Purāṇas · Viṣṇu/Vāyu/Matsya/Brahmāṇḍa c. 3rd-5th c. CE; Bhāgavata c. 9th-10th c. CE
अथ तस्मात्परतस्त्रयोदशलक्षयोजनान्तरतो यत्तद्विष्णो: परमं पदमभिवदन्ति यत्र ह महाभागवतो ध्रुव औत्तानपादिरग्निनेन्द्रेण प्रजापतिना कश्यपेन धर्मेण च समकालयुग्भि: सबहुमानं दक्षिणत: क्रियमाण ... ॥ १ ॥
That auspicious devotee of the Lord exists there ever reverentially circled by Agni, Indra, Prajapati, Kasyapa and Dharma, all simultaneously converted into stars; and attaining equal longevity with the beings living for a Kalpa. — J.M. Sanyal (1930s; public domain)
Distinct from Kaśyapa as a member of the Saptarṣi: here he is one of the four never-setting tail stars immediately preceding Dhruva (Viṣṇu P. 2.12.34), and one of the five who circumambulate Dhruva in Bhāgavata 5.23.1. His position next to Dhruva has led several modern writers to propose him as a former pole star. WARNING: Wilson's note 7 to VP 2.12 suggests 'in Kaśyapa we have a verbal affinity to Cassiopeia' — this is 19th-century sound-alike speculation with no textual or commentarial basis and should not be recorded as an identification.
Viṣṇu Purāṇa 2.12.34; Bhāgavata Purāṇa 5.23.1; Vāyu Purāṇa 52.95; Matsya Purāṇa 127.25; Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa 1,23.104 · text · translation