Summary points
Translation: “You are the original rishi, and because your mind is always fixed on Me, even though you will be engaged in generating various progeny, the vicious mode of passion will never encroach upon you.”
Purport: Brahma is favored by the Lord, making his plans infallible.
Brahma’s bewilderment, like Arjuna’s, is for further advancement in transcendental service.
The verse discusses Brahma and Garbhodakashayi Vishnu talking.
There are different forms of Vishnu:
– Garbhodakashayi Vishnu
– Khsirodakashayi Vishnu
– Maha-Vishnu
Brahma talks with Garbhodakashayi Vishnu in this verse and sometimes with Khsirodakashayi Vishnu.
Brahma has the privilege to meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.
Brahma was the firstborn living entity in the universe.
The Supreme Lord reveals Himself; no one introduces Him.
The Supreme Lord is in everyone’s heart, but we cannot understand Him easily.
We must perform tapasya or offer prayers to get a glimpse of Him.
Brahma is meeting Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and understands that He is the Supreme Lord.
The Lord cannot be understood by our own endeavors; He reveals Himself when pleased.
Mother Yashoda could only catch Krishna when He allowed her to bind him.
Meeting the Supreme Lord is not easy; He reveals Himself when He allows it.
Even Ananta Sesa does not fully understand Lord Krishna.
We also do not understand ourselves perfectly.
God is in everyone’s heart, but someone who has advanced on the path must explain.
Analogy: Fire is in wood but needs ignition to manifest.
Similarly, the Supersoul is everywhere but doesn’t manifest without a process.
The process of manifesting the Supersoul involves:
– Chanting
– Reading about the Lord
Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are transcendental sound vibrations.
Contact with divine sound vibrations gives a glimpse of transcendence.
Especially chanting the Hare Krishna mantra.
The Supreme Lord is present in His holy name.
One should be attentive while chanting and listening.
Connect to the Supreme Lord through transcendental sound vibration.
This allows one to rise above the three modes of material nature.
Without the Lord giving His vision, we cannot see Him.
We may have our own perceptions of God and ask for material benedictions.
The Supreme Lord reveals Himself out of His own will when the soul is ready.
Krishna takes away what is unwanted.
He gives devotional service, which cannot be achieved through other means.
At the beginning of creation, Brahma prayed to the Lord.
He heard two syllables and understood he had to perform austerity.
Austerity involves:
– Fasting
– Meditation
– Giving charity
– Reading scriptures
Dedicating work to Krishna.
Activities must be according to scriptural direction.
Fasting helps purify the body, but there is a deeper understanding.
Upawas means “staying closer to God.”
Fasting with remembrance of the Lord is more beneficial.
Activities dedicated to Lord Krishna, under scriptural guidance, become ‘karma’.
Offer ‘bhoga’ to Krishna before eating.
Teaching Bhagavad Gita uplifts both the teacher and the listener.
Speaking and discussing Lord Krishna has tremendous benefit.
The Supreme Lord reveals Himself and gives knowledge.
Brahma performed ‘tapasya’, and the Supreme Lord revealed Himself as the Lord of Vaikuntha.
Lord shook hands with Brahma.
Brahma understood he had a mission to create.
The Lord spoke ‘Chatuhsloki Bhagavatam’ in the Second Canto.
He explained that He was, is, and will always exist.
Just by seeing, we cannot get the complete understanding.
To understand God, one has to hear about God.
Hear about God from authorities and scriptures.
Brahma understood everything from four verses, while we struggle with one.
Even the same speaker will speak differently each time.
The Lord gave Brahma assurance.
Brahma has come to the conclusion of devotional service.
He tried karma, jnana, and austerities.
Brahma studied the Vedas three times.
Through devotional service, one can understand the Supreme Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatam is the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge.
We cannot understand the original Vedas.
Understanding Srimad Bhagavatam gives a glimpse of the Supreme Lord.
This knowledge is divine but has been made simple by Srila Prabhupada.
We need explanation and must read it again and again.
In the previous chapter, Brahma performed austerities for 1000 celestial years.
In this chapter, it is explained that he performed austerities for 100 years of his life.
Every time, Brahma has to perform austerities to understand something.
Real austerity is to go deeper into our own consciousness to understand our own self.
Spirituality (adhyatma) means trying to understand ourselves perfectly.
Discovering our self.
By going more deeper in the scriptures.
There is a spiritual aspect to one’s personality.
One transcends material differences.
One discovers oneself in a more upgraded version.
There is no stagnation in spiritual life.
The spiritual world is eternal.
There will be always newer understanding.
Otherwise we may get a limited perception of the Supreme Lord.
God cannot steal butter?
Brahma has an understanding of the supremacy, divinity, and greatness of the Lord.
He had not seen the sweetness of the Lord.
Brahma is also one of the ‘gunavataras’ (mode of passion).
Shiva is in the mode of ignorance.
Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh are three great personalities of the universe.
Brahma is not like one of the living entities like us.
The original person in this universe.
Brahma was allowed to create various species.
All species are influenced by the three modes.
Srila Prabhupada explains that there are 8,400,000 species.
Three modes of material nature combine to create these species.
So many species are scattered all the way all over the universe.
There are species everywhere in the universe.
That is how the creation has taken place.
Brahma knew that it is thankless task.
He may get affected.
He may develop that pride.
He is praying to the Supreme Lord that please allow me become instrumental in this service.
Please protect me so that I don’t become proud that I have done something.
Brahma knew that he may get affected and therefore he is praying.
He is trying to protect his consciousness.
He is telling Lord that please protect my consciousness so that I don’t become proud of my creation.
Supreme Lord also knows that Brahma has come to that state so I will protect you.
Earlier Brahma was tested so many times.
Lord also assured that, now you will not be affected by material energy after speaking Chatuhshloki Bhagavatam.
And then we can see that when Supreme Lord came as Lord Krishna 5,000 years before.
5,000 years before if we now calculate the timelines we will see that 5,000 years is nothing actually it is like just few days before.
Compared with the beginning of the creation and the beginning of the day or Brahma, Brahma’s beginning of the day, if you calculate it can turn out to be around 2 billion years of this day this day of Brahma if you calculate it can become 2 billion years around.
That is a beginning of the day, this day of Brahma is 2 billion years according to earthly years.
So compared with that 5,000 years is nothing isn’t it.
It is just like a one rupee compared with crores, giving crores of rupees.
5,000 years before mother Bhumi was overburdened with so many sinful activity.
There were so many sinful people.
They were troubling.
Mathura was captured by Kansa and his demonic forces were continuously troubling all the Mathuravasis, Vrajawasis.
So there were lot of chaos in Mathura Vrindavan.
And that time mother Bhumi could not handle that stress too much.
It was too much for mother Bhumi.
Every day there was some disturbance.
So mother Bhumi she took the form of a cow, gomata and she went to Brahma.
And she pleaded Brahma, please Brahmaji you are the one in this universe.
And you have connections, I mean good connections so I am approaching you.
You can approach the supreme lord, you can go to Shwetadvipa, I can not go.
You can go on swan carrier and pray to please ask lord to do something.
Mother Bhumi came like this kind of, so much distressed condition.
She was too much distressed, she could not handle and she was coming in the form of cow.
So Brahma was kind of mellowed down and he understood that yeah there’s a emergency now he has to do something.
So, Brahma, Shiva, all the demigods approached lord of Shwetadvipa.
He doesn’t come here in this material disturbance.
Nobody can disturb Vishnu like that.
So when Brahma was given that position to look after this universe he was given Brahmaloka, Satyaloka
But Vishnu is not like that.
Vishnu’s position is eternal.
Vishnu’s post is eternal.
Shiva’s post is almost eternal because he also doesn’t get so much involved in the material activities.
But Brahma’s post is temporary.
His post is not permanent.
Sometimes other jivatma can become Brahma.
It is possible.
So what happens to that Brahma?
That Brahma mostly he goes back to God.
He will not come back again in this material world or sometimes he may come down also.
That is also possible because that is the nature of this mental world.
Brahma can also come down.
Mostly he goes up but he may come down also.