Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 24
Brahmā’s Tapasya, the Vision of Vaikuṇṭha, and the Lord’s Seed Instructions
Catuḥ-śloki
सृजामि तपसैवेदं ग्रसामि तपसा पुन: । बिभर्मि तपसा विश्वं वीर्यं मे दुश्चरं तप: ॥ २४ ॥
sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ grasāmi tapasā punaḥ bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ
এই তপস্যাৰ শক্তিৰে মই এই বিশ্ব সৃষ্টি কৰোঁ, সেই শক্তিৰে তাক ধাৰণ কৰোঁ, আৰু সেই শক্তিৰে পুনৰ সকলো লয় কৰোঁ। সেয়ে মোৰ পৰাক্ৰম তপস্যাই।
In executing penance, one must be determined to return home, back to Godhead, and must decide to undergo all types of tribulations for that end. Even for material prosperity and name and fame one has to undergo severe types of penances, otherwise no one can become an important figure in this material world. Why, then, should there not be severe types of penances for the perfection of devotional service? An easygoing life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot go together. The Lord is more clever than any living entity; therefore He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord, either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord’s mercy.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord creates, sustains, and withdraws the universe by His own tapas—His intrinsic spiritual potency—showing that the cosmos rests on the Supreme’s will and power, not mere material mechanics.
Brahma sought clear knowledge of creation. The Lord reveals that the ultimate cause is Himself, and that Brahma’s secondary creation succeeds only by receiving the Lord’s potency and instruction.
Practice disciplined devotion—regulated chanting, truthful living, sense control, and steady service—recognizing that real strength comes from spiritual austerity aligned with the Lord’s purpose.