A Boy Who Wished For His Father's Love
A Boy Who Wished For His Father's Love
Of Selfishness, Love and the North Star.
One day, a five-year-old boy playing in his father’s home looked up from his toys and saw his step-brother sitting on their usually stern father’s lap.
The father was affectionately playing with him, holding him close, one arm wrapped lovingly around his younger son.
Excited and eager for his father’s attention, the boy left his play and ran, calling out, “I too want to sit on Father’s lap! I too want to sit on Father’s lap.”
The sounds of his little bare feet joyfully running across the white marble floors echoed through the hall as he hurried up the stairs.
Just as his father stretched out a welcoming arm, the boy’s stepmother stepped in front of him.
Gripping the boy’s small arms, she said, “No. You haven’t earned the right to sit on your father’s lap. Only my son holds that privilege.”
The boy’s eyes widened, his face crumpling as he looked first at his stepmother, then up at his father in bewilderment.
Showering a loving gaze on his son, the father gently tried to remonstrate with his second wife, but she stood firm.
“Please, Mother, “ pleaded the boy, “I too wish to sit with Father like my brother,” pointing to his step-brother nestled on their father’s lap.
But the stepmother was adamant. The right to sit on his father’s lap was her son’s alone.
Her stepson’s tears failed to move her.
Instead, she informed him, “Had you been born to me, you would have been able to sit there. But now, only the Preserver-God can make it so.”
Pointing toward the exit, she suggested he return to his mother.
The boy stood there watching his step-brother, his stepmother, and then his father in disbelief.
Finally, he turned, tears running down his cheeks, and ran to find his mother in another part of the palatial home.
“Mother, Mother!” he called, breathless and crying as he tumbled into her lap.
Between hiccups and sobs, he explained, “She won’t let me sit on Father’s lap. Why not? What did I do wrong? Why can’t I play with Father like my brother?”
His mother held him close, listening as he recounted his story.
Though she was the elder wife, she had little power over the influence of her rival.
She tried to soothe him into acceptance as the only available choice.
But the boy remained insistent. He would sit on his father’s lap, no matter what it took.
Learning that her husband had not overruled his younger wife, the boy’s mother felt a surge of despair.
In between sobs, and muffled words, the boy still sought answers.
“Is it true that only the Preserver-God can help me? Who is the Preserver-God?”
When her entreaties and distractions failed, the mother finally said to the boy, “Yes, it is true. Only the Preserver-God can help you now. He is all-powerful and can make your wish come true.”
“How can I find Him, Mother? I shall go at once and ask Him my wish.”
Puzzled by his question, she answered, “You must pray to Him, and if you are sincere, He will answer.”
“How do I pray to Him?” her son pressed on, and unable to satisfy his questions, she fell silent.
At that moment, Narada, the wise sage and foremost devotee of the Preserver-God, appeared to test the boy’s resolve.
At first, the sage attempted to dissuade him, but seeing the determination in the boy’s face, he relented.
“Go to a secluded spot in a nearby forest,” Narada advised, “and there begin an austerity that even grown men fear to undertake. Chant this mantra - just three words, but of immense power. Use them to invoke the Preserver-God without thought of food, drink, or life itself.”
“If you have any doubt,” he warned, “forget this path. Stay home, and enjoy the comforts of life.”
But the boy stood up and bowed. “I will not return home until my wish is granted.”
He bid a tearful goodbye to his mother, who wept as she held him close, and promised her he would return very soon.
The sage escorted him to a secluded spot, initiated him with the sacred mantra, and then departed.
The boy was now alone in the forest.
At first, the sounds of the wild frightened him.
But soon, he gathered courage, focusing on his mantra.
Three simple words praising the Preserver-God.
He began to repeat them in earnest, eyes closed.
Day turned to night slowly.
First, he ate berries and roots.
Then, he lived on water alone.
Finally, he fasted.
Days turned into months.
Yet, the boy wavered not.
Without food or drink, he was now sustained only by air, his eyes closed to the outer world.
The power of his meditation caught the attention of the lesser Gods, who became anxious, and tried, but failed, to distract him.
Narada only smiled.
He knew what they did not: the Preserver-God could not resist the pure devotion of the boy.
One morning, after countless months, a gentle voice called to the boy: “Open your eyes, Dhruva.”
When Dhruva opened his eyes, he beheld the Preserver-God Himself, in all His dazzling, four-armed glory.
Overcome with awe, Dhruva wept, as the Preserver-God spoke to him with the love and affection he had yearned for when he began this quest.
Forgetting himself, the boy ran to embrace the Preserver-God as the boundary between child and divine dissolved.
The Preserver-God offered him anything he wished.
But the child had just one wish: the privilege to sit on his father’s lap.
The Preserver-God granted him that and blessed him further, promising that he would one day rule as a wise and brave king, declaring, “Your name will forever be known in the heavens as the North Star, and serve as a guiding light for every human.”
“Go home now to your mother, for she is anxious for your return.”
The Preserver-God vanished, and Dhruva suddenly found himself at the city gates.
“The Prince has returned!” yelled someone in relief as they escorted him into the palace.
At the sight of his parents, the boy turned back into the innocent five year old and ran joyfully into their arms.
His mother, weeping with relief, held him close, and his father, filled with remorse, lifted him with pride and love.
The boy who had left to win his father’s love returned not only as a son but as a legend.
In time, Dhruva grew to be a just and beloved ruler.
Did I mention that his father was a king, and he, a prince?
His courage became a tale told through the ages with a timeless message:
Be persistent and courageous, like the boy Dhruva, who yearned so deeply to be loved that even the Preserver-God yielded to his devotion.
When you are afraid, or feel lost, look up to the North Star - Dhruva - shining steadfast in the night sky.
It is a reminder that when you persevere fearlessly and walk in truth, the Universe cannot but reward you, often in ways that defy imagination.
I hope you enjoyed this retelling!
Jayshree, This was beautiful. It was a new story for me and I really enjoyed reading it.