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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.1
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A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 1
- śrī-śuka uvāca
- evaṁ purā dhāraṇayātma-yonir
- naṣṭāṁ smṛtiṁ pratyavarudhya tuṣṭāt
- tathā sasarjedam amogha-dṛṣṭir
- yathāpyayāt prāg vyavasāya-buddhiḥ
śrīŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said-śukaḥŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evamjust in the same way — just in the same way; purāprior to the manifestation of the cosmos — prior to the manifestation of the cosmos; dhāraṇayāby such a conception — by such a conception; ātmaof Brahmājī-yoniḥof Brahmājī — of Brahmājī; naṣṭāmlost — lost; smṛtimremembrance — remembrance; pratyavarudhyaby regaining consciousness — by regaining consciousness; tuṣṭātbecause of appeasing the Lord — because of appeasing the Lord; tathāthereafter — thereafter; sasarjacreated — created; idamthis material world — this material world; amoghaone who has attained clear vision-dṛṣṭiḥone who has attained clear vision — one who has attained clear vision; yathāas — as; apyayātcreated — created; prākas formerly — as formerly; vyavasāyaascertained — ascertained; buddhiḥintelligence — intelligence.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Formerly, prior to the manifestation of the cosmos, Lord Brahmā, by meditating on the virāṭ-rūpa, regained his lost consciousness by appeasing the Lord. Thus he was able to rebuild the creation as it was before.
The example cited herein of Śrī Brahmājī is one of forgetfulness. Brahmājī is the incarnation of one of the mundane attributes of the Lord. Being the incarnation of the passion mode of material nature, he is empowered by the Lord to generate the beautiful material manifestation. Yet due to his being one of the numerous living entities, he is apt to forget the art of his creative energy. This forgetfulness of the living being—beginning from Brahmā down to the lowest insignificant ant—is a tendency which can be counteracted by meditation on the virāṭ-rūpa of the Lord. This chance is available in the human form of life, and if a human being follows the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and begins to meditate upon the virāṭ-rūpa, then revival of his pure consciousness and counteraction of the tendency to forget his eternal relationship with the Lord can follow simultaneously. And as soon as this forgetfulness is removed, the vyavasāya-buddhi, as mentioned here and in the Bhagavad-gītā (BG 2.41, Available in the library), follows at once. This ascertained knowledge of the living being leads to loving service to the Lord, which the living being requires. The kingdom of God is unlimited; therefore the number of the assisting hands of the Lord is also unlimited. The Bhagavad-gītā (BG 13.14, Not yet available in the library. Try the live source.) asserts that the Lord has His hands, legs, eyes and mouths in every nook and corner of His creation, This means that the expansions of differentiated parts and parcels, called jīvas or living entities, are assisting hands of the Lord, and all of them are meant for rendering a particular pattern of service to the Lord. The conditioned soul, even in the position of a Brahmā, forgets this by the influence of illusory, material energy generated out of false egoism. One can counteract such false egoism by invoking God consciousness. Liberation means getting out of the slumber of forgetfulness and becoming situated in the real loving service of the Lord, as exemplified in the case of Brahmā. The service of Brahmā is the sample of service in liberation distinguished from the so-called altruistic services full of mistakes and forgetfulness. Liberation is never inaction, but service without human mistakes.