॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Saturday, 1 October 2022 - Brahma’s prayer to Maha Vishnu and His reply.
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The title Srimad Bhagavatam means:
“Srimad” T: Endowed with the greatest riches of higher wisdom and auspiciousness.
“Bhagavatam” T: The chronicles of Bhagavan’s Lila (the Lord’s sport) and the lives of His devotees.
So, naturally, there is a recurrent theme. Here, Lord Brahma, who has just been created in this aeon, recollects the glories of Maha Vishnu and says a prayer. It shows Brahma for what he is, a trusted lieutenant in the creative process. It shows also that there is a recurrent theme in our lives, aeon after aeon, of how we are devoted to material pursuits until wisdom dawns and we turn towards the Lord. All this comes back instantly to Brahma.
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Lord Brahma began to speak
ज्ञातोऽसि मेऽद्य सुचिरान्ननु देहभाजां न ज्ञायते भगवतो गतिरित्यवद्यम्।
नान्यत्त्वदस्ति भगवन्नपि तन्न शुद्धं मायागुणव्यतिकराद्यदुरुर्विभासि॥
T: “Oh, Bhagavan! After long Tapas, You have been comprehended by me. I now realize that no one in the world really knows Your impeccable nature. Indeed I see that there is nothing except You that is pure (real) in all creation! The multiplicity of beings and things is but the play of Your Maya, modified through the three Gunas!”
“Oh, Bhagavan, I also realize that You have assumed this form embodying Your pristine nature of Consciousness and Bliss, for the sake of your devotees. This is therefore Your first avatara! The world of manifestation makes no impact on Your nature of Consciousness and Bliss. I salute You, as this vision is by Your grace, and I pity those full of evil who reject you and go to hell.”
“You never leave your devotees who receive the fragrance of Your lotus feet through the waft of the scriptures and enshrine You in their hearts. “I” and “Mine” torment man until he finds You. They push him into desires, misery and intense greed. I shudder to visualize that this will be the fate of those being created now, too! Samsara, the vortex of misery thrust on man by Maya, will trap him unless he realises that his sense of “I” and “Mine” are false. Until then the Karma cycle will operate.”
अह्न्यापृतार्तकरणा निशि निःशयाना नानामनोरथधिया क्षणमग्ननिद्राः।
दैवाहतार्थरचना ऋषयोऽपि देव युष्मत्प्रसङ्गविमुखा इह संसरन्ति॥
T: “No wonder, oh, Lord, that even sages who practise day-long austerities toss and turn in bed at night, thinking of their material desires. This can only be explained as the play of Maya because their escape from the cycle of desire and disappointment is possible only by listening to Your glories and developing devotion.”
“Oh, Lord, I see that You cannot be swayed by pompous rituals of even the gods whilst they are full of desires and lack devotion. On the other hand, all that it takes to please You is for a man to develop universal love by seeing Your divinity in everything.”
“The only way different activities including elaborate Yajnas become meaningful is when they are offered in devotion to You as worship with no demands.”
“Men in distress, or even those at the threshold of death, can take Your name and be emancipated. I, therefore, take refuge in You!”
यो वा अहं च गिरिशश्च विभुः स्वयं च स्थित्युद्भवप्रलयहेतव आत्ममूलम्।
भित्त्वा त्रिपाद्ववृध एक उरुप्ररोहस्तस्मै नमो भगवते भुवनद्रुमाय॥
T: “ Obeisance to Bhagavan, who is the Tree of Existence. You have created out of Yourself the Trinity of me (Brahma), Shiva and Vishnu, with responsibilities of creation, destruction and sustenance, and their innumerable branches.”
“Oh, Lord, I confess that even I, the Lord of Satyaloka, of great longevity and superior to other realms, am afraid of Time (Kala) = Maya. Therefore I seek refuge in You!”
“You make the Law. You dispense the fruits of Yajnas. You take birth as incarnations in various forms out of Your Will.”
“Even your Yogic slumber is not a sign of Tamas, but only Your grace to allow all existence to rest in You. Lord, You have woken up to show me grace. My salutation to You!”
“Please bless me, Oh, Lord, that as I begin my duties as the Creator, on Your command, I do not get entangled in the creation, and also that I keep intact the remembrance of the Vedas.”
Brahma stopped, unable to say anymore. The Lord saw that Brahma even now lacked the confidence to undertake his duties.
लोकसंस्थानविज्ञान आत्मनः परिखिद्यतः भ्रह्मणः वाचा कश्मलं शमयन्निव
T: “Seeing that in his appointed duty of creating the worlds, Brahma was bothered by a lack of confidence, the Lord spoke, to remove that difficulty.”
“Oh, Brahma, you are the embodiment of the Vedas, don’t worry, go ahead. I have already given you whatever empowerment you needed. Practise concentration, and stay connected with Me. You will find in Me all the worlds to be created in a ready condition. You can see all the Jivas and all the worlds resting in Me.”
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Here is a succinct definition of what is salvation:
यदा रहितमात्मानं भूतेन्द्रियगुणाशयैः। स्वरूपेण मयोपेतं पश्यन् स्वाराज्यमृच्छति॥
T: “When man realises his true nature as distinct from the modifications of matter, the senses, and the Gunas, and sees how he is attached to Me, he attains his “self-kingdom”.”
प्रीतोऽहमस्तु भद्रं ते लोकानां विजयेच्छया। यदस्तौषीर्गुणमयं निर्गुणं मानुवर्णयन्॥
T: “I am pleased with you, Brahma, and may you be successful for the welfare of the creation. I am happy that you have described me as both Gunamaya (full of attributes) as well as Nirguna (without attributes)!”
“Brahma, I am pleased with your Tapas, and your devotion. I bless you for your success.”
“Let everyone know that whatever one achieves as the fruit of charity, austerity, sacrifice, Yoga and Samadhi, is granted by Me alone by My grace.”
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Maitreya concluded.
तस्मा एवं जगत्स्रष्ट्रे प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः। व्यज्येदं स्वेन रूपेण कञ्जनाभस्तिरोदधे॥
T: “The Bhagavan with the lotus in His navel (Kanjanabha, Padmanabha, Kamalanabha), who is the material and spiritual cause of all Existence, having thus instructed Brahma, whom he designated as the Creator of the world, for which purpose He had assumed this divine manifestation, disappeared from Brahma’s vision.”
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
