Brahmā's Prayers for Creative Energy

In the Ninth Chapter, after praising Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the soul of the universe, Brahmā gains power to create the universe by the Lord’s mercy.

This verse shows that after attaining mercy one can meet the Lord and know the Lord. Today, you are known by me, after meditating on you for a long time. I was thinking that I will meditate on the form I had understood through previous meditation, because I had never meditated on such a beautiful form before. My pretense of knowledge was useless. I expected to see the Lord in the form upon which I meditated. That was futile, since a particle of your beauty cannot be compared to the beauty of a huge emerald, a blue lotus or a fresh cloud. But even meditating on the form I knew, you became visible in this beautiful form. The greatness of your mercy cannot be expressed in words. One who personally experiences your sweetness laments for others. Those who have bodies are full of fault (avadyam)—they do not know the true nature (gatiḥ) of the Supreme Lord. They do not experience the Lord’s sweetness and beauty. For the embodied being, worship of you is the goal, since it is possible to realize your beautiful form in that body.

“Is there not some object with similar sweetness in this variegated world, since you are saying that without realizing the Lord life is a waste of time?” There is nothing other than you that is a worthy object of knowledge. There is nothing other than Bhagavān at all. There is no object to be relished by the eye or ear except the spiritual beauty and glories indicated by the word bhaga in Bhagavān, the possessor of bhaga.

“But does not the happiness of Svarga give pleasure to the senses?” That happiness is not pure. Being temporary, it is not eternal, and is disagreeable because of change. It is limited and low. But it is also impure, endowed with a taste for association with lusty crows--not to be seen in the followers of the Lord who are like swans, unattached to worldly enjoyment. Because this is the effect of your māyā-śakti, it is not different from you. Because of transformation of the guṇas of māyā, it appears great (uru), ruling over Svarga and other places.

“But this form that you have described is current, something you see today. If it is recent it is not eternal. You words show that.” Worrying that the Lord will joke in this way, Brahmā speaks. Because it is caused by the appearance of the cit-śakti arising from your svarūpa, your form is eternally devoid of māyā (tamasaḥ). Because the form is eternal, the word gṛhītam cannot mean that the Lord accepted this form at some time. It simply means that the form appeared. This is the opinion of Śrīdhara Svāmī. The Sandarbha says that grḥītam means that the form is brought before the devotees’ vision. Some persons with material minds will say that this means that the Lord accepts material qualities. Other say that it means the form is accepted by the influence of the cit-śakti (avabodha-rasodayena).

“But some say that the original form is Brahman without qualities, not the Lord with qualities.” O Supreme Lord (parama)! I do not see this form as different from your form of Brahman which is without qualities (avikalpam) and only bliss (ānanda-mātram). But this form includes the Brahman. The Brahman does not include this form. O Lord whose effulgence is not restricted by time or space!. Your effulgence is all pervading. That effulgence is the Brahman. In Hari-vaṁśa the Lord tells Arjuna yat paraṁ paramaṁ brahma sarvaṁ vibhajate jaga. mamaiva tadghanaṁ tejo jñātumarhasi bhārata: O Bhārata, this supreme Brahman lights up the whole universe; you should know that it is my condensed light. “Though Brahman and the personal form are one, where do you reside, with the Brahman or the personal form?” I take shelter of the one form (ekam) of you (te) who create the universe (viśva-sṛjam). “But you, Brahmā, create this universe.” You are also different from the universe. You are spiritual (aviśvam), whereas I am material, because I have pride (madaḥ) that I can gain pleasure by body, senses and mind. He criticizes himself as material.

You are auspicious for the whole world! The materialists do not respect the form that you show for giving auspiciousness to us. I offer respects to you repeatedly.

“Why do you not take shelter of the impersonal Brahman?” The form with qualities is for the giving benefit of artha, dharma, kāma and mokṣa to the people of the fourteen planetary systems. Worship of the personal form produces these benefits. Doing otherwise is useless. Worship of the impersonal form will not give these results. That personal form was revealed to me in my meditation. I did not see the impersonal Brahman. Therefore the personal form is much more merciful. I thus offer respects to you, the personal form, an ocean of spiritual qualities. Let me serve only you (anuvidhema). What service can I do for you? “But some persons say that this form is not full of eternity, knowledge and bliss, but material, and do not respect it.” It is not respected by those who will fall to hell (nakara-bhāgbhiḥ) and who indulge in thinking (prasaḍgaiḥ), “That form is false (asat),” or by those who associate with materialists.

The worshippers of the impersonal Brahman are described as jñānīs in the scriptures. The worshippers of the person form are described as devotees. Among the two types of people, the devotees are successful and dear to the Lord. This is explained in two verses. Śruti refers to the Vedas or to the process of hearing in bhakti. The devotees smell through the ears the fragrance of your lotus feet brought by the wind of the Vedas or the hearing process, and accept your feet as the final goal of human endeavor with the highest devotion, prema-bhakti, like bees eager for the fragrance of your lotus feet. Just as they do not give up their greed for your lotus feet, you also do not give up them, being greedy for their lotus hearts filled with sweet prema. They mutually bring each other under control.

“But the devotees, if they have wives, children and wealth, are also materialists.” No, this is not true. Materialists suffer continued material existence (bhayam) caused by attachment to wealth, body, and friends. This existence consists of lamentation, desire, defeat, and great greed as long as they do not accept your lotus feet as having power. Or to speak in the opposite way, if they accept those feet completely, then by attachment to you, they will give up attachment to wealth etc. And if one is a devotee and has attachment to wealth etc. one should still not worry. The bite of a snake whose two front teeth have been extracted does not cause suffering. Thus, just accepting your feet as worthy of service destroys the very cause of material existence. Later it will be said:

tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās tāvat kārā-gṛhaṁ gṛham

tāvan moho ’ḍghri-nigaòo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ

My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, until people become your devotees, their material attachments and desires remain thieves, their homes remain prisons, and their affectionate feelings for their family members remain foot-shackles. SB 10.14.36

The word tāvat has been used in both verse, making the case strong. Thus in this verse three types of devotees have been described: those who have great attachment to the Lord (described in the previous verse); those at the stage of anartha-nivṛtti described in the first part of the present verse; and those who have not accomplished anartha-nivṛrti, described in the last part of the present verse.

“Well, if that is case, then everyone would be intelligent and surrender to my feet. Who would be left in the world?” This verse replies. Daivena means by evil effects arising from offenses to you. Akuśalāni means activities for enjoyment and forbidden actions.

I lament for others also who are like animals, devoid of understanding their own benefit. Living entities (imāḥ) suffer because of hunger, thirst; from vāta, pitta and śleṣma (tridhātubhiḥ); from heat, cold, wind and rain; from each other (itaretarāt), such as their sons and wives; from the fire of lust and continual anger, which are difficult to bear (sudurbharena). Seeing those suffering entities, I suffer in my mind. I become depressed thinking, “How can these living beings be delivered?”

“Why do you lament for material existence since it is worthless?” As long as the jīva experiences life in terms of his body (pṛthakvam), which possesses the strength of the Lord’s māyā as senses objects, material existence, though useless and insubstantial, will not be destroyed. Material existence gives a multitude of grief (duḥkha-nivaham) and gives results for all actions.

One should not say that material existence, caused by ignorance, will be destroyed by jñāna, because even jñānīs, devoid of bhakti, continue in the material world. The sages described in this verse, averse to your association, continue in this world. Sometimes munayaḥ is seen instead of ṛsayaḥ. What types of sages are these? They have disturbed senses (ārta-karaṇāḥ), engaged during the day. They have enjoyable objects (artha-racanā) bestowed to them by karma. Three types of persons trapped in the material world are described: the karmī, addicted to sin, described in verse 7, the fool bewildered by hunger and thirst described in verse 8, and the jñānī described in this verse.

Bhakti, even without jñāna, delivers one from material existence. But more than that, by bhakti the Lord becomes dependent on the devotee. Bhāvita means “infused with.” Amara-koṣa says bhāvita means infused in all three genders. You sit on the lotus in the devotees’ hearts infused completely (pari) with bhakti-yoga. Or the phrase can mean “in the devotees’ hearts, manifested by bhakti-yoga.” Bhāvita is the past participle form. Bhakti-yoga is the cause of the Lord’s manifesting himself. You enter the hearts of the devotees and remain there (āsse). You do not leave. This is confirmed by verse 5. nāpaiṣi nātha hṛdayāmburuhāt sva-puṁsām: you do not give up the lotus of the devotee’s heart. Your path is first being heard about from the mouth of guru, then seen and then directly served. By this path you are brought to the devotees’ lotus hearts. The implication is that the devotees know this path of sādhana-bhakti well. The consequent implication is that the person who desires to attain the Lord should understand this path. Even without hearing, the devotees meditate on your various forms (vapuḥ) using their minds. You reveal (praṇayase) those forms to the devotee. This is the meaning according to Śrīdhara Svāmī. Or your devotees doing sādhana concentrate on their spiritual form according to their mood of love using their minds, and you have them attain (praṇayase) their spiritual bodies. You become dependent on your devotee.

You stay in the hearts of the pure devotees but not in the hearts of devotees still having material desires. Bhavān (you) is understood as the subject of na atiprasīdati. You are not so pleased with worship by the devatās having material desires, because they have selfishness--they do not show mercy to all living entities. But you are spontaneously very pleased with the pure devotees because they think of others and are naturally full of mercy for all beings. Yat means yathā. As much as you are pleased with the devotee because he shows mercy to all beings, which is not available in the materialists, you are not pleased with the devatās. You alone (ekaḥ) are attentive (avahitaḥ) to various people. This means that they become liberated by attaining bhakti, by the mercy of the devotees. You are their benefactor. “If that is so, then why do I not deliver them by mercy myself?” You are the soul within your devotee. You place in those devotees your kṛpā-śakti for delivering the world to give them fame, whereas you remain neutral as the Paramātmā in all beings. By using two words suhṛt and antarātmā, the faults of hatred and partiality in the Lord are defeated, and great affection for the devotee is indicated. One should not say that everyone will become liberated when the devotee shows mercy to all beings “The devotees showing mercy to all living beings” means that they show mercy to a great extent, since it is shown that the mercy of the devotees does not spread everywhere completely. The usage is like saying “All the men are holding up umbrellas.” This means that many men are holding up umbrellas, though a few among them may not.1 Or the effect of giving mercy to all beings does result in liberation for all. Even though seeds are sown everything they do not grow in salty earth. One does not see positive results in the mercy that Nārada and others gave to persons such as Dakṣa.2

Since those without material desires are the best in bhakti, bhakti in the form of secular and Vedic actions offered to the Lord, with a predominance of attachment to pure bhakti bring about absence of material desires. Worship through various ordinary actions (vividha-karmabhiḥ), through Vedic rites (adhvarādyaiḥ) which are offered to you are successful. This is taught by the Lord with yat karoṣi yadaśnāsi in the Gītā. (BG 9.27) When bhakti is most prominent (karma-mīsra-bhakti), all ordinary and Vedic acts are offered. When bhakti is a secondary element (bhakti-miśra-karma), the Vedic acts are offered, but not the ordinary acts. In pure bhakti (kevala-bhakti), only the ordinary acts such as hearing and chanting are offered. This is the difference, caused by the motive in offering. Worship of the Lord brings about the best acts (sat-kriyārthaḥ), because dharma offered to you is never destroyed, but transforms into worship. This means that dharma whose main object is fulfillment of material desires is destroyed.

Having delineated two types of worship for the devotees, Brahmā offers respect to the forms of the Lord worshiped by the jñānī and the devotee. I offer respects to that from which destroys the illusion of difference (Brahman) by eternal consciousness (śāśvat svarūpa-mahasā), just as the ocean was swallowed by Agastya. I offer respects to that form from which arises intelligence (dhiṣaṇāya) caused by realization of that form. I offer my respects (namas cakṛma) to that impersonal form. I offer my respects to the personal form of the Lord, who enjoys (rāsa) by the pastime of glancing (līlā) at māyā, the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe. Or the meaning can be “O cause of creation, maintenance and destruction! I offer respects to the Lord who playfully (līlā) danced with the gopīs (rāsa), with pastimes.” Śruti says parārddhānte so ’budhyata gopaveśo me purastādāvirvabhūva: at the end of half my life, the Lord appeared before me in the dress of a cowherd boy. (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) Previously it was said kāma-dughājghri-padmaṁ pradarśayantam: I saw the Lord who showed his lotus foot which fulfills all desires. (SB 3.8.26) These quotations show that among all the forms of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme shelter since his form is most complete.

Announcing the greatness of the Lord’s highest mercy by giving his abode to those people who are like animals, by only nāmābhasa, and without a trace of knowledge of worship and the object of worship just mentioned, Brahmā reveals his own surrender to the personal form of the Lord. According to the Sandarbha, viòambanāni nāmāni means “names having similar powers to the qualities and activities of Lord’s avatāras.” Or it can mean names which are represent the Lord’s qualities and actions as enacted by actors. Or it can means names not suitable to represent the qualities and activities of the Lord, since they are also used for one’s own sons and brothers. When used for one’s sons, names become degraded by saying “This is Kṛṣṇa. This is Rāma. This is Nārāyaṇa.” Qualities become degraded by describing those qualities in common people. “This Dāmodara is merciful, friend of the fallen (dīna-bandhu).” Actions of the Lord become degraded by addressing ordinary people as “Govinda, Giridhara, Madhuṣudana.” People like Ajāmila who utter these names at the point of death without reference to the true meaning (vivaśaḥ), immediately gave up heaps of sins (śamalam) and attain the Lord’s form of eternity, knowledge and bliss (ṛtam) without coverings (apāvrṭam). The usage ṛtam to mean “true form” is found in the following verse:

ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ yad āha bhagavān ṛtam

brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ

Worshipped by sincere devotion, revealing his true, spiritual form, the Lord spoke to Brahmā the four essential verses of Bhāgavatam in order to give knowledge about himself. SB 2.9.4

Brahmā offers respects, indicating that not only he, but the all the elements starting from maha-tattva, should surrender to the Lord, since they all arise from the Lord. That one Lord (ekaḥ) increases by having three large branches (tripāt), consisting of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, and having extended (uru) branches consisting of Prajāpatis such as Marīci and the Manus. What has he done to increase in this way? Dividing the cause of all bodies, pradhāna (ātmā-mūlam), into the three guṇas, the Lord has become Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Their functions are described not in exact sequence. Viṣṇu is distinguished by the word svayam, to show that he is not related to the guṇas in the same way as Brahmā and Śiva. He is completely separate by his very nature. Or the meaning can be “He who is Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, who is the cause of himself ātma-mūlam), dividing up by means of his śaktis, first becomes the three worlds (tripāt) and then the fourteen worlds (uruprarohaḥ) I offer respects to the form of the worlds, the universal form, who is like a tree.”

Having spoken of the Lord as the universal form, Brahmā now offers respect to the Lord as the form of time which controls the universe. Men are inattentive (pramattaḥ) to auspicious action, worship of you. But some people say that the Lord is worshipped by karma and jñāna, since it is said:

sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

Worshiping the Lord by karmas, a man achieves success. BG 18.46

jñānino jñāna-yajñena yajanti jñāna-vigraham:

The jñānīs worship you by the sacrifice of knowledge. SB 10.40.6

In answer to this Brahmā says, “This worship is declared as your real worship.”

ye vai bhagavatā proktā upāyā hy ātma-labdhaye

añjaḥ puṁsām aviduṣāṁ viddhi bhāgavatān hi tān

Even ignorant living entities can very easily come to know the Supreme Lord if they adopt those means prescribed by the Supreme Lord. The process recommended by the Lord is to be known as bhāgavata-dharma. SB 11.2.34

Mokṣa-dharma says pañcarātrasya kṛtsnasya vaktā tu bhagavān svayam: the speaker of Pañcarātra is the Lord himself. This is indicated by sve. Sve means “made by yourself.” Time affects those other than the devotees. Time quickly kills the aspirations for life of non-devotees (asya), what to speak of their desires for enjoyment.

This verse describes the limits of the strength of time. I, Brahmā, though situated on Brahmā-loka lasting for my hundred years (dviparārdha-dhiṣṇyam), have fear of time, and to control time I performed austerities equivalent to many sacrifices. In spite of that, I feared still time. “What was your contemplation in performing these sacrifices to control time?” I was thinking that I could bring time under control by sacrifice to you who are the controller of all sacrifices. But I am controlled by time, and even now I fear time. Without pure bhakti, time cannot be conquered. This is what I have understood today. Therefore I should perform only pure bhakti. Thus, I offer my respects to the lord of sacrifices, the Supreme Lord, with pure bhakti.

Having offered respects to the Lord as the universal form and as the controller of time, Brahmā now offers respects to the Lord as highest object of worship with a form of eternity, knowledge and bliss. Appearing by his will in the forms of animals, men and devatās, with a desire to protect (parīpsayā) the principles he has established, the Lord enjoys, even though he has no desire for material happiness, since he is self-satisfied. The rule he establishes is:

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhakhyā prayacchati

tadahaṁ bhakyupahṛtamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

I accept that which is offered with love from the genuine devotee, having pure body and mind, who gives just a leaf, flower, fruit or water. BG 9.26

To fulfill this promise, the Lord comes into the material world and enjoys the garlands, fragrances, flowers and beds offered by his devotees.

nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā

śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā

O brāhmaṇa! I am the sole shelter of my devotees. Without them, I do not desire to enjoy my own bliss and my six great qualities. SB 9.4.64

Thus, though he is self-satisfied, he is not really satisfied. Even though the items such as garlands are material, when they are utilized for the Lord, at that moment they become spiritual. This is explained in SB 11.25.25-28.

Avaruddha-dehaḥ means “uncovered body,” a body of eternity, knowledge and bliss. According to the grammarian Bhāguri, avaruddha can stand for ava and aruddha, which means unrestricted. Ātmakṛtasetuparīsayā can also mean “with a complete (pari) desire, in response to the devotee’s desire, to restrict himself to one form because he is controlled by the devotee’s desire.” He has a restricted body (avaruddha-dehaḥ) because he is bound by mother Yaśodā with ropes, and by other devotees, by the taste of their affection. Puruṣottamāya means unto Kṛṣṇa who is superior to the puruṣāvatāras who create mahat-tattva. He is superior because of his superior qualities. Gītā also says:

yasmāt kṣaramatīto ’hamakṣarādapi cottamaḥ

ato ’smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ

Because I am superior to the jīvas, to the Brahman and to the puruṣa known as Paramātmā, and even to the other forms of Bhagavān, I am celebrated in the Vedas and the smṛtis, as the Supreme Person. BG 15.18

Brahmā offers respects to the form he sees in front of him in two verses. The Lord sleeps without being overcoming by the ignorance with its five functions which causes sleep.3 The five functions of ignorance act because of him. His sleep is composed of his svarūpa-śakti. The Lord contains all the living beings, who are merged in his stomach. The sleep is made comfortable by the touch of the bed, Śeṣa. You are content sleeping on the soft bed within the water, like a common person. You sport like a common person. Or, even at the time of destruction, in the ocean which gives fear to all people, even on the bed of a snake, you sleep happily. You are without fear at all times, in all places, in any association. No one else is. Only a very sleepy person, will happily sleep even if there is fear because of time, place of association.

I arose (āsam) from the abode in the lotus in his navel. I am the maker of the three worlds, or I benefit the three worlds by creating. I offer respects to the Lord who has the material realm (bhavāya) situated in his belly, who has a glance like a blossoming lotus at the end of yoganidrā, at the end of night. O my Lord! Ocean of mercy! Wake up! Wake up! I, your servant, should perform maḍgalārātrika for you.

Having offered praise, Brahmā now makes requests in four verses. The Lord is the protector (suhṛt) of all the spiritual and material worlds. He is the abode of unconditional prema (ātmā). He is one alone, because all others are not the abode of prema. Since he gives happiness to the material world by sattva-guṇa in his role as protector and gives happiness to the spiritual world, the devotees, by his six great qualities (bhagena), may he protect (anuspṛśātāt) by as small portion of sattva qualities my material wisdom and by a portion of his spiritual qualities nourish my spiritual wisdom since I possess devotion, so that I will learn how to create material entities such as Marīci, and will learn to manifest spiritual beings such as Nārada. He should do this, since the Lord is affectionate to those who just offer him respects.

Fearing the influence of creative work predominated by rajo-guṇa, Brahmā prays for the well being of his bhakti. The Lord is the giver of benedictions to the surrendered. May he give benedictions to me! When he appears in this world, he has qualities such as affection for his devotees, which arise from his śakti arising from his svarūpa (ramayā), not his māyā-śakti. May he begin to engage my mind, when I will engage in creation of the universe (idam) invested with the power of the Lord (sva-vikramam), and in actions (tasmin) such as lifting up the earth. May my mind not be attached to that! Rather my mind should be attached to topics about his pastimes! He should do this, so that I will avoid sins such as harshness arising from the work of creation (karma-śamalam).

The extent that I can enter into the ocean of your qualities is because of the mercy arising from studying the Vedas. Vedaś cakṣus taveśvara: O Lord, the Vedas are your eyes. (SB 11.20.4) Now however, because of lack of concentration due to creating the universe, I may forget the Vedas. May that not happen! In this way Brahmā prays. I, the vijñānamaya-puruṣa (vijñāna-śaktiḥ), arose from the lake in the navel of the Lord who lay in the water. Because Brahmā is the form of the aggregate of jīvas, or the presiding deity of buddhi-tattva, he is called vijñāna-śakti. May my manifestation of the words of the Vedas, coming from my limbs, not be lost as I create the universe, a form of the Supreme Lord! May I not forget because of māyā! The verb riṣ means “to injure.” It is expressed as the intensive form with imperative meaning, in reflexive form because of meter.

The servant will certainly be blissful by the glance of mercy and merciful instructions. Brahmā prays for both. Opening (vijṛmbhan) your lotus eyes, wake up, so that I will not be defeated during creation everywhere in this universe (viśva-vijayāya). The word ca indicates that the Lord should open his eyes so that his other desire (to remember the Lord) is fulfilled. Dispel my sorrow by your sweet words, which order me to carry out creation.

Thus seeing the manifestation of the Lord (sva-sambhavam) directly before him (tapo), in worship (vidyā) and in meditation with concentration of the mind (samādhibhiḥ), hearing as much as possible, he stopped as if tired, because of attaining the Lord’s glance of mercy. Vidyā here means worship using the Lord’s mantra which brings about the sudden appearance of the Lord, for it is said ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti: the Lord reveals prema by the external guru and paramātmā within. (SB 11.29.6)

The Lord, understanding the mentality of Brahmā, who was dejected by the waters of devastation and worried concerning knowledge for constructing suitable bodies for the living beings, spoke to him with profound words, thereby dispelling his illusion.

Brahmā was dejected because of the water of devastation, and stressed concerning knowledge of his (ātmanā,aḥ) method of building and fixing the various bodies of devatās and animals according to proper nature (loka-samṣthāna-vijñāne). Understanding (anviksya) his mentality, the Lord spoke, dissipating his illusion (kaśmalam).

This verse shows the complete dissolution of Brahmā’s illusion. May knowledge (tandrīm) not disappear, O source of the Vedas! One who knows all the Vedas should not be ignorant. “But I am uncertain about how to go about creation.” Go about your efforts in creation, and do not be worried that it will be a failure. You prayed that I should preserve your wisdom. What you requested will be accomplished by me

“What will happen with my efforts at this time? The planets like earth which I am supposed to create cannot be seen.” Concentrate your mind (tapaḥ) and worship through mantra (vidyām). You will see in your heart and externally as well the planets such as earth and the inhabitants, without the covering of water. After seeing in your heart these things shown by me in their proper position, you will then create them externally with ease, like a person who writes what he sees.

The Lord replies to Brahma’s request that he not forget the Lord when he gets absorbed in creation. Engaged with concentration in bhakti, you will see me within yourself (ātmani) and in the world. And you will see within me all the planets such as earth and all the jīvas (ātmanaḥ), just as Yaśodā saw when I ate dirt. Or, during Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, you will see me spread out as the calves and cowherd boys and will see within me all the universes (lokān) and the four armed Visṇu forms (ātmanaḥ). Or you will see many forms of yourself, many Brahmās (ātmanaḥ), within me.

Brahmā prayed that he would avoid all sin during creation. The Lord also guarantees this. Praticaksīta means “he should see.” Kaśmalam means illusion.

In which stage can a person attain you? A person should be free from the receptacle of the guṇas in the form of the body and senses. This means that the jīva should give up completely connection with the body and senses. It does not mean that one should give up the ātmā. When a person sees the self completely devoid of the senses and body and sees that the jīva has attained (itam) a close relationship (upa) with me, the Supreme Lord, for serving, he attains then existence (rājyam) with his Lord (sva), or he attains that state or actions of servant (belonging to the Lord): he attains dāsya-rasa.

Others explain the verse in another way. Because Brahmā mentioned in his prayers both impersonal and personal forms of the Lord, this verse esoterically shows both final states. One meaning is “When the jñānī sees that the jīva, tvam (ātmānam), becomes, in his svarūpa, one (upetam) with me, tat, then he attains liberation (svārājam).” The other meaning is “When a devotee sees that he is endowed with a spiritual form (cid-rupa for śānta-rasa, servant form for dāsya-rasa, form of a friend for sakhya-rasa, form of a parent for vātsalya-rasa and form of a lover for madhurya-rasa), and that I am endowed with a form as para-brahman, master, friend, son or lover, then he attains a state with his Lord as a cid-rūpa master, friend, son or lover (svārājyam).”

Having taught you about jñāna, bhakti and rāsa, I give you my mercy, not just now, but for all time. Varṣīyān means greater.

You should not fear contamination of rajoguṇa. In the Tenth Canto, Brahmā’s illusion is not caused by rajoguṇa, but by not seeing the most auspicious form of great sweetness. That will be explained at that time.

Since, you see that I, though possessing a form, do not have a form made of material elements like earth, nor senses in the mode of passion, nor of any material guṇas, nor that I am just a jīva, since you understand that I am directly the Supreme Brahman, you know me today. Here the Lord says that understanding his body to be eternity knowledge and bliss is knowledge, and thinking his body is material is ignorance.

You are the proof that since my form can only be seen my inconceivable desire, it cannot actually be perceived by material eye. I have shown my spiritual form (ātmā) in your heart (abahiḥ) to make you successful (tubhyam).4 Or the word can be taken as bahih, and thus the meaning is “I have shown my form even externally.” For the Gopala-tāpanī Upaniṣad says gopaveśo me purastād āvirvabhūva: the Lord appeared before me in the dress of a cowherd. Or tubhyam can express the dative case, while the verb expresses giving. Thus the meaning is “I showed my form to you.” When? I revealed my form when you were searching the base of the lotus with inquiry about me: does this lotus have a foundation or not? Actually, the cause of seeing me is not the worship or the meditation because these are not mentioned here at all. The cause of seeing me is my desire only. One should understand that the Lord revealed to Brahmā this confidential conclusion.

Even your ability to praise me was by my mercy only. The praising that you did (cakartha) and everything else done (saḥ), and everything now to be done (eṣaḥ) is only my mercy. And what you are to do, that also understand as my mercy.

I am intensely pleased with bhakti, which arises from my mercy. See my astonishing skill! With a desire that the progeny you create would be victorious, you praised me by saying that I had a form with an ocean of wondrous qualities, and also described that I was devoid of material qualities like sattva-guṇa. I am pleased with that. Let there be auspiciousness even for those who praise me for have qualities like sattva-guṇa in the form of Nārāyaṇa. But I am not pleased with those who say I have not qualities. Let there not be auspiciousness for them.

Since I am please with you, what can be said?

There is nothing better than pleasing me. Whatever results (niḥśreyasam) are achieved by pious acts, austerity, sacrifice, charity or concentration in yoga, are not results at all without pleasing me. The knowers of truth perform these pious acts to please me. They desire to please me; they do not desire to make me the object of their pleasure. I am pleased with such persons who perform bhakti with sattva-guṇa.5 I give them liberation.

That Lord has indicated that he is very dear to those who have pure bhakti without material guṇas. But I alone should also be dearest to all jīvas. They should hold me dear. This is an injunction. I am the soul (ātmā), the Paramātmā, of all the jīvas (ātmanām). For this reason (yat-kṛte) body and family become dear to a person. Affection for wife and sons is based on one’s body. Affection for one’s own body is based on the jīva within the body. Affection for the jīva is based on the Paramātmā. Affection for Paramātmā is natural. The affection for the jīva and the preceding items is figurative only, and the affection for each item is successively less.

But how can you make a command and say “The jīva should act with rati for me.” Rati is something which is to be attained. The command is uttered to act when rati does not exist. The answer is as follows. The jīva is fit for māyā, but not the Paramātmā. Humans who have fallen into māyā’s bondage experience objects of māyā. But even for the jīva, māyā is only superimposed. Though natural affection for Paramātmā exists, because of lack of experience of Paramātmā, the jīva does not have affection for Paramātmā. He is like a wealthy merchant who does not know that he possesses wealth and thus acts like a poor man. Thus it is enjoined that the jīva should have affection. It is an injunction.

However, though Paramātmā is dearest, it is seen that even though the jñānīs may realize him directly, there is no rati for Paramātmā and prema does not develop. For the devotees alone, Paramātmā, existing in all time and space, is the dearest. This is not so for the jñānīs. Though the sun dispels the pain of cold and gives happiness to the eye with light, and though this is experienced by all, some people do not appreciate this. This is because they have no attachment for the sun. And though the sun gives happiness to them, it is also indifferent to them. The jñānīs do not rejoice in the Brahman though it gives happiness of realizing the self and destroys ignorance, because they do not have great attachment to it. Brahman also, giving them realization of the impersonal aspect, is indifferent to them. When devotee of the sun god, whether having vision or blind, sees the sun who is satisfied by his devotion, as having hands and feet, along with chariot and horses, he brings the sun under his control by his devotion. Similarly, the jīva, whether liberated or in bondage, delights in the Paramātmā with realization of his qualities, and brings Paramātmā under his control by his devotion. Thus Paramātmā is most dear to the devotees whether they have pure bhakti or mixed bhakti. However Paramātmā is not most dear to the jñānīs with a small amount of bhakti. Thus when the Paramātmā himself says “One should show affection for me” it should be considered in relation to the devotee only. Or, the sentence can mean “For this reason (ataḥ) one should show affection for me, the result of which (yad-kṛte) is that the intelligent man will have affection for the body (dehādiḥ priyaḥ), using the body and senses to perfect bhakti.” Such persons do not hanker for liberation.

You prayed that you should not forget the Vedas. Your body will be filled with the Vedas. You will not forget the Vedas. Now (idam) you (ātmā) should create the progeny by your body (ātmanā) whose source is I (ātma-yoninā), as you did in the previous day. Create the progeny who are obedient to me and have bhakti. The word ca indicates bhakti. This means that creating would be easy, since it would involve simply manifesting the various bodies.

Showing this universe to be created (idam sṛjyam), the Lord disappeared with his form as Nārāyaṇa. In the first day of Brahmā (Brāhma-kalpa) the Lord recited the four essential Bhāgavatam verses starting with aham evāsam evāgre. (SB 2.9.32-35) In the Padma-kalpa (the last day of the previous half of Brahmā’s life), the Lord also taught four essential verse in the form of verses 32, 33, 41 and 42 of this chapter. This is the opinion of some.

Thus ends the commentary on Ninth Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.