Srimad Bhagavatam – day 456
Lord Brahma continued to pray, “Moon is the bestower of food, energy and longevity to the Devatas, who are the inhabitants of heaven. This Moon is also the presiding deity for plants and herbs and through this becomes the cause for the creation and sustenance of living entities. Maharishis declare that Moon is the mind of the Universal form of the Lord. May the Supreme Lord, who is the source for all prosperity, be pleased with us!
Lord Agni (fire-god), who was created for the purposes of accepting Vedic sacrificial rituals, remains in the centre of the ocean in the form of baḍabagni fire. Such Fire-god is the mouth of the Universal Lord. Located in the abdomen of living entities, this Fire-god ensures proper digestion of the food consumed by living entities. May the Supreme Lord, who is filled with opulence, be pleased with us!
The Sun-god, who is the personification of all Vedas, is the presiding Lord of the meritorious path of Uttarāyana (6 months of the North-bound journey). Those who worship the Sun-god considering him as the Supreme Lord are blessed with liberation. The Sun-god, who is the form of time, is also the cause for death and annihilation. Such Sun-god is the eye of the Supreme Lord. May the Supreme Lord, who is replete with divine manifestations, shower His grace upon us!
The Wind-god fills all living entities with life-force (praṇa), mental strength, bodily strength and sense-control. For this reason just as attendants follow an emperor, we the Devatas strictly follow Wind-god for our sustenance. Such Wind-god emerged from the life-force (prāṇa shakti) of the Universal Lord. May the Universal Lord, who is a divine manifestation of the Supreme Lord, shower His grace upon us!
Directions emerged from the ear of the Universal Lord. Senses (indriyas) emerged from His heart while space emerged from His navel. Space becomes the basis for the existence of the 5 organs of perception, the 5 organs of action, the four-fold inner mind, the 5 life-forces and the varied bodies. It thus becomes their shelter. May the Supreme Lord, who created this space from His navel, be pleased with us!
Indra was created from the strength of the Universal Lord. From His happiness the Devatas were born. From His anger Rudra was born. Brahma emerged from His intelligence. From His senses (indriyas) Vedas were created. From His organ of reproduction Maharishis and Prajāpatis manifested. May such Universal Lord, who is the repository of all prosperity, be pleased with us!
Mother Goddess Lakshmi manifested from the chest of the Universal Lord. The fore-fathers were born from His shadow. Dharma (righteousness) was born from His breast. From His back unrighteousness (adharma) and from the top of His head the heaven was generated. From His enjoyments Apsarasas were created. May the Universal Lord, who is an epitome of divine manifestations, bless us all!”
In varied ways the Devatas beg for the mercy of the Supreme Lord. All energies in entirety, the entire illusion is in His control. They now recollect His supremacy and beg Him.
“From the face of the Universal Lord, Brahmins, who are exponents in Vedic literature, are born along with the Vedas. From His shoulders warriors (kshatriya) together with their prowess are created. From both His thighs traders and herders (vysyas) along with their expertise were generated. From His feet the labourers (śudras), who diligently perform action as stipulated in Puranas, were born together with the ability to offer service. May Such Universal Lord bless us all!
From the lower lip of the Universal Lord greed is born; attachment is born from His upper lip. From His nose glow (lustre) is generated. From His touch lustful desires, that are extremely loved by animals and by those who have animal tendencies, are born. From His eyebrows the Lord of death (Yama) and from His eyelids eternal time manifested.
Each and every living entity has emerged from Him alone! The Lord’s illusory energy is the cause for the formation of the 5 basic elements, eternal time, fruitive actions of living entities, the three attributes of Nature and the specialized knowledge that differentiates between the various forms of matter. He is the root for the emergence of this illusory energy (māya shakti) which determines all these differences. Intelligent persons, with their discriminatory knowledge, understand these differences to be merely in name and form. Thereby they reject these non-Self objects while seeking shelter in the Supreme Lord, understanding Him to be the Absolute Truth. May such Universal Lord shower His grace upon us!”
They experientially realise Him to be the Absolute Truth. They realise that these creations of His are not permanent. He alone is eternal; He alone is real. ‘Why should I chase impermanent objects which are unreal?’ With this wisdom they reject these illusory non-Self objects and search for the Universal Lord who alone is real and permanent. Holding on to Him they glorify Him. They desire to see Him.
“In the form of the three attributes, the energies of Nature are hidden within the Supreme Lord. The Lord is absolutely disinclined towards the cause and effect activities of the world which are the creation of illusory energy. Feelings of ‘I and mine’ toward these activities do not exist in Him. Just as air does not associate with any object touched by it, the Lord is sporting in this world while remaining unattached to the world. He is eternally established in His original form i.e. in unending complete bliss. We offer obeisance to this Supreme Lord.
Sa tvaṁ no darśayātmānam asmat-karaṇa-gocaram
Prapannānāṁ didṛkṣūṇāṁ sasmitaṁ te mukhāmbujam
O Supreme Lord! We are eagerly waiting to see Your pleasant, smiling lotus face. Please be merciful. Please make yourself visible, O Lord, in a form that can be grasped by the senses. We can wait no longer.
O Lord, due to Your will, whenever righteousness (dharma) faces a setback, You manifest in different incarnations suited to the time requirements to fulfil the desires of your devotees. You destroy demons, a task that is impossible for us to achieve”.
Aniruddhaya namah