Dhruva, with deep humility and reverence, bowed before the Supreme Lord and spoke: “O Lord, I offer my salutations to you, whose very form is the earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, the primordial elements, and nature itself. You, who are pure, subtle, all-pervading, and who transcend even primordial matter—you are the Supreme Person, the embodiment of all qualities, and to you I bow. Among all elements and their attributes, among intellect and primordial matter, you alone are eternal. You are even beyond the Supreme Person. I take refuge in you, O Supreme Lord, whose form is pure, who is the very soul of Brahman, and the master of all worlds. Homage to that form called Brahman, vast and expansive, the inner self of all, conceivable by yogis and unchanging. You are the Purusha with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; pervading everything, you extend beyond the earth by ten fingers’ breadth. O Supreme Purusha, you are what has been and what will be; from you arise the Virat, Svarat, Samrat, and the supreme ruler. You surpassed and supported the earth in all directions—across, above, and below. From you this universe was born, and from you it will come to be. This entire world and all beings within dwell inside you, who bear all forms. From you arise the sacrifice, the offerings, the clarified butter, and the twofold sacrificial animal. From you were born the Rig and Sama hymns, from you the meters arose; from you the Yajur verses were generated, and from you, horses were given in a single act. Cows came from you, as did strength, birds, and wild animals. From your mouth came the Brahmins, from your arms the Kshatriyas were born. From your thighs came the Vaishyas, from your feet the Shudras emerged. From your eyes came the sun, from your breath the wind, from your mind the moon. From your breath was born the vital air, from your mouth arose fire; from your navel came the sky, and from your head heaven was formed. From your ears came the directions, from your feet the earth; from you, everything came into being. Just as the great banyan tree is contained in a tiny seed, so too the entire universe, as its seed, is contained in you in restraint. As the banyan tree arises from the sprout that comes from the seed and spreads out, so too does the universe expand from you at creation. Just as in the plantain tree no part is seen apart from its layers and leaves, so too, O steadfast Lord, none other than you is seen in the universe. The powers of delight, cohesion, and consciousness—all are one in you, present in all; pleasure and pain, and their mixture, exist in you, who are free from all qualities. Homage to you, who are both distinct and one, the essence of all beings; homage to you, who are the soul of all that exists, the abundant source of all beings. The manifest, the primal matter and spirit, the Virat, Samrat, and Svarat—all these are perceived in the inner faculty, but you are imperishable in all beings. You are present in all, the essence of every being, bearing every form; all comes from you and returns to you—homage to you, the soul of all. You are the self of all, the Lord of all, abiding in every being; what more can I say to you, who know all that is hidden in the heart? O Soul of all, Lord of all beings, source of all living creatures, you are present in all beings and know the desires of every living being. O Lord, the wish I cherished has been fulfilled by you; the austerity I performed has borne fruit, for I have seen you, Lord of the universe.” The Blessed Lord smiled and replied: “Dhruva, the fruit of your austerity is that you have seen me. For, O prince, the vision of me is never fruitless. Therefore, choose a boon as you desire; for when a person comes within my sight, everything becomes possible for him.” Dhruva replied with folded hands: “O Lord, ruler of past and future, you dwell in the heart of all; what is unknown to you, O divine one, of what I have thought in my mind? Yet, O Lord of the gods, I will tell you what I, with my misguided and unworthy heart, desire, though it is exceedingly difficult to obtain. For what could be unattainable, O creator of all worlds, when you are pleased? Even Indra, king of the gods, enjoys the fruits of your favor. This royal seat, my stepmother declared in a loud voice, is not fit for one not born from her womb. Therefore, O Lord, I seek from you an imperishable place, the highest of all, the support of the universe, by your grace.” The Blessed Lord responded: “The place you seek, you shall indeed obtain; you pleased me before, O child, in a previous birth. You were formerly a son of Brahma, always devoted to me with single-mindedness, serving your parents and upholding your own duty. As time passed, a prince became your friend—youthful, enjoying all pleasures, handsome, and radiant in form. Seeing his extraordinary prosperity, which is rarely attained, and associating with him, you wished: ‘May I become a prince.’ Thus, as you desired, you have attained princely birth; you were born, O rare one, in the house of Uttānapāda. The position you have in the lineage of Svāyambhuva is difficult for others to attain. Moreover, O child, by whom I was satisfied in that other birth—whoever worships me attains liberation without delay. O child, what need is there for heaven or any such state for one whose mind is fixed on me? By my grace, you shall obtain a place above the three worlds, the abode of all stars and planets, Dhruva—there is no doubt.