Dhruva

Dhruva
Dhruva becomes the Pole Star circa 1740
Dhruva as the Pole star, a Pahari painting by Manaku c. 1740
Devanagariध्रुव
AffiliationDevotee of Vishnu
AbodeDhruvaloka in outer space
Genealogy
ParentsUttānapāda and Suniti
SpouseBrāhmī and Ilā
Children
  • Kalpa and Vatsara (from Brāhmī)[1]
  • Utkala (from Ilā)[2]

Dhruva (Sanskrit: ध्रुव, IAST: Dhruva, lit. "unshakeable, immovable, or fixed") was an ascetic devotee of Vishnu mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana.[3]

The Sanskrit term dhruva nakshatra (ध्रुव नक्षत्र, "polar star") has been used for Pole Star in the Mahabharata, personified as son of Uttānapāda and grandson of Manu, even though Polaris at the likely period of the recension of the text of the Mahabharata was still several degrees away from the celestial pole.[4][5]

  1. ^ Motilal Bansaridas Publisher's Bhagavata Purana Book 2 Skandha IV Page: 489
  2. ^ Motilal Bansaridas Publisher's Bhagavata Purana Book 2 Skandha IV Page: 489
  3. ^ Linda Johnsen. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism, 2nd Edition: A New Look at the World’s Oldest Religion. Penguin. p. 216. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  4. ^ Aiyangar Narayan (1987). Essays On Indo-Aryan Mythology-Vol. Asian Educational Services. p. 1.
  5. ^ Klaus G. Witz (1998). The Supreme Wisdom of the Upaniṣads: An Introduction. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. p. 26.