Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 14
Transmission of Bhāgavata Wisdom and Brahmā’s Vision of the Supreme Lord on Ananta
स पद्मकोश: सहसोदतिष्ठत् कालेन कर्मप्रतिबोधनेन । स्वरोचिषा तत्सलिलं विशालं विद्योतयन्नर्क इवात्मयोनि: ॥ १४ ॥
sa padma-kośaḥ sahasodatiṣṭhat kālena karma-pratibodhanena sva-rociṣā tat salilaṁ viśālaṁ vidyotayann arka ivātma-yoniḥ
Piercing through, this sum total form of the fruitive activity of the living entities took the shape of the bud of a lotus flower generated from the Personality of Viṣṇu, and by His supreme will it illuminated everything, like the sun, and dried up the vast waters of devastation.
FAQs
This verse describes the lotus-bud rising from the primordial waters and illuminating them, indicating the beginning of manifest creation as the stage for Brahmā’s appearance and further cosmic development.
It teaches that creation unfolds according to the Lord’s orderly system—time initiates transformation, and karma (destiny/ordained activity) becomes the operative impulse for manifestation within the material realm.
Just as creation moves under divine time and lawful order, a devotee can practice patience and steadiness—doing one’s dharma sincerely while trusting that outcomes mature in their proper time.