Shloka 61
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
ततस्तस्मिन् वरान् प्रीतो दत्तवानस्म्यनुत्तमान् । 'पूर्वकालमें मेरे द्वारा उत्पन्न किये गये ब्रह्माने स्वयं ही मुझ यज्ञपुरुषका यजन किया था। इससे प्रसन्न होकर मैंने उन्हें उत्तम वरदान दिये थे |। ६० ई ।। मत्पुत्रत्वं च कल्पादौ लोकाध्यक्षत्वमेव च,(वे वरदान इस प्रकार हैं--) “ब्रह्मन! तुम प्रत्येक कल्पके आदिदमें मेरे पुत्ररूपसे उत्पन्न होओगे। तुम्हें लोकाध्यक्षका पद प्राप्त होगा। तुम्हारा पर्यायवाची नाम होगा, अहंकारकर्ता। तुम्हारी बाँधी हुई मर्यादाका कोई उल्लंघन नहीं करेगा
tatas tasmin varān prīto dattavān asmy anuttamān | pūrvakāle mayotpāditena brahmaṇā svayam eva māṁ yajñapuruṣaṁ yajitaḥ | tena prīto 'haṁ tasmai varān anuttamān adadam | matputratvaṁ ca kalpādau lokādhyakṣatvam eva ca |
Bhishma said: “Then, pleased with him, I granted him unsurpassed boons. In former times, Brahmā—who had been brought forth by me—himself performed worship of me as the Lord of Sacrifice. Delighted by that act, I bestowed upon him excellent gifts: that at the beginning of each cosmic cycle he would be born as my son, and that he would attain the office of overseer of the worlds.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links rightful authority to devotion and ritual responsibility: Brahmā’s status as world-overseer is portrayed as grounded in reverence toward the sacrificial Lord and in maintaining cosmic order (maryādā).
Bhishma recounts an ancient episode in which Brahmā worshipped the Yajñapuruṣa; pleased, the deity granted Brahmā boons—especially recurring sonship at each kalpa’s start and the office of lokādhyakṣa (overseer of the worlds).