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Dhruva Stuti Meaning — Line by Line

ध्रुव स्तुति

Every verse and every word explained in English & Hindi

Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of Dhruva Stuti with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

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  1. Verse 1. yo 'ntaḥ praviśya mama vācam imāṃ prasuptāṃ
  2. Verse 2. ekas tvam eva bhagavann idam ātma-śaktyā
  3. Verse 3. tvad-dattayā vayunayedam acaṣṭa viśvaṃ
  4. Verse 4. nūnaṃ vimuṣṭa-matayas tava māyayā te
  5. Verse 5. yā nirvṛtis tanu-bhṛtāṃ tava pāda-padma-
  6. Verse 6. bhaktiṃ muhuḥ pravahatāṃ tvayi me prasaṅgo
  7. Verse 7. te na smaranty atitarāṃ priyam īśa martyaṃ
  8. Verse 8. tiryaṅ-naga-dvija-sarīsṛpa-deva-daitya-
  9. Verse 9. kalpānta etad akhilaṃ jaṭhareṇa gṛhṇan
  10. Verse 10. tvaṃ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddha ātmā
  11. Verse 11. yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṃ patanti
  12. Verse 12. satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṃs tava pāda-padmam
Verse 1#

yo 'ntaḥ praviśya mama vācam imāṃ prasuptāṃ

योऽन्तः प्रविश्य मम वाचमिमां प्रसुप्तां सञ्जीवयत्यखिलशक्तिधरः स्वधाम्ना अन्यांश्च हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन् प्राणान्नमो भगवते पुरूषाय तुभ्यम्

yo 'ntaḥ praviśya mama vācam imāṃ prasuptāṃ sañjīvayaty akhila-śakti-dharaḥ sva-dhāmnā | anyāṃś ca hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvag-ādīn prāṇān namo bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyam || 1 ||

MeaningMy Lord, You are the all-powerful holder of every potency. Having entered within me, You have, by Your own splendour, revived my dormant power of speech, and also enlivened my other faculties — my hands, legs, ears, sense of touch and life-energy. Unto You, the Supreme Person, I offer my obeisances.

Verse 2#

ekas tvam eva bhagavann idam ātma-śaktyā

एकस्त्वमेव भगवन्निदमात्मशक्त्या मायाख्ययोरुगुणया महदाद्यशेषम् सृष्ट्वानुविश्य पुरुषस्तदसद्गुणेषु नानेव दारुषु विभावसुवद्विभासि

ekas tvam eva bhagavann idam ātma-śaktyā māyākhyayoru-guṇayā mahad-ādy-aśeṣam | sṛṣṭvānuviśya puruṣas tad-asad-guṇeṣu nāneva dāruṣu vibhāvasu-vad vibhāsi || 2 ||

MeaningYou alone, O Lord, by Your own potency called Maya with its mighty modes, create this entire universe beginning with the mahat-tattva, and then enter within it as the indwelling Person, appearing as if manifold among its qualities — just as fire, though one, appears variously in pieces of wood.

Verse 3#

tvad-dattayā vayunayedam acaṣṭa viśvaṃ

त्वद्दत्तया वयुनयेदमचष्ट विश्वं सुप्तप्रबुद्ध इव नाथ भवत्प्रपन्नः तस्यापवर्ग्यशरणं तव पादमूलं विस्मर्यते कृतविदा कथमार्तबन्धो

tvad-dattayā vayunayedam acaṣṭa viśvaṃ supta-prabuddha iva nātha bhavat-prapannaḥ | tasyāpavargya-śaraṇaṃ tava pāda-mūlaṃ vismaryate kṛta-vidā katham ārta-bandho || 3 ||

MeaningBy the intelligence You bestow, this surrendered soul perceives the whole world, like one awakened from sleep, O Lord. How then could a wise person, O friend of the afflicted, ever forget the soles of Your feet, which alone are the shelter granting liberation?

Verse 4#

nūnaṃ vimuṣṭa-matayas tava māyayā te

नूनं विमुष्टमतयस्तव मायया ते ये त्वां भवाप्ययविमोक्षणमन्यहेतोः अर्चन्ति कल्पकतरुं कुणपोपभोग्य- मिच्छन्ति यत्स्पर्शजं निरयेऽपि नॄणाम्

nūnaṃ vimuṣṭa-matayas tava māyayā te ye tvāṃ bhavāpyaya-vimokṣaṇam anya-hetoḥ | arcanti kalpaka-taruṃ kuṇapopabhogyam icchanti yat sparśajaṃ niraye 'pi nṝṇām || 4 ||

MeaningSurely their intelligence is stolen away by Your Maya — those who worship You, the desire-fulfilling tree, for some other end such as deliverance from the cycle of birth and death; for the pleasures they crave are corpse-like enjoyments, obtainable even in hell.

Verse 5#

yā nirvṛtis tanu-bhṛtāṃ tava pāda-padma-

या निर्वृतिस्तनुभृतां तव पादपद्म- ध्यानाद्भवज्जनकथाश्रवणेन वा स्यात् सा ब्रह्मणि स्वमहिमन्यपि नाथ मा भूत् किं‍त्वन्तकासिलुलितात्पततां विमानात्

yā nirvṛtis tanu-bhṛtāṃ tava pāda-padma- dhyānād bhavaj-jana-kathā-śravaṇena vā syāt | sā brahmaṇi sva-mahimany api nātha mā bhūt kiṃ tv antakāsi-lulitāt patatāṃ vimānāt || 5 ||

MeaningMy Lord, may the bliss that embodied beings derive from meditating upon Your lotus feet, or from hearing the glories of Your devotees, never be exchanged even for merging into the impersonal Brahman of Your own effulgence — let alone for the heavenly pleasures of those whose airplanes are shattered by the sword of death.

Verse 6#

bhaktiṃ muhuḥ pravahatāṃ tvayi me prasaṅgo

भक्तिं मुहुः प्रवहतां त्वयि मे प्रसङ्गो भूयादनन्त महताममलाशयानाम् येनाञ्जसोल्बणमुरुव्यसनं भवाब्धिं नेष्ये भवद्गुणकथामृतपानमत्तः

bhaktiṃ muhuḥ pravahatāṃ tvayi me prasaṅgo bhūyād ananta mahatām amalāśayānām | yenāñjasolbaṇam uru-vyasanaṃ bhavābdhiṃ neṣye bhavad-guṇa-kathāmṛta-pāna-mattaḥ || 6 ||

MeaningO unlimited Lord, may I always have the association of those great, pure-hearted souls whose devotion to You flows ceaselessly; for, intoxicated by drinking the nectar of narrations of Your qualities, I shall easily cross this fearsome ocean of material existence with its terrible dangers.

Verse 7#

te na smaranty atitarāṃ priyam īśa martyaṃ

ते स्मरन्त्यतितरां प्रियमीश मर्त्यं ये चान्वदः सुतसुहृद्गृहवित्तदाराः ये त्वब्जनाभ भवदीयपदारविन्द- सौगन्ध्यलुब्धहृदयेषु कृतप्रसङ्गाः

te na smaranty atitarāṃ priyam īśa martyaṃ ye cānv adaḥ suta-suhṛd-gṛha-vitta-dārāḥ | ye tv abja-nābha bhavadīya-padāravinda- saugandhya-lubdha-hṛdayeṣu kṛta-prasaṅgāḥ || 7 ||

MeaningThose, O Lord, who have developed attachment for the hearts of devotees greedy for the fragrance of Your lotus feet, O lotus-naveled one, no longer cherish even the dearest things of this mortal world — sons, friends, home, wealth and wife.

Verse 8#

tiryaṅ-naga-dvija-sarīsṛpa-deva-daitya-

तिर्यङ्नगद्विजसरीसृपदेवदैत्य- मर्त्यादिभिः परिचितं सदसद्विशेषम् रूपं स्थविष्ठमज ते महदाद्यनेकं नातः परं परम वेद्मि यत्र वादः

tiryaṅ-naga-dvija-sarīsṛpa-deva-daitya- martyādibhiḥ paricitaṃ sad-asad-viśeṣam | rūpaṃ sthaviṣṭham aja te mahad-ādy-anekaṃ nātaḥ paraṃ parama vedmi na yatra vādaḥ || 8 ||

MeaningO unborn one, I know this gross universal form of Yours, made of the mahat-tattva and the rest, populated by beasts, trees, birds, reptiles, gods, demons, humans and all manner of beings, both manifest and unmanifest. Beyond it I know that supreme reality of Yours about which there can be no dispute.

Verse 9#

kalpānta etad akhilaṃ jaṭhareṇa gṛhṇan

कल्पान्त एतदखिलं जठरेण गृह्णन् शेते पुमान् स्वदृगनन्तसखस्तदङ्के यन्नाभिसिन्धुरुहकाञ्चनलोकपद्म- गर्भे द्युमान् भगवते प्रणतोऽस्मि तस्मै

kalpānta etad akhilaṃ jaṭhareṇa gṛhṇan śete pumān sva-dṛg ananta-sakhas tad-aṅke | yan-nābhi-sindhu-ruha-kāñcana-loka-padma- garbhe dyumān bhagavate praṇato 'smi tasmai || 9 ||

MeaningI offer my obeisances to that Supreme Lord who, at the end of the cosmic cycle, holds this entire creation within His belly and lies down, self-luminous, beside Ananta-Sesha as His companion, while from the ocean of His navel sprouts the golden lotus on which the radiant Brahma takes birth.

Verse 10#

tvaṃ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddha ātmā

त्वं नित्यमुक्तपरिशुद्धविबुद्ध आत्मा कूटस्थ आदिपुरुषो भगवांस्त्र्यधीशः यद्बुद्ध्यवस्थितिमखण्डितया स्वदृष्ट्या द्रष्टा स्थितावधिमखो व्यतिरिक्त आस्से १०

tvaṃ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddha ātmā kūṭa-stha ādi-puruṣo bhagavāṃs try-adhīśaḥ | yad-buddhy-avasthitim akhaṇḍitayā sva-dṛṣṭyā draṣṭā sthitāv adhimakho vyatirikta āsse || 10 ||

MeaningYou are the eternally liberated, perfectly pure, fully awakened Self, the unchanging original Person, the Lord of the three (modes / worlds). By Your undivided vision You remain the witness of every state of intelligence, presiding over creation and maintenance, yet ever distinct and aloof.

Verse 11#

yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṃ patanti

यस्मिन् विरुद्धगतयो ह्यनिशं पतन्ति विद्यादयो विविधशक्तय आनुपूर्व्यात् तद्ब्रह्म विश्वभवमेकमनन्तमाद्य- मानन्दमात्रमविकारमहं प्रपद्ये ११

yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṃ patanti vidyādayo vividha-śaktaya ānupūrvyāt | tad brahma viśva-bhavam ekam anantam ādyam ānanda-mātram avikāram ahaṃ prapadye || 11 ||

MeaningI take shelter of that Brahman — the source of the universe, one, unlimited, primeval, pure bliss alone and free of all change — in whom contradictory powers such as knowledge and ignorance and various other potencies eternally arise in succession.

Verse 12#

satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṃs tava pāda-padmam

सत्याशिषो हि भगवंस्तव पादपद्म- माशीस्तथानुभजतः पुरुषार्थमूर्तेः अप्येवमार्य भगवान् परिपाति दीनान् वाश्रेव वत्सकमनुग्रहकातरोऽस्मान् १२

satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṃs tava pāda-padmam āśīs tathānubhajataḥ puruṣārtha-mūrteḥ | apy evam ārya bhagavān paripāti dīnān vāśreva vatsakam anugraha-kātaro 'smān || 12 ||

MeaningO Lord, true indeed are the blessings won by serving Your lotus feet, for You are the very embodiment of life's supreme goal. And yet, O noble one, the Lord protects His poor devotees even beyond their prayers — as a mother cow, anxious with affection, tends her helpless calf.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

योऽन्तः प्रविश्य
yo 'ntaḥ praviśya
He who, having entered within
मम वाचमिमां प्रसुप्ताम्
mama vācam imāṃ prasuptām
this my dormant (sleeping) power of speech
सञ्जीवयति
sañjīvayati
enlivens, brings to life
अखिलशक्तिधरः
akhila-śakti-dharaḥ
the holder of all potencies, all-powerful
स्वधाम्ना
sva-dhāmnā
by His own splendour / personal energy
हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन्
hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvag-ādīn
the hands, legs, ears, skin and other (senses)
प्राणान्
prāṇān
the life-airs / vital energies
नमो भगवते पुरुषाय तुभ्यम्
namo bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyam
obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
एकस्त्वमेव भगवन्
ekas tvam eva bhagavan
You alone are the one Lord, O Bhagavan
आत्मशक्त्या मायाख्यया
ātma-śaktyā māyākhyayā
by Your own potency known as Maya
नानेव दारुषु विभावसुवत्
nāneva dāruṣu vibhāvasu-vat
appearing as many, like fire (hidden) within pieces of wood
सुप्तप्रबुद्ध इव
supta-prabuddha iva
like one awakened from sleep
अपवर्ग्यशरणम्
apavargya-śaraṇam
the shelter that grants liberation
तव पादमूलम्
tava pāda-mūlam
the soles of Your feet
आर्तबन्धो
ārta-bandho
O friend of the distressed
कल्पकतरुम्
kalpaka-tarum
the desire-fulfilling tree (kalpa-vriksha)
भक्तिं मुहुः प्रवहताम्
bhaktiṃ muhuḥ pravahatām
those whose devotion flows perpetually
अनन्त
ananta
O unlimited one
भवद्गुणकथामृतपानमत्तः
bhavad-guṇa-kathāmṛta-pāna-mattaḥ
intoxicated by drinking the nectar of narrations of Your qualities
अब्जनाभ
abja-nābha
O lotus-naveled Lord
पदारविन्दसौगन्ध्य
padāravinda-saugandhya
the fragrance of Your lotus feet
नित्यमुक्तपरिशुद्धविबुद्धः
nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddhaḥ
eternally liberated, perfectly pure and fully awakened
आदिपुरुषः
ādi-puruṣaḥ
the original Person
आनन्दमात्रमविकारम्
ānanda-mātram avikāram
pure bliss alone, without any change
वाश्रेव वत्सकम्
vāśreva vatsakam
as a cow lovingly tends her newborn calf

Origin & History

Source: Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Canto 4, Chapter 9, verses 6–17 (Dhruva-krita Bhagavat-stuti)

Author: Sage Veda-Vyasa (as spoken by Dhruva Maharaja)

Period: Classical Puranic era

Dhruva, the five-year-old son of King Uttanapada, was insulted by his stepmother and resolved to attain a position higher than anyone had ever known. Guided by the sage Narada, he performed severe austerities in the forest at Madhuvana, meditating on Lord Vishnu. Pleased by his determination, the Lord appeared before him. The boy, overwhelmed and unable to speak, was touched on the cheek by the Lord's conch, and at once these twelve verses of glorification poured from his awakened heart. Having seen God, Dhruva no longer cared for the kingdom he had sought, and was ultimately granted the eternal, never-falling abode of the pole star, Dhruva-loka.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dhruva Stuti?
The Dhruva Stuti is the prayer offered by the child-devotee Dhruva Maharaja to Lord Vishnu after the Lord appeared before him. It is found in the Srimad Bhagavata Purana (Canto 4, Chapter 9, verses 6 to 17) and consists of twelve verses of profound surrender and devotion.
Why is Dhruva's prayer so celebrated?
Dhruva originally undertook austerity to gain a kingdom greater than his father's, but upon meeting the Lord his desire was transformed. In this stuti he asks for nothing material — only the association of pure devotees and ceaseless devotion — making it a classic example of pure, motiveless bhakti.
How did Dhruva, a child, speak such elevated prayers?
The Bhagavata relates that the boy was struck speechless on beholding the Lord. Lord Vishnu then touched Dhruva's cheek with His conchshell, whereupon his power of speech and inspiration awakened — and these twelve verses spontaneously flowed from his heart, as the opening verse itself describes.
When is the Dhruva Stuti recited?
It is recited during study of the Srimad Bhagavata, on Ekadashi and Janmashtami, and as a personal prayer of surrender. Devotees facing difficulty or worldly ambition draw inspiration from Dhruva, who turned his striving toward the Lord and attained the eternal pole-star abode (Dhruva-loka).

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