Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 33
The Six Dvīpas Beyond Jambūdvīpa and the Cosmic Boundary of Lokāloka
यत्तत्कर्ममयं लिङ्गं ब्रह्मलिङ्गं जनोऽर्चयेत् । एकान्तमद्वयं शान्तं तस्मै भगवते नम इति ॥ ३३ ॥
yat tat karmamayaṁ liṅgaṁ brahma-liṅgaṁ jano ’rcayet ekāntam advayaṁ śāntaṁ tasmai bhagavate nama iti
Brahmā yang dipuja sebagai rupa karma-maya, bentuk upacara Veda, ialah bhakta teguh kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Tinggi—tenang, esa dan tanpa dua; kepada Bhagavān Brahmā kami menunduk hormat.
In this verse, the word karma-mayam (“obtainable by the Vedic ritualistic system”) is significant. The Vedas say, svadharma-niṣṭhaḥ śata janmabhiḥ pumān viriñcatām eti: “One who strictly follows the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma for at least one hundred births will be rewarded with the post of Lord Brahmā.” It is also significant that although Lord Brahmā is extremely powerful, he never thinks himself one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; he always knows that he is an eternal servitor of the Lord. Because the Lord and the servant are identical on the spiritual platform, Brahmā is herein addressed as bhagavān. Bhagavān is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, but if a devotee serves Him with full faith, the meaning of the Vedic literature is revealed to him. Therefore Brahmā is called brahma-liṅga, which indicates that his entire form consists of Vedic knowledge.
FAQs
This verse acknowledges worship of a Brahman-emblem, but clarifies that the ultimate reality is Bhagavān—one-pointed, nondual, and supremely peaceful—who is the true object of reverence.
He indicates that while people may approach through ritualized action and symbolic worship, the final understanding in the Bhagavatam is the nondual Supreme Person (Bhagavān), who transcends yet includes such approaches.
Focus devotion on the one Supreme Reality rather than getting lost in externals; cultivate inner peace by steady remembrance and worship directed to Bhagavān as the ultimate goal.