Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 45
Puruṣa-sūkta Logic of the Virāṭ: Cosmic Anatomy, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Transcendence
अहं भवो यज्ञ इमे प्रजेशा दक्षादयो ये भवदादयश्च । स्वर्लोकपाला: खगलोकपाला नृलोकपालास्तललोकपाला: ॥ ४३ ॥ गन्धर्वविद्याधरचारणेशा ये यक्षरक्षोरगनागनाथा: । ये वा ऋषीणामृषभा: पितृणां दैत्येन्द्रसिद्धेश्वरदानवेन्द्रा: । अन्ये च ये प्रेतपिशाचभूत- कूष्माण्डयादोमृगपक्ष्यधीशा: ॥ ४४ ॥ यत्किंच लोके भगवन्महस्व- दोज:सहस्वद् बलवत् क्षमावत् । श्रीह्रीविभूत्यात्मवदद्भुतार्णं तत्त्वं परं रूपवदस्वरूपम् ॥ ४५ ॥
ahaṁ bhavo yajña ime prajeśā dakṣādayo ye bhavad-ādayaś ca svarloka-pālāḥ khagaloka-pālā nṛloka-pālās talaloka-pālāḥ
अहं ब्रह्मा, भवः शङ्करः, यज्ञः, प्रजेशाः दक्षादयः, यूयं नारदकुमारादयः, स्वर्लोकपालाः इन्द्रचन्द्रादयः, भूर्-नृ-तललोकपालाः, गन्धर्व-विद्याधर-चारणाधिपाः, यक्ष-रक्ष-उरग-नागनाथाः, ऋषिवृषभाः, पितृपतयः, दैत्येन्द्र-सिद्धेश्वर-दानवेन्द्राः, प्रेत-पिशाच-भूत-कूष्माण्ड-यादो-मृग-पक्ष्यधीशाश्च—लोके यत्किञ्चिद् महस्वद् ओजस्वद् बलवत् क्षमावत् श्रीह्रीविभूत्यात्मवदद्भुतं रूपवद् अरूपं वा दृश्यते, तत् सर्वं भगवतः परस्य तत्त्वस्य न स्वयम्; तस्यैव पराशक्तेः अंशमात्रं प्रकाशते।
Those in the list given above, beginning from the name Brahmājī, the first living creature within the universe, down to Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, Nārada and other powerful demigods, men, supermen, sages, ṛṣis, and other lower creatures of extraordinary strength and opulence, including the dead bodies, satans, evil spirits, jinn, aquatics, birds and beasts, may appear to be the Supreme Lord, but factually none of them is the Supreme Lord; every one of them possesses only a fragment of the great potencies of the Supreme Lord. The less intelligent man is surprised to see the wonderful actions of material phenomena, as the aborigines are fearful of a great thunderbolt, a great and gigantic banyan tree, or a great lofty mountain in the jungle. For such undeveloped human beings, merely the slight display of the Lord’s potency is captivating. A still more advanced person is captivated by the powers of the demigods and goddesses. Therefore, those who are simply astonished by the powers of anything in the creation of the Lord, without any factual information of the Lord Himself, are known as śaktas, or worshipers of the great powers. The modern scientist is also captivated by the wonderful actions and reactions of natural phenomena and therefore is also a śakta. These lower-grade persons gradually rise to become saurīyas (worshipers of the sun-god) or gāṇapatyas (worshipers of the mass of people as janatā-janārdana or daridra-nārāyaṇa, etc., in the form of Gaṇapati) and then rise to the platform of worshiping Lord Śiva in search for the ever-existing soul, and then to the stage of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, the Supersoul, etc., without any information of Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the original Lord Viṣṇu. In other ways some are worshipers of race, nationality, birds, beasts, evil spirits, satans, etc. The general worship of Śanideva, the lord of distressful condition, and Sītalādevī, the goddess of smallpox, is also common to the mass of people, and there are many foolish men who worship the mass of people or the poor class of men. So different persons, societies and communities, etc., worship some of the potent manifestations of the Lord, wrongly accepting the powerful object as God. But in this verse it is advised by Brahmājī that none of them is the Supreme Lord; they are only borrowed plumes from the original Almighty Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When the Lord advises in Bhagavad-gītā to worship Him alone, it is to be understood that worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa includes worshiping all that is mentioned, because He, Lord Kṛṣṇa, includes everyone.
FAQs
This verse teaches that whatever appears extraordinary—power, beauty, forgiveness, splendor, or wonder—ultimately reflects Bhagavān’s supreme reality and opulence.
Brahmā is offering praise after describing cosmic rulers and beings, concluding that all their powers and glories are derived from Bhagavān alone, who remains the original Supreme Truth.
When you encounter excellence or awe—talent, authority, beauty, resilience—train the mind to remember its divine source, cultivating gratitude, humility, and devotion instead of envy or pride.