somehow or other collected their weapons and attacked. Just as serpents agitated by Garuḍa rush towards Garuḍa with upraised hoods, all the Yakṣa soldiers prepared to overcome Dhruva Mahārāja with their upraised weapons." (SB 4.11.3-4)

Some of the soldiers somehow survived the attack of the nārāyaṇāstra and came forward in a last-ditch attempt to overcome Dhruva Maharaja, who quickly dispatched them using his arrows. Because Dhruva was such a great devotee, however, all the Yakṣas killed by him were immediately purified and elevated to Brahmaloka, achieving the same result as perfect Brahmacārīs. Prabhupada mentions that killing performed by the Lord, his pure devotees, or in sacrifices awards great benefit. Animals killed in Vedic sacrifices achieve a human body, demons killed by the Lord attain liberation, and enemies killed by pure devotees of the Lord are also purified.

In his purport to text five, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the value of celibacy, mentioning that generally, sex life is the cause of all miseries in the material world and that even if one does not undergo any specific austerities, penances, or ritualistic ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas, one can elevate himself all the way to Satyaloka after death by just remaining a pure brahmacārī and never discharging his semen. Dhruva however was so pure that the Yakṣas received the same benefit, even though engaged in sexual life and sense gratification and not being very spiritually enlightened, by just being killed by him.

Svāyambhuva Manu instructs Dhruva to stop fighting

The attack of Dhruva against the Yakṣas of Alakāpurī happened due to valid reasons. It was his duty as the king to maintain order. It was his duty to punish the assassin of his brother, and since the Yakṣas offered resistance, it became his duty to pacify them. However, the battle went a little too far, with Dhruva almost exterminating the whole race due to the stubborn resistance of the Yakṣa warriors.

Seeing the scene, Svāyambhuva Manu became compassionate and came forward to pacify Dhruva, accompanied by great sages:

"Lord Manu said: My dear son, please stop. It is not good to become unnecessarily angry — it is the path to hellish life. Now you are going beyond the limit by killing Yakṣas who are actually not offenders.

My dear son, the killing of the sinless Yakṣas which you have undertaken is not at all approved by authorities, and it does not befit our family, which is supposed to know the laws of religion and irreligion.

My dear son, it has been proved that you are very much affectionate towards your brother and are greatly aggrieved at his being killed by the Yakṣas, but just consider: for one Yakṣa’s offense, you have killed many others, who are innocent." (SB 4.11.7-9)

The Yakṣas were also subjects of Dhruva, living in a part of his kingdom. They were also protected by Kuvera. Dhruva had the duty of somehow punishing the culprit for the death of his brother and asserting his authority, but Svāyambhuva Manu argues that this wholesale killing of the Yakṣas was excessive. If Dhruva continued, he would exterminate the whole race, and this would not bring any positive outcome. Prabhupada links these events to modern wars, where there is also wholesale killing that affects so many innocent persons. Such wars are against the principles of human life enunciated by Manu, and thus he was anxious that Dhruva would not fall into this mistake. This delicate balance between a Kṣatriya king waging a religious war and the necessary use of violence is explained by Prabhupada in his purport to text seven:

"A kṣatriya is allowed to kill only for maintenance of the law and order of the state; he is not allowed to kill or commit violence without reason. Violence is certainly a path leading to a hellish condition of life, but it is also required for maintenance of the law and order of the state. Here Lord Manu prohibited Dhruva Mahārāja from killing the Yakṣas because only one of them was punishable for killing his brother, Uttama; not all of the Yakṣa citizens were punishable."

After urging Dhruva to stop his attack, Svāyambhuva Manu gives him instructions from verse 4.11.10 to 4.11.34. These are the main points in the texts and purports:

a) Identifying the body as the self leads one to commit violence against others in the name of personal gratification, just as one animal attacks another to eat its flesh. This path is dangerous for anyone, but it is especially forbidden to devotees who are following the path of devotional service to the Lord and trying to revive their original Krsna consciousness.

b) The body of every living entity is a temple of the Lord since the Lord personally resides there as the Supersoul. Therefore, the unnecessary killing of any living entity is not permitted.

c) Being a pure devotee of the Lord, recognized all over the world, Dhruva Maharaja should act exemplary in order to set the proper example. Similarly, all of us as devotees of the Lord should give example by properly following all the religious and moral principles set by the Lord. The life of a devotee is meant for exemplary behavior.

d) Apart from setting a good example to others and thus helping to uplift society, following spiritual and moral principles is important for our own spiritual development since it satisfies the Lord and attracts His blessings. Neophyte devotees often worship the deity in the temple with devotion but fail to properly respect others, which is not very satisfying to the Lord. Advanced devotees on the other hand see that everyone, by constitutional position, is an eternal servant of the Lord, and therefore are considerate to all and try to elevate them to the platform of Krsna consciousness. "The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality."

e) Everyone in this material world is struggling hard to attain a blissful life, but people do not know how to achieve it. No one can be happy by trying to satisfy his senses, because sense gratification is by nature temporary, while the soul is eternal and can be thus satisfied only by an eternal position. Instead, one should act in such a way that the Lord will be satisfied with his activities. When the Lord is satisfied, the devotee automatically becomes satisfied. Apart from devotees, everyone is trying to satisfy himself, only devotees understand this great secret.

f) All material bodies are created from a combination of the five elements, and the elements in turn are created from the energy of the Lord. In this way, everything ultimately comes from the Lord and is under His full control. With this philosophy, Svāyambhuva Manu wanted to impress upon Dhruva Mahārāja that the death of his brother was not actually the Yakṣas’ fault, but due to the workings of material nature, which in turn acts under the supervision of the Lord. As Krsna explains in the Gita: "The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature."

Dhruva was thus advised to not lament over the death of the material body of his brother and to not seek revenge over it. Instead, he should see the relationship with the body as material and see that the real self, the soul, is never killed by anyone.

g) Krsna and all His potencies are eternal, and being part and parcel of Krsna, we are also eternal. In fact, everything that is real is eternal (nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ). Even the external energy of the Lord, which is the substrate of the material world is eternal, the only thing that is not eternal is this illusory material manifestation. As long we remain under the influence of the illusory potency of the Lord, we face constant birth and death in this material world, chasing illusory material attachments. Manu thus urged Dhruva to become free from material attachment, which is the source of birth and death in this material world.

h) There are many separate causes for the material creation, but behind them, all is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just like there are many causes for the appearance of an earthen pot, but the ultimate cause is the potter making it. Just like a potter is not a pot, Krsna is different from the material creation. Everything is in Krsna, but at the same time, He remains aloof. Krsna is thus simultaneously one and different from everything, as explained in the acintya-bhedābheda-tattva philosophy of Mahāprabhu.

Krsna powers the whole material manifestation, and thus He is the ultimate cause, but at the same time, the creation goes on by the actions and reactions of the actions of the jīvas, performed under the three material modes.

i) Krsna gives the impetus by which many other causes and effects are produced. The whole universe thus moves, just as iron moves by the force of a magnet. One could ask what is this divine force that makes the universe move. Manu answers that this is the time energy, that causes the interactions of the three modes of material nature, leading to the manifestation of numerous energies and the interactions between them. To the untrained observer, it may appear that the Lord is acting materially, but He is not. He remains transcendental even though everything is happening due to His inconceivable power.

The Lord is always merciful to all, but conditioned souls have to face the consequences of the acts performed due to their free will. Krsna creates an environment where the conditioned souls can perform material actions and satisfy their material desires, but He is not responsible for their acts. He has no material attachment, performs no material actions, and is completely free from material illusion and lamentation.

j) Everything material has a beginning and an end. Every human being starts with a father and ends with death, and even the universe itself starts with Brahma and ends with Shiva performing his dance of universal annihilation. The Lord however has no beginning, being rather the beginning of everything. He is inexhaustible, even though everything material is exhausted in due course of time. We should thus seek this Supreme Lord who is behind the cosmic manifestation to attain freedom from birth and death. In the process, we should abandon all petty bodily attachments, as Manu instructs Dhruva Maharaja to do.

k) Inside the material universe, time acts with neutrality upon everyone. No one is his enemy, and no one is his ally. Due to the influence of time, everyone enjoys or suffers the results of their previous actions. This eternal time, which is so powerful is just one of the features of the Supreme Lord, who is unlimitedly powerful. The Lord however is outside the influence of time, and thus there is no question of lessening or increasing His duration of life.

l) If the Lord is impartial and is He who ultimately awards all results, why do some receive more than others? Why do some enjoy very long lifespans, while others live very shortly? The answer is that the Lord simply grants the results of one's past activities. To the materialists He is fully impartial, allowing material nature to reward or punish them according to their actions, but He becomes partial to His devotees due to their bond of love and diminishes or vanquishes the reactions for their previous actions, opening their path back home, back to Godhead.

m) Different classes of mental speculators have different theories for the workings of material nature, but all these theories are imperfect. "The real explanation is that we are eternal servants of God and that as soon as we forget this relationship we are thrown into the material world, where we create our different activities and suffer or enjoy the result. We are drawn into this material world by desire, but the same desire must be purified and employed in the devotional service of the Lord. Then our disease of wandering in the universe under different forms and conditions will end."

n) All the different non-devotee theorists share the same mistake in trying to understand the Absolute Truth: they try to measure it using their limited and imperfect material intelligence, just like a frog in a well trying to measure the ocean based on his knowledge of his small well. Since no conditioned soul can directly experience the Absolute Truth, it is impossible to understand the Lord using their material intelligence. The only process to understand the Lord is to surrender to Him. Only when the Lord reveals himself can the devotee understand Him. Until we come to this point of surrendering to the Lord and serving Him, we remain in the same material darkness we were born.

o) Since the Lord is the cause of all causes, ultimately the Yakṣas are not the actual killers of Dhruva's brother. The Lord creates, maintains, and destroys the material creation and everyone inside of it, just like a bull controlled by its owner through the rope in its nose. Dhruva should thus surrender to the Lord, abandoning any kind of personal ambition.

p) Just as Dhruva had realized the Lord when he was just five years old, he should now, by self-realization, transcend the flickering material differentiation between friends and enemies. Everyone is a soul, part and parcel of Krsna, and thus differences introduced by body and material mentality are illusory and temporary. Dhruva should thus stop seeing the Yakṣas as his enemies or different from him. This spiritual vision of sameness is also described by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita and we all ultimately have to develop it if we are to become free from material entanglement. Factually, no one is an enemy or a friend. Everyone assumes different bodies according to past activities, but as soon we become situated in our original spiritual identity, we don't see differentiation due to the body.

q) Anger must be controlled because it is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual realization. Anger is sometimes necessary while living in the material world, as in the example of the snake, given by Prabhupada in his purport to verse 31, but a devotee should not become angry unnecessarily and should not come under the control of anger when it is manifested. Dhruva was right in punishing the miscreant Yakṣas for the killing of his innocent brother, but Manu was anxious that the anger of his grandson didn't exceed the limit.

r) Since anger is such a formidable enemy, how can it be controlled? It can be checked by constantly hearing about devotional service. Hearing about the Lord and His devotees is the panacea for all material diseases, therefore we should take this process very seriously, just like Parīkṣit Maharaja in the last days of his life. A pure devotee, fixed in meditation of the Lord does not become angry, even when there is provocation, just as in the case of Ambarīṣa Maharaja.

s) Manu also explained that Yakṣas are descendants of Kuvera, who is in turn the brother and an associate of Lord Shiva. All this killing was thus disrespectful to both of them. Dhruva should now submit to Kuvera and try to pacify him with gentle words. Being both devotees of the Lord, Dhruva should maintain a friendly relationship with him.