Shloka 1
The Lord in the Heart and the Discipline of Yoga-Bhakti
श्रीशुक उवाच एवं पुरा धारणयात्मयोनि- र्नष्टां स्मृतिं प्रत्यवरुध्य तुष्टात् । तथा ससर्जेदममोघदृष्टि- र्यथाप्ययात् प्राग् व्यवसायबुद्धि: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ purā dhāraṇayātma-yonir naṣṭāṁ smṛtiṁ pratyavarudhya tuṣṭāt tathā sasarjedam amogha-dṛṣṭir yathāpyayāt prāg vyavasāya-buddhiḥ
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī berkata: Dahulu, sebelum kosmos termanifestasi, Brahmā yang lahir dari dirinya sendiri bermeditasi pada virāṭ-rūpa dan menyenangkan Tuhan, lalu memperoleh kembali ingatan yang hilang. Dengan pandangan yang tidak meleset, beliau membina semula ciptaan seperti sediakala dengan tekad yang teguh.
The example cited herein of Śrī Brahmājī is one of forgetfulness. Brahmājī is the incarnation of one of the mundane attributes of the Lord. Being the incarnation of the passion mode of material nature, he is empowered by the Lord to generate the beautiful material manifestation. Yet due to his being one of the numerous living entities, he is apt to forget the art of his creative energy. This forgetfulness of the living being — beginning from Brahmā down to the lowest insignificant ant — is a tendency which can be counteracted by meditation on the virāṭ-rūpa of the Lord. This chance is available in the human form of life, and if a human being follows the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and begins to meditate upon the virāṭ-rūpa, then revival of his pure consciousness and counteraction of the tendency to forget his eternal relationship with the Lord can follow simultaneously. And as soon as this forgetfulness is removed, the vyavasāya-buddhi, as mentioned here and in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.41) , follows at once. This ascertained knowledge of the living being leads to loving service to the Lord, which the living being requires. The kingdom of God is unlimited; therefore the number of the assisting hands of the Lord is also unlimited. The Bhagavad-gītā (13.14) asserts that the Lord has His hands, legs, eyes and mouths in every nook and corner of His creation. This means that the expansions of differentiated parts and parcels, called jīvas or living entities, are assisting hands of the Lord, and all of them are meant for rendering a particular pattern of service to the Lord. The conditioned soul, even in the position of a Brahmā, forgets this by the influence of the illusory material energy generated out of false egoism. One can counteract such false egoism by invoking God consciousness. Liberation means getting out of the slumber of forgetfulness and becoming situated in the real loving service of the Lord, as exemplified in the case of Brahmā. The service of Brahmā is the sample of service in liberation distinguished from the so-called altruistic services full of mistakes and forgetfulness. Liberation is never inaction, but service without human mistakes.
FAQs
This verse explains that after a prior dissolution, Brahmā regains remembrance through dhāraṇā (concentration) and then recreates the universe in the same pattern as before.
Because at dissolution the manifested cosmos is withdrawn, and Brahmā’s creative details are obscured; by meditative concentration he restores that knowledge and proceeds with creation.
It teaches that steady focus and inner discipline restore clarity and purpose—helping one regain direction when confused or “forgetful” due to life’s disruptions.