ERROR: Your browser does not support scripts.

yat—what; rupam—the symptoms of manifestation; yat—what; adhisthanam—background; yatah—from where; srstam—created; idam—this world; prabho—O my father; yat—in which; samstham—conserved; yat—what; param—under control; yat—what are; ca—and; tat—of this; tattvam—the symptoms; vada—please describe; tattvatah—factually.

My dear father, please describe factually the symptoms of this manifest world. What is its background? How is it created? How is it conserved? And under whose control is all this being done?

The inquiries by Narada Muni on the basis of factual cause and effect appear very reasonable. The atheists, however, put forward many self-made theories without any touch of cause and effect. The manifested world, as well as the spirit soul, is still unexplained by the godless atheists through the medium of experimental knowledge, although they have put forward many theories manufactured by their fertile brains. Contrary to such mental speculative theories of creation, however, Narada Muni wanted to know all the facts of creation in truth, and not by theories.

Transcendental knowledge regarding the soul and the Supersoul includes knowledge of the phenomenal world and the basis of its creation. In the phenomenal world three things are factually observed by any intelligent man: the living beings, the manifest world, and the ultimate control over them. The intelligent man can see that neither the living entity nor the phenomenal world are creations of chance. The symmetry of creation and its regulative actions and reactions suggests the plan of an intelligent brain behind them, and by genuine inquiry one may find out the ultimate cause with the help of one who knows them factually.

SB2.5.3

TEXT 3

sarvam hy etad bhavan veda

bhuta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh

karamalaka-vad visvam

vijnanavasitam tava

sarvam—all and everything; hi—certainly; etat—this; bhavan—your good self; veda—know; bhuta—all that is created or born; bhavya—all that will be created or born; bhavat—all that is being created; prabhuh—you, the master of everything; kara-amalaka-vat—just like a walnut within your grip; visvam—the universe; vijnana-avasitam—within your knowledge scientifically; tava—your.

My dear father, all this is known to you scientifically because whatever was created in the past, whatever will be created in the future, or whatever is being created at present, as well as everything within the universe, is within your grip, just like a walnut.

Brahma is the direct creator of the manifested universe and everything within the universe. He therefore knows what happened in the past, what will happen in the future, and what is happening at present. Three principal items, namely the living being, the phenomenal world and the controller, are all in continuous action—past, present and future—and the direct manager is supposed to know everything of such actions and reactions, as one knows about a walnut within the grip of one’s palm. The direct manufacturer of a particular thing is supposed to know how he learned the art of manufacturing, where he got the ingredients, how he set it up and how the products in the manufacturing process are being turned out. Because Brahma is the firstborn living being, naturally he is supposed to know everything about creative functions.

SB2.5.4

TEXT 4

yad-vijnano yad-adharo

yat-paras tvam yad-atmakah

ekah srjasi bhutani

bhutair evatma-mayaya

yat-vijnanah—the source of knowledge; yat-adharah—under whose protection; yat-parah—under whose subordination; tvam—you; yat-atmakah—in what capacity; ekah—alone; srjasi—you are creating; bhutani—the living entities; bhutaih—with the help of the material elements; eva—certainly; atma—self; mayaya—by potency.

My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose protection are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?

It was known to Sri Narada Muni that Lord Brahma attained creative energy by undergoing severe austerities. As such, he could understand that there was someone else superior to Brahmaji who invested Brahma with the power of creation. Therefore he asked all the above questions. Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are therefore not independent. The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means of the wonderful brain made by someone else. A scientist can work with the help of such an awarded brain, but it is not possible for the scientist to create his own or a similar brain. Therefore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.

SB2.5.5

TEXT 5

atman bhavayase tani

na parabhavayan svayam

atma-saktim avastabhya

urnanabhir ivaklamah

atman (atmani)—by self; bhavayase—manifest; tani—all those; na—not; parabhavayan—being defeated; svayam—yourself; atma-saktim—self-sufficient power; avastabhya—being employed; urna-nabhih—the spider; iva—like; aklamah—without help.

As the spider very easily creates the network of its cobweb and manifests its power of creation without being defeated by others, so also you yourself, by employment of your self-sufficient energy, create without any other’s help.

The best example of self-sufficiency is the sun. The sun does not require to be illuminated by any other body. Rather, it is the sun which helps all other illuminating agents, for in the presence of the sun no other illuminating agent becomes prominent. Narada compared the position of Brahma to the self-sufficiency of the spider, who creates its own field of activities without any other’s help by employment of its own energetic creation of saliva.

SB2.5.6

TEXT 6

naham veda param hy asmin

naparam na samam vibho

nama-rupa-gunair bhavyam

sad-asat kincid anyatah

na—do not; aham—myself; veda—know; param—superior; hi—for; asmin—in this world; na—neither; aparam—inferior; na—nor; samam—equal; vibho—O great one; nama—name; rupa—characteristics; gunaih—by qualification; bhavyam—all that is created; sat—eternal; asat—temporary; kincit—or anything like that; anyatah—from any other source.

Whatever we can understand by the nomenclature, characteristics and features of a particular thing—superior, inferior or equal, eternal or temporary—is not created from any source other than that of Your Lordship, thou so great.

The manifested world is full of varieties of created beings in others. In human society the human being is considered to be the superior living being, and amongst the human beings there are also different varieties: good, bad, equal, etc. But Narada Muni took for granted that none of them has any source of generation besides his father, Brahmaji. Therefore he wanted to know all about them from Lord Brahma.

SB2.5.7

TEXT 7

sa bhavan acarad ghoram

yat tapah susamahitah

tena khedayase nas tvam

para-sankam ca yacchasi

sah—he; bhavan—your good self; acarat—undertook; ghoram—severe; yat tapah—meditation; su-samahitah—in perfect discipline; tena—for that reason; khedayase—gives pain; nah—ourselves; tvam—your good self; para—the ultimate truth; sankam—doubts; ca—and; yacchasi—giving us a chance.

Yet we are moved to wonder about the existence of someone more powerful than you when we think of your great austerities in perfect discipline, although your good self is so powerful in the matter of creation.

Following in the footsteps of Sri Narada Muni, one should not blindly accept his spiritual master as God Himself. A spiritual master is duly respected on a par with God, but a spiritual master claiming to be God Himself should at once be rejected. Narada Muni accepted Brahma as the Supreme due to Lord Brahma’s wonderful acts in creation, but doubts arose in him when he saw that Lord Brahma also worshiped some superior authority. The Supreme is supreme, and He has no worshipable superior. The ahangrahopasita, or the one who worships himself with the idea of becoming God Himself, is misleading, but the intelligent disciple can at once detect that the Supreme God does not need to worship anyone, including Himself, in order to become God. Ahangrahopasana may be one of the processes for transcendental realization, but the ahangrahopasita can never be God Himself. No one becomes God by undergoing a process of transcendental realization. Narada Muni thought of Brahmaji as the Supreme Person, but when he saw Brahmaji engaged in the process of transcendental realization, doubts arose in him. So he wanted to be clearly informed.

SB2.5.8

TEXT 8

etan me prcchatah sarvam

sarva-jna sakalesvara

vijanihi yathaivedam

aham budhye ’nusasitah

etat—all those; me—unto me; prcchatah—inquisitive; sarvam—all that is inquired; sarva-jna—one who knows everything; sakala—over all; isvara—the controller; vijanihi—kindly explain; yatha—as; eva—they are; idam—this; aham—myself; budhye—can understand; anusasitah—just learning from you.

My dear father, you know everything, and you are the controller of all. Therefore may all that I have inquired from you be kindly instructed to me so that I may be able to understand it as your student.

The inquiries made by Narada Muni are very important for everyone concerned, and as such Narada requested Brahmaji to deem them suitable so that all others who may come in the line of disciplic succession of the Brahma-sampradaya may also know them properly without any difficulty.

SB2.5.9

TEXT 9

brahmovaca

samyak karunikasyedam

vatsa te vicikitsitam

yad aham coditah saumya

bhagavad-virya-darsane

brahma uvaca—Lord Brahma said; samyak—perfectly; karunikasya—of you, who are very kind; idam—this; vatsa—my dear boy; te—your; vicikitsitam—inquisitiveness; yat—by which; aham—myself; coditah—inspired; saumya—O gentle one; bhagavat—of the Personality of Godhead; virya—prowess; darsane—in the matter of.

Lord Brahma said: My dear boy Narada, being merciful to all (including me) you have asked all these questions because I have been inspired to see into the prowess of the Almighty Personality of Godhead.

Brahmaji, being so questioned by Naradaji, congratulated him, for it is usual for the devotees to become very enthusiastic whenever they are questioned concerning the Almighty personality of Godhead. That is the sign of a pure devotee of the Lord. Such discourses on the transcendental activities of the Lord purify the atmosphere in which such discussions are held, and the devotees thus become enlivened while answering such questions. It is purifying both for the questioners and for one who answers the questions. The pure devotees are not only satisfied by knowing everything about the Lord, but are also eager to broadcast the information to others, for they want to see that the glories of the Lord are known to everyone. Thus the devotee feels satisfied when such an opportunity is offered to him. This is the basic principle of missionary activities.

SB2.5.10

TEXT 10

nanrtam tava tac capi

yatha mam prabravisi bhoh

avijnaya param matta

etavat tvam yato hi me

na—not; anrtam—false; tava—of yours; tat—that; ca—also; api—as you have stated; yatha—in the matter of; mam—of myself; prabravisi—as you describe; bhoh—O my son; avijnaya—without knowing; param—the Supreme; mattah—beyond myself; etavat—all that you have spoken; tvam—yourself; yatah—for the reason of; hi—certainly; me—about me.

Whatever you have spoken about me is not false because unless and until one is aware of the Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate truth beyond me, one is sure to be illusioned by observing my powerful activities.

“The frog in the well” logic illustrates that a frog residing in the atmosphere and boundary of a well cannot imagine the length and breadth of the gigantic ocean. Such a frog, when informed of the gigantic length and breadth of the ocean, first of all does not believe that there is such an ocean, and if someone assures him that factually there is such a thing, the frog then begins to measure it by imagination by means of pumping its belly as far as possible, with the result that the tiny abdomen of the frog bursts and the poor frog dies without any experience of the actual ocean. Similarly, the material scientists also want to challenge the inconceivable potency of the Lord by measuring Him with their froglike brains and their scientific achievements, but at the end they simply die unsuccessfully, like the frog.

Sometimes a materially powerful man is accepted as God or the incarnation of God without any knowledge of the factual God. Such a material assessment may be gradually extended, and the attempt may reach to the highest limit of Brahmaji, who is the topmost living being within the universe and has a duration of life unimaginable to the material scientist. As we get information from the most authentic book of knowledge, the Bhagavad-gita (8.17), Brahmaji’s one day and night is calculated to be some hundreds of thousands of years on our planet. This long duration of life may not be believed by “the frog in the well,” but persons who have a realization of the truths mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita accept the existence of a great personality who creates the variegatedness of the complete universe. It is understood from the revealed scriptures that the Brahmaji of this universe is younger than all the other Brahmas in charge of the many, many universes beyond this, but none of them can be equal to the Personality of Godhead.

Naradaji is one of the liberated souls, and after his liberation he was known as Narada; otherwise, before his liberation, he was simply a son of a maidservant. The questions may be asked why Naradaji was not aware of the Supreme Lord and why he mis-conceived Brahmaji to be the Supreme Lord, although factually he was not. A liberated soul is never bewildered by such a mistaken idea, so why did Naradaji ask all those questions just like an ordinary man with a poor fund of knowledge? There was such bewilderment in Arjuna also, although he is eternally the associate of the Lord. Such bewilderment in Arjuna or in Narada takes place by the will of the Lord so that other, nonliberated persons may realize the real truth and knowledge of the Lord. The doubt arising in the mind of Narada about Brahmaji’s becoming all-powerful is a lesson for the frogs in the well, that they may not be bewildered in misconceiving the identity of the Personality of Godhead (even by comparison to a personality like Brahma, so what to speak of ordinary men who falsely pose themselves as God or an incarnation of God). The Supreme Lord is always the Supreme, and as we have tried to establish many times in these purports, no living being, even up to the standard of Brahma, can claim to be one with the Lord. One should not be misled when people worship a great man as God after his death as a matter of hero worship. There were many kings like Lord Ramacandra, the King of Ayodhya, but none of them are mentioned as God in the revealed scriptures. To be a good king is not necessarily the qualification for being Lord Rama, but to be a great personality like Krsna is the qualification for being the Personality of Godhead. If we scrutinize the characters who took part in the Battle of Kuruksetra, we may find that Maharaja Yudhisthira was no less a pious king than Lord Ramacandra, and by character study Maharaja Yudhisthira was a better moralist than Lord Krsna. Lord Krsna asked Maharaja Yudhisthira to lie, but Maharaja Yudhisthira protested. But that does not mean that Maharaja Yudhisthira could be equal to Lord Ramacandra or Lord Krsna. The great authorities have estimated Maharaja Yudhisthira to be a pious man, but they have accepted Lord Rama or Krsna as the Personality of Godhead. The Lord is therefore a different identity in all circumstances, and no idea of anthropomorphism can be applied to Him. The Lord is always the Lord, and a common living being can never be equal to Him.

SB2.5.11

TEXT 11

yena sva-rocisa visvam

rocitam rocayamy aham

yatharko ’gnir yatha somo

yatharksa-graha-tarakah

yena—by whom; sva-rocisa—by His own effulgence; visvam—all the world; rocitam—already created potentially; rocayami—do manifest; aham—I; yatha—as much; arkah—the sun; agnih—fire; yatha—as; somah—the moon; yatha—as also; rksa—the firmament; graha—the influential planets; tarakah—the stars.

I create after the Lord’s creation by His personal effulgence [known as the brahmajyoti], just as when the sun manifests its fire, the moon, the firmament, the influential planets and the twinkling stars also manifest their brightness.

Lord Brahmaji said to Narada that his impression that Brahma was not the supreme authority in the creation was correct. Sometimes less intelligent men have the foolish impression that Brahma is the cause of all causes. But Narada wanted to clear the matter by the statements of Brahmaji, the supreme authority in the universe. As the decision of the supreme court of a state is final, similarly the judgment of Brahmaji, the supreme authority in the universe, is final in the Vedic process of acquiring knowledge. As we have already affirmed in the previous verse, Naradaji was a liberated soul; therefore, he was not one of the less intelligent men who accept a false god or gods in their own ways. He represented himself as less intelligent and yet intelligently presented a doubt to be cleared by the supreme authority so that the uninformed might take note of it and be rightly informed about the intricacies of the creation and the creator.

In this verse Brahmaji clears up the wrong impression held by the less intelligent and affirms that he creates the universal variegatedness after the potential creation by the glaring effulgence of Lord Sri Krsna. Brahmaji has also separately given this statement in the samhita known as the Brahma-samhita (5.40), where he says:

yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental bodily effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited, unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause of the creation of unlimited numbers of planets, etc., with varieties of climates and specific conditions of life.”

The same statement is in the Bhagavad-gita (14.27). Lord Krsna is the background of the brahmajyoti (brahmano hi pratisthaham). In the Nirukti, or Vedic dictionary, the import of pratistha is mentioned as “that which establishes.” So the brahmajyoti is not independent or self-sufficient. Lord Sri Krsna is ultimately the creator of the brahmajyoti, mentioned in this verse as sva-rocisa, or the effulgence of the transcendental body of the Lord. This brahmajyoti is all-pervading, and all creation is made possible by its potential power; therefore the Vedic hymns declare that everything that exists is being sustained by the brahmajyoti (sarvam khalv idam brahma). Therefore the potential seed of all creation is the brahmajyoti, and the same brahmajyoti, unlimited and unfathomed, is established by the Lord. Therefore the Lord (Sri Krsna) is ultimately the supreme cause of all creation (aham sarvasya prabhavah).

One should not expect the Lord to create like a blacksmith with a hammer and other instruments. The Lord creates by His potencies. He has His multifarious potencies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate). Just as the small seed of a banyan fruit has the potency to create a big banyan tree, the Lord disseminates all varieties of seeds by His potential brahmajyoti (sva-rocisa), and the seeds are made to develop by the watering process of persons like Brahma. Brahma cannot create the seeds, but he can manifest the seed into a tree, just as a gardener helps plants and orchards to grow by the watering process. The example cited here of the sun is very appropriate. In the material world the sun is the cause of all illumination: fire, electricity, the rays of the moon, etc. All luminaries in the sky are creations of the sun, the sun is the creation of the brahmajyoti, and the brahmajyoti is the effulgence of the Lord. Thus the ultimate cause of creation is the Lord.

SB2.5.12

TEXT 12

tasmai namo bhagavate

vasudevaya dhimahi

yan-mayaya durjayaya

mam vadanti jagad-gurum

tasmai—unto Him; namah—offer my obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; vasudevaya—unto Lord Krsna; dhimahi—do meditate upon Rim; yat—by whose; mayaya—potencies; durjayaya—invincible; mam—unto me; vadanti—they say; jagat—the world; gurum—the master.

I offer my obeisances and meditate upon Lord Krsna [Vasudeva], the Personality of Godhead, whose invincible potency influences them [the less intelligent class of men] to call me the supreme controller.

As will be more clearly explained in the next verse, the illusory potency of the Lord bewilders the less intelligent to accept Brahmaji, or for that matter any other person, as the Supreme Lord. Brahmaji, however, refuses to be called this, and he directly offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Vasudeva, or Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, as he has already offered the same respects to Him in the Brahma-samhita (5.1):

isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam

“The Supreme Lord is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord in His transcendental body, the ultimate cause of all causes. I worship that primeval Lord Govinda.”

Brahmaji is conscious of his actual position, and he knows how less intelligent persons, bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord, whimsically accept anyone and everyone as God. A responsible personality like Brahmaji refuses to be addressed as the Supreme Lord by his disciples or subordinates, but foolish persons praised by men of the nature of dogs, hogs, camels and asses feel flattered to be addressed as the Supreme Lord. Why such persons take pleasure in being addressed as God, or why such persons are addressed as God by foolish admirers, is explained in the following verse.

SB2.5.13

TEXT 13

vilajjamanaya yasya

sthatum iksa-pathe ’muya

vimohita vikatthante

mamaham iti durdhiyah

vilajjamanaya—by one who is ashamed; yasya—whose; sthatum—to stay; iksa-pathe—in front; amuya—by the bewildering energy; vimohitah—those who are bewildered; vikatthante—talk nonsense; mama—it is mine; aham—I am everything; iti—thus vituperating; durdhiyah—thus ill conceived.

The illusory energy of the Lord cannot take precedence, being ashamed of her position, but those who are bewildered by her always talk nonsense, being absorbed in thoughts of “It is I” and “It is mine.”

The invincibly powerful deluding energy of the Personality of God, or the third energy, representing nescience, can bewilder the entire world of animation, but still she is not strong enough to be able to stand in front of the Supreme Lord. Nescience is behind the Personality of Godhead, where she is powerful enough to mislead the living beings, and the primary symptom of bewildered persons is that they talk nonsense. Nonsensical talks are not supported by the principles of Vedic literatures, and first-grade nonsense talk is “It is I, it is mine.” A godless civilization is exclusively conducted by such false ideas, and such persons, without any factual realization of God, accept a false God or falsely declare themselves to be God to mislead persons who are already bewildered by the deluding energy. Those who are before the Lord, however, and who surrender unto Him, cannot be influenced by the deluding energy; therefore they are free from the misconception of “It is I, it is mine,” and therefore they do not accept a false God or pose themselves as equal to the Supreme Lord. Identification of the bewildered person is distinctly given in this verse.

SB2.5.14

TEXT 14

dravyam karma ca kalas ca

svabhavo jiva eva ca

vasudevat paro brahman

na canyo ’rtho ’sti tattvatah

dravyam—the ingredients (earth, water, fire, air and sky); karma—the interaction; ca—and; kalah—eternal time; ca—also; sva-bhavah—intuition or nature; jivah—the living being; eva—certainly; ca—and; vasudevat—from Vasudeva; parah—differentiated parts; brahman—O brahmana; na—never; ca—also; anyah—separate; arthah—value; asti—there is; tattvatah—in truth.

The five elementary ingredients of creation, the interaction thereof set up by eternal time, and the intuition or nature of the individual living beings are all differentiated parts and parcels of the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, and in truth there is no other value in them.

narayana—the Supreme Lord; parah—is the cause and is meant for; vedah—knowledge; devah—the demigods; narayana—the Supreme Lord; anga-jah—assisting hands; narayana—the personality of Godhead; parah—for the sake of; lokah—the planets; narayana—the Supreme Lord; parah—just to please Him; makhah—all sacrifices.

This phenomenal world is impersonally the representation of Vasudeva because the ingredients of its creation, their interaction and the enjoyer of the resultant action, the living being, are all produced by the external and internal energies of Lord Krsna. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.4–5). The ingredients, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, as well as the conception of material identity, intelligence and the mind, are produced of the external energy of the Lord. The living entity who enjoys the interaction of the above gross and subtle ingredients, as set up by eternal time, is an offshoot of internal potency, with freedom to remain either in the material world or in the spiritual world. In the material world the living entity is enticed by deluding nescience, but in the spiritual world he is in the normal condition of spiritual existence without any delusion. The living entity is known as the marginal potency of the Lord. But in all circumstances, neither the material ingredients nor the spiritual parts and parcels are independent of the Personality of Godhead Vasudeva, for all things, whether products of the external, internal or marginal potencies of the Lord, are simply displays of the same effulgence of the Lord, just as light, heat and smoke are displays of fire. None of them are separate from the fire—all of them combine together to be called fire; similarly, all phenomenal manifestations, as well as the effulgence of the body of Vasudeva, are His impersonal features, whereas He eternally exists in His transcendental form called sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1], distinct from all conceptions of the material ingredients mentioned above.

The Vedic literatures are made by and are meant for the Supreme Lord, the demigods are also meant for serving the Lord as parts of His body, the different planets are also meant for the sake of the Lord, and different sacrifices are performed just to please Him.