Shloka 15
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa (Brahmā-stuti) and the Restoration of Vraja’s Lunch Pastime
तच्चेज्जलस्थं तव सज्जगद्वपु: किं मे न दृष्टं भगवंस्तदैव । किं वा सुदृष्टं हृदि मे तदैव किं नो सपद्येव पुनर्व्यदर्शि ॥ १५ ॥
tac cej jala-sthaṁ tava saj jagad-vapuḥ kiṁ me na dṛṣṭaṁ bhagavaṁs tadaiva kiṁ vā su-dṛṣṭaṁ hṛdi me tadaiva kiṁ no sapady eva punar vyadarśi
My Lord, if Your transcendental body, the shelter of the entire universe, was indeed lying upon the water, why did I not see You when I searched for You? And though I could not clearly behold You within my heart, why did You suddenly reveal Yourself?
Lord Brahmā here refers to his experience at the dawn of cosmic creation. As described in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Brahmā took birth on the seat of a giant lotus whose stem emanated from the navel of Nārāyaṇa. Brahmā was bewildered as to his whereabouts, function and identity, and therefore he tried to trace out the source of the lotus stem, searching for clear information. Unable to find the Personality of Godhead, he returned to his seat and engaged in severe austerities, having been ordered to do so by the transcendental voice of the Lord, who could be heard but not seen. After long meditation, Brahmā saw the Lord but then again lost sight of Him. Thus Brahmā concludes that the transcendental body of the Personality of Godhead is not material but rather an eternal, spiritual form endowed with inconceivable mystic potencies. In other words, Lord Brahmā should not have challenged the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of all mystic power.
FAQs
Brahmā admits his confusion: whether Kṛṣṇa’s all-pervading form was truly present before him or only realized within his heart, and he wonders why he could not perceive the Lord clearly and consistently without the Lord’s grace.
After being humbled in the Brahmā-vimohana līlā, Brahmā offers prayers of repentance and inquiry, acknowledging that even he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa’s self-manifesting nature without Kṛṣṇa’s willingness to reveal Himself.
It emphasizes that spiritual perception is not merely intellectual—consistent realization depends on humility, sincere devotion, and the Lord’s mercy rather than one’s status or learning.