Shloka 13
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa (Brahmā-stuti) and the Restoration of Vraja’s Lunch Pastime
जगत् त्रयान्तोदधिसम्प्लवोदे नारायणस्योदरनाभिनालात् । विनिर्गतोऽजस्त्विति वाङ्न वै मृषा किन्त्वीश्वर त्वन्न विनिर्गतोऽस्मि ॥ १३ ॥
jagat-trayāntodadhi-samplavode nārāyaṇasyodara-nābhi-nālāt vinirgato ’jas tv iti vāṅ na vai mṛṣā kintv īśvara tvan na vinirgato ’smi
My dear Lord, it is said that at dissolution the three worlds merge into the waters; then Your plenary expansion Nārāyaṇa lies upon that water, a lotus grows from His navel, and Brahmā is born upon it. These words are not false; therefore, O Īśvara, am I not born from You?
Although every living being is a child of God, Lord Brahmā here makes a special claim because he takes birth on a lotus flower that emanates from the navel of Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, all living beings are equally expansions of the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord. But Brahmā has an intimate relationship with the Lord because of the activities of universal creation, and so he uses the prefix vi in the word vinirgata to beg the Lord’s special mercy. Lord Brahmā is called aja because he is not born from any mother but rather emanates directly from the body of the Lord. As Śrīla Prabhupāda states in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “It is naturally concluded that the mother of Brahmā is Nārāyaṇa.” On these grounds, Lord Brahmā is requesting special forgiveness for his offenses.
FAQs
It affirms the traditional teaching that Brahmā appears from the lotus arising from Nārāyaṇa’s navel during cosmic creation, while emphasizing that Brahmā’s existence is entirely dependent on the Supreme Lord and not independent.
After being humbled by Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable supremacy, Brahmā reconciles cosmology with devotion: the lotus-birth account is true, but the deeper truth is that Brahmā’s power and very being rest in the Lord alone.
It cultivates spiritual humility—recognizing one’s abilities and achievements as supported by the Divine—leading to gratitude, surrender, and steadier devotion rather than ego-driven pride.