Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 8
Brahmā’s Tapasya, the Vision of Vaikuṇṭha, and the Lord’s Seed Instructions
Catuḥ-śloki
दिव्यं सहस्राब्दममोघदर्शनो जितानिलात्मा विजितोभयेन्द्रिय: । अतप्यत स्माखिललोकतापनं तपस्तपीयांस्तपतां समाहित: ॥ ८ ॥
divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ
Brahmā, dont la vision est infaillible, accomplit des austérités divines durant mille ans selon le calcul des devas. Il reçut comme sacrée la vibration transcendante venue du ciel, maîtrisa souffle, mental et sens, et sa tapasya devint une leçon pour tous les êtres; ainsi est-il célébré comme le plus grand des ascètes.
Lord Brahmā heard the occult sound tapa, but he did not see the person who vibrated the sound. And still he accepted the instruction as beneficial for him, and therefore he engaged himself in meditation for one thousand celestial years. One celestial year is equal to 6 × 30 × 12 × 1000 of our years. His acceptance of the sound was due to his pure vision of the absolute nature of the Lord. And due to his correct vision, he made no distinction between the Lord and the Lord’s instruction. There is no difference between the Lord and sound vibration coming from Him, even though He is not personally present. The best way of understanding is to accept such divine instruction, and Brahmā, the prime spiritual master of everyone, is the living example of this process of receiving transcendental knowledge. The potency of transcendental sound is never minimized because the vibrator is apparently absent. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā or any revealed scripture in the world is never to be accepted as an ordinary mundane sound without transcendental potency.
FAQs
This verse describes Brahmā’s divine austerity as world-purifying—tapasya, done with full concentration and sense control, has the power to cleanse and elevate existence.
To show how the secondary creator, Brahmā, received qualification and clarity through intense tapasya—illustrating that spiritual realization and empowered service arise from disciplined absorption.
Practice steady regulation—reduce impulsive sense habits, adopt daily sādhana (japa, study, prayer), and keep attention fixed on the Lord; disciplined focus is the essence of “samāhitaḥ.”