Śrīmad Bhāgavatam | Canto 2 Chapter 4

The Process of Creation

VERSE 2.4.1

sūta uvāca

vaiyāsaker iti vacas
tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ
upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe
auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt

SYNONYMS

sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; vaiyāsakeḥ — of Śukadeva Gosvāmī; iti — thus; vacaḥ — speeches; tattva-niścayam — that which verifies the truth; ātmanaḥ — in the self; upadhārya — just having realized; matim — concentration of the mind; kṛṣṇe — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; auttareyaḥ — the son of Uttarā; satīm — chaste; vyadhāt — applied.

TRANSLATION

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the son of Uttarā, after hearing the speeches of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which were all about the truth of the self, applied his concentration faithfully upon Lord Kṛṣṇa.

VERSE 2.4.2

ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra-
paśu-draviṇa-bandhuṣu
rājye cāvikale nityaṁ
virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau

SYNONYMS

ātma — body; jāyā — wife; suta — son; āgāra — palace; paśu — horses and elephants; draviṇa — treasury house; bandhuṣu — unto friends and relatives; rājye — in the kingdom; ca — also; avikale — without being disturbed; nityam — constant; virūḍhām — deep-rooted; mamatām — affinity; jahau — gave up.

TRANSLATION

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as a result of his wholehearted attraction for Lord Kṛṣṇa, was able to give up all deep-rooted affection for his personal body, his wife, his children, his palace, his animals like horses and elephants, his treasury house, his friends and relatives, and his undisputed kingdom.

VERSE 2.4.3-4

papraccha cemam evārthaṁ
yan māṁ pṛcchatha sattamāḥ
kṛṣṇānubhāva-śravaṇe
śraddadhāno mahā-manāḥ

saṁsthāṁ vijñāya sannyasya
karma trai-vargikaṁ ca yat
vāsudeve bhagavati
ātma-bhāvaṁ dṛḍhaṁ gataḥ

SYNONYMS

papraccha — asked; ca — also; imam — this; eva — exactly like; artham — purpose; yat — that; mām — unto me; pṛcchatha — you are asking; sattamāḥ — O great sages; kṛṣṇa-anubhāva — rapt in thought of Kṛṣṇa; śravaṇe — in hearing; śraddadhānaḥ — full of faith; mahā-manāḥ — the great soul; saṁsthām — death; vijñāya — being informed; sannyasya — renouncing; karma — fruitive activities; trai-vargikam — the three principles religion, economic development and sense gratification; ca — also; yat — what it may be; vāsudeve — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; ātma-bhāvam — attraction of love; dṛḍham — firmly fixed; gataḥ — achieved.

TRANSLATION

O great sages, the great soul Mahārāja Parīkṣit, constantly rapt in thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa, knowing well of his imminent death, renounced all sorts of fruitive activities, namely acts of religion, economic development and sense gratification, and thus fixed himself firmly in his natural love for Kṛṣṇa and asked all these questions, exactly as you are asking me.

VERSE 2.4.5

rājovāca

samīcīnaṁ vaco brahman
sarva-jñasya tavānagha
tamo viśīryate mahyaṁ
hareḥ kathayataḥ kathām

SYNONYMS

rājā uvāca — the King said; samīcīnam — perfectly right; vacaḥ — speeches; brahman — O learned brāhmaṇa; sarva-jñasya — one who knows all; tava — your; anagha — without any contamination; tamaḥ — the darkness of ignorance; viśīryate — gradually disappearing; mahyam — unto me; hareḥ — of the Lord; kathayataḥ — as you are speaking; kathām — topics.

TRANSLATION

Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: O learned brāhmaṇa, you know everything because you are without material contamination. Therefore whatever you have spoken to me appears perfectly right. Your speeches are gradually destroying the darkness of my ignorance, for you are narrating the topics of the Lord.

VERSE 2.4.6

bhūya eva vivitsāmi
bhagavān ātma-māyayā
yathedaṁ sṛjate viśvaṁ
durvibhāvyam adhīśvaraiḥ

SYNONYMS

bhūyaḥ — again; eva — also; vivitsāmi — I wish to learn; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; ātma — personal; māyayā — by the energies; yathā — as; idam — this phenomenal world; sṛjate — does create; viśvam — universe; durvibhāvyam — inconceivable; adhīśvaraiḥ — by the great demigods.

TRANSLATION

I beg to know from you how the Personality of Godhead, by His personal energies, creates these phenomenal universes as they are, which are inconceivable even to the great demigods.

VERSE 2.4.7

yathā gopāyati vibhur
yathā saṁyacchate punaḥ
yāṁ yāṁ śaktim upāśritya
puru-śaktiḥ paraḥ pumān
ātmānaṁ krīḍayan krīḍan
karoti vikaroti ca

SYNONYMS

yathā — as; gopāyati — maintains; vibhuḥ — the great; yathā — as; saṁyacchate — winds up; punaḥ — again; yām yām — as; śaktim — energies; upāśritya — by employing; puru-śaktiḥ — the all-powerful; paraḥ — the Supreme; pumān — Personality of Godhead; ātmānam — plenary expansion; krīḍayan — having engaged them; krīḍan — as also personally being engaged; karoti — does them; vikaroti — and causes to be done; ca — and.

TRANSLATION

Kindly describe how the Supreme Lord, who is all-powerful, engages His different energies and different expansions in maintaining and again winding up the phenomenal world in the sporting spirit of a player.

VERSE 2.4.8

nūnaṁ bhagavato brahman
harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ
durvibhāvyam ivābhāti
kavibhiś cāpi ceṣṭitam

SYNONYMS

nūnam — still insufficient; bhagavataḥ — of the Personality of Godhead; brahman — O learned brāhmaṇa; hareḥ — of the Lord; adbhuta — wonderful; karmaṇaḥ — one who acts; durvibhāvyam — inconceivable; iva — like that; ābhāti — appears; kavibhiḥ — even by the highly learned; ca — also; api — in spite of; ceṣṭitam — being endeavored for.

TRANSLATION

O learned brāhmaṇa, the transcendental activities of the Lord are all wonderful, and they appear inconceivable because even great endeavors by many learned scholars have still proved insufficient for understanding them.

VERSE 2.4.9

yathā guṇāṁs tu prakṛter
yugapat kramaśo ’pi vā
bibharti bhūriśas tv ekaḥ
kurvan karmāṇi janmabhiḥ

SYNONYMS

yathā — as they are; guṇān — the modes of; tu — but; prakṛteḥ — of the material energy; yugapat — simultaneously; kramaśaḥ — gradually; api — also; — either; bibharti — maintains; bhūriśaḥ — many forms; tu — but; ekaḥ — the supreme one; kurvan — acting; karmāṇi — activities; janmabhiḥ — by incarnations.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, whether He alone acts with the modes of material nature, or simultaneously expands in many forms, or expands consecutively to direct the modes of nature.

VERSE 2.4.10

vicikitsitam etan me
bravītu bhagavān yathā
śābde brahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ
parasmiṁś ca bhavān khalu

SYNONYMS

vicikitsitam — doubtful inquiry; etat — this; me — of me; bravītu — just clear up; bhagavān — powerful like the Lord; yathā — as much as; śābde — sound transcendental; brahmaṇi — Vedic literature; niṣṇātaḥ — fully realized; parasmin — in transcendence; ca — also; bhavān — your good self; khalu — as a matter of fact.

TRANSLATION

Kindly clear up all these doubtful inquiries, because you are not only vastly learned in the Vedic literatures and self-realized in transcendence, but are also a great devotee of the Lord and are therefore as good as the Personality of Godhead.

VERSE 2.4.11

sūta uvāca

ity upāmantrito rājñā
guṇānukathane hareḥ
hṛṣīkeśam anusmṛtya
prativaktuṁ pracakrame

SYNONYMS

sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; upāmantritaḥ — being requested; rājñā — by the King; guṇa-anukathane — in describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord; hareḥ — of the Personality of Godhead; hṛṣīkeśam — the master of the senses; anusmṛtya — properly remembering; prativaktum — just to reply; pracakrame — executed the preliminaries.

TRANSLATION

Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was thus requested by the King to describe the creative energy of the Personality of Godhead, he then systematically remembered the master of the senses [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and to reply properly he spoke thus.

VERSE 2.4.12

śrī-śuka uvāca

namaḥ parasmai puruṣāya bhūyase
sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodha-līlayā
gṛhīta-śakti-tritayāya dehinām
antarbhavāyānupalakṣya-vartmane

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; namaḥ — offering obeisances; parasmai — the Supreme; puruṣāya — Personality of Godhead; bhūyase — unto the complete whole; sad-udbhava — the creation of the material world; sthāna — its maintenance; nirodha — and its winding up; līlayā — by the pastime of; gṛhīta — having accepted; śakti — power; tritayāya — three modes; dehinām — of all who possess material bodies; antaḥ-bhavāya — unto He who resides within; anupalakṣya — inconceivable; vartmane — one who has such ways.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, for the creation of the material world, accepts the three modes of nature. He is the complete whole residing within the body of everyone, and His ways are inconceivable.

VERSE 2.4.13

bhūyo namaḥ sad-vṛjina-cchide ’satām
asambhavāyākhila-sattva-mūrtaye
puṁsāṁ punaḥ pāramahaṁsya āśrame
vyavasthitānām anumṛgya-dāśuṣe

SYNONYMS

bhūyaḥ — again; namaḥ — my obeisances; sat — of the devotees or the pious; vṛjina — distresses; chide — the liberator; asatām — of the atheists, the nondevotee-demons; asambhavāya — cessation of further unhappiness; akhila — complete; sattva — goodness; mūrtaye — unto the Personality; puṁsām — of the transcendentalists; punaḥ — again; pāramahaṁsye — the highest stage of spiritual perfection; āśrame — in the status; vyavasthitānām — particularly situated; anumṛgya — the destination; dāśuṣe — one who delivers.

TRANSLATION

I again offer my respectful obeisances unto the form of complete existence and transcendence, who is the liberator of the pious devotees from all distresses and the destroyer of the further advances in atheistic temperament of the nondevotee-demons. For the transcendentalists who are situated in the topmost spiritual perfection, He grants their specific destinations.

VERSE 2.4.14

namo namas te ’stv ṛṣabhāya sātvatāṁ
vidūra-kāṣṭhāya muhuḥ kuyoginām
nirasta-sāmyātiśayena rādhasā
sva-dhāmani brahmaṇi raṁsyate namaḥ

SYNONYMS

namaḥ namaḥ te — let me offer my obeisances unto You; astu — are; ṛṣabhāya — unto the great associate; sātvatām — of the members of the Yadu dynasty; vidūra-kāṣṭhāya — one who is far from mundane wranglers; muhuḥ — always; ku-yoginām — of the nondevotees; nirasta — vanquished; sāmya — equal status; atiśayena — by greatness; rādhasā — by opulence; sva-dhāmani — in His own abode; brahmaṇi — in the spiritual sky; raṁsyate — enjoys; namaḥ — I do bow down.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him who is the associate of the members of the Yadu dynasty and who is always a problem for the nondevotees. He is the supreme enjoyer of both the material and spiritual worlds, yet He enjoys His own abode in the spiritual sky. There is no one equal to Him because His transcendental opulence is immeasurable.

VERSE 2.4.15

yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇaṁ yad-īkṣaṇaṁ
yad-vandanaṁ yac-chravaṇaṁ yad-arhaṇam
lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ

SYNONYMS

yat — whose; kīrtanam — glorification; yat — whose; smaraṇam — remembrances; yat — whose; īkṣaṇam — audience; yat — whose; vandanam — prayers; yat — whose; śravaṇam — hearing about; yat — whose; arhaṇam — worshiping; lokasya — of all people; sadyaḥ — forthwith; vidhunoti — specifically cleanses; kalmaṣam — effects of sins; tasmai — unto Him; subhadra — all-auspicious; śravase — one who is heard; namaḥ — my due obeisances; namaḥ — again and again.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, about whom glorification, remembrances, audience, prayers, hearing and worship can at once cleanse the effects of all sins of the performer.

VERSE 2.4.16

vicakṣaṇā yac-caraṇopasādanāt
saṅgaṁ vyudasyobhayato ’ntar-ātmanaḥ
vindanti hi brahma-gatiṁ gata-klamās
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ

SYNONYMS

vicakṣaṇāḥ — highly intellectual; yat — whose; caraṇa-upasādanāt — simply dedicating oneself unto the lotus feet; saṅgam — attachment; vyudasya — giving up completely; ubhayataḥ — for present and future existence; antaḥ-ātmanaḥ — of the heart and soul; vindanti — moves progressively; hi — certainly; brahma-gatim — toward spiritual existence; gata-klamāḥ — without difficulty; tasmai — unto Him; subhadra — all-auspicious; śravase — unto one who is heard; namaḥ — my due obeisances; namaḥ — again and again.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The highly intellectual, simply by surrendering unto His lotus feet, are relieved of all attachments to present and future existences and without difficulty progress toward spiritual existence.

VERSE 2.4.17

tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino
manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ
kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ

SYNONYMS

tapasvinaḥ — the great learned sages; dāna-parāḥ — the great performer of charity; yaśasvinaḥ — the great worker of distinction; manasvinaḥ — the great philosophers or mystics; mantra-vidaḥ — the great chanter of the Vedic hymns; su-maṅgalāḥ — strict followers of Vedic principles; kṣemam — fruitful result; na — never; vindanti — attain; vinā — without; yat-arpaṇam — dedication; tasmai — unto Him; subhadra — auspicious; śravase — hearing about Him; namaḥ — my obeisances; namaḥ — again and again.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again and again because the great learned sages, the great performers of charity, the great workers of distinction, the great philosophers and mystics, the great chanters of the Vedic hymns and the great followers of Vedic principles cannot achieve any fruitful result without dedication of such great qualities to the service of the Lord.

VERSE 2.4.18

kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ

SYNONYMS

kirāta — a province of old Bhārata; hūṇa — part of Germany and Russia; āndhra — a province of southern India; pulinda — the Greeks; pulkaśāḥ — another province; ābhīra — part of old Sind; śumbhāḥ — another province; yavanāḥ — the Turks; khasa-ādayaḥ — the Mongolian province; ye — even those; anye — others; ca — also; pāpāḥ — addicted to sinful acts; yat — whose; apāśraya-āśrayāḥ — having taken shelter of the devotees of the Lord; śudhyanti — at once purified; tasmai — unto Him; prabhaviṣṇave — unto the powerful Viṣṇu; namaḥ — my respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

VERSE 2.4.19

sa eṣa ātmātmavatām adhīśvaras
trayīmayo dharmamayas tapomayaḥ
gata-vyalīkair aja-śaṅkarādibhir
vitarkya-liṅgo bhagavān prasīdatām

SYNONYMS

saḥ — He; eṣaḥ — it is; ātmā — the Supersoul; ātmavatām — of the self-realized souls; adhīśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; trayī-mayaḥ — personified Vedas; dharma-mayaḥ — personified religious scripture; tapaḥ-mayaḥ — personified austerity; gata-vyalīkaiḥ — by those who are above all pretensions; aja — Brahmājī; śaṅkara-ādibhiḥ — by Lord Śiva and others; vitarkya-liṅgaḥ — one who is observed with awe and veneration; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; prasīdatām — be kind toward me.

TRANSLATION

He is the Supersoul and the Supreme Lord of all self-realized souls. He is the personification of the Vedas, religious scriptures and austerities. He is worshiped by Lord Brahmā and Śiva and all those who are transcendental to all pretensions. Being so revered with awe and veneration, may that Supreme Absolute be pleased with me.

VERSE 2.4.20

śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir
dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ
patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ
prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ

SYNONYMS

śriyaḥ — all opulence; patiḥ — the owner; yajña — of sacrifice; patiḥ — the director; prajā-patiḥ — the leader of all living entities; dhiyām — of intelligence; patiḥ — the master; loka-patiḥ — the proprietor of all planets; dharā — earth; patiḥ — the supreme; patiḥ — head; gatiḥ — destination; ca — also; andhaka — one of the kings of the Yadu dynasty; vṛṣṇi — the first king of the Yadu dynasty; sātvatām — the Yadus; prasīdatām — be merciful; me — upon me; bhagavān — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; satām — of all devotees; patiḥ — the Lord.

TRANSLATION

May Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Lord of all devotees, the protector and glory of all the kings like Andhaka and Vṛṣṇi of the Yadu dynasty, the husband of all goddesses of fortune, the director of all sacrifices and therefore the leader of all living entities, the controller of all intelligence, the proprietor of all planets, spiritual and material, and the supreme incarnation on the earth (the supreme all in all), be merciful upon me.

VERSE 2.4.21

yad-aṅghry-abhidhyāna-samādhi-dhautayā
dhiyānupaśyanti hi tattvam ātmanaḥ
vadanti caitat kavayo yathā-rucaṁ
sa me mukundo bhagavān prasīdatām

SYNONYMS

yat-aṅghri — whose lotus feet; abhidhyāna — thinking of, at every second; samādhi — trance; dhautayā — being washed off; dhiyā — by such clean intelligence; anupaśyanti — does see by following authorities; hi — certainly; tattvam — the Absolute Truth; ātmanaḥ — of the Supreme Lord and of oneself; vadanti — they say; ca — also; etat — this; kavayaḥ — philosophers or learned scholars; yathā-rucam — as he thinks; saḥ — He; me — mine; mukundaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa (who gives liberation); bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; prasīdatām — be pleased with me.

TRANSLATION

It is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa who gives liberation. By thinking of His lotus feet at every second, following in the footsteps of authorities, the devotee in trance can see the Absolute Truth. The learned mental speculators, however, think of Him according to their whims. May the Lord be pleased with me.

VERSE 2.4.22

pracoditā yena purā sarasvatī
vitanvatājasya satīṁ smṛtiṁ hṛdi
sva-lakṣaṇā prādurabhūt kilāsyataḥ
sa me ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhaḥ prasīdatām

SYNONYMS

pracoditā — inspired; yena — by whom; purā — in the beginning of creation; sarasvatī — the goddess of learning; vitanvatā — amplified; ajasya — of Brahmā, the first created living being; satīm smṛtim — potent memory; hṛdi — in the heart; sva — in his own; lakṣaṇā — aiming at; prādurabhūt — was generated; kila — as if; āsyataḥ — from the mouth; saḥ — he; me — unto me; ṛṣīṇām — of the teachers; ṛṣabhaḥ — the chief; prasīdatām — be pleased.

TRANSLATION

May the Lord, who in the beginning of the creation amplified the potent knowledge of Brahmā from within his heart and inspired him with full knowledge of creation and of His own Self, and who appeared to be generated from the mouth of Brahmā, be pleased with me.

VERSE 2.4.23

bhūtair mahadbhir ya imāḥ puro vibhur
nirmāya śete yad amūṣu pūruṣaḥ
bhuṅkte guṇān ṣoḍaśa ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ
so ’laṅkṛṣīṣṭa bhagavān vacāṁsi me

SYNONYMS

bhūtaiḥ — by the elements; mahadbhiḥ — of material creation; yaḥ — He who; imāḥ — all these; puraḥ — bodies; vibhuḥ — of the Lord; nirmāya — for being set up; śete — lie down; yat amūṣu — one who incarnated; pūruṣaḥ — Lord Viṣṇu; bhuṅkte — causes to be subjected; guṇān — the three modes of nature; ṣoḍaśa — in sixteen divisions; ṣoḍaśa-ātmakaḥ — being the generator of these sixteen; saḥ — He; alaṅkṛṣīṣṭa — may decorate; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; vacāṁsi — statements; me — mine.

TRANSLATION

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the materially created bodies of the elements by lying down within the universe, and who in His puruṣa incarnation causes the living being to be subjected to the sixteen divisions of material modes which are his generator, be pleased to decorate my statements.

VERSE 2.4.24

namas tasmai bhagavate
vāsudevāya vedhase
papur jñānam ayaṁ saumyā
yan-mukhāmburuhāsavam

SYNONYMS

namaḥ — my obeisances; tasmai — unto Him; bhagavate — unto the Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya — unto Vāsudeva or His incarnations; vedhase — the compiler of the Vedic literatures; papuḥ — drunk; jñānam — knowledge; ayam — this Vedic knowledge; saumyāḥ — the devotees, especially the consorts of Lord Kṛṣṇa; yat — from whose; mukha-amburuha — the lotuslike mouth; āsavam — nectar from His mouth.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the incarnation of Vāsudeva who compiled the Vedic scriptures. The pure devotees drink up the nectarean transcendental knowledge dropping from the lotuslike mouth of the Lord.

VERSE 2.4.25

etad evātma-bhū rājan
nāradāya vipṛcchate
veda-garbho ’bhyadhāt sākṣād
yad āha harir ātmanaḥ

SYNONYMS

etat — on this matter; eva — exactly; ātma-bhūḥ — the firstborn (Brahmājī); rājan — my dear King; nāradāya — unto Nārada Muni; vipṛcchate — having inquired about it from; veda-garbhaḥ — one who is impregnated with Vedic knowledge from birth; abhyadhāt — apprised; sākṣāt — directly; yat āha — what he spoke; hariḥ — the Lord; ātmanaḥ — unto His own (Brahmā).

TRANSLATION

My dear King, Brahmā, the firstborn, on being questioned by Nārada, exactly apprised him on this subject as it had been directly spoken by the Lord to His own son, who was impregnated with Vedic knowledge from his very birth.