Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 39
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Nārāyaṇa and the Lord’s Empowering Instructions for Creation
प्रीतोऽहमस्तु भद्रं ते लोकानां विजयेच्छया । यदस्तौषीर्गुणमयं निर्गुणं मानुवर्णयन् ॥ ३९ ॥
prīto ’ham astu bhadraṁ te lokānāṁ vijayecchayā yad astauṣīr guṇamayaṁ nirguṇaṁ mānuvarṇayan
愿你吉祥，噢梵天。你为使诸世界得胜与昌隆，以看似“具德”的言辞来赞颂那超越诸德的我；你对我超越德性的描述令我甚为欢喜，我赐你诸般恩惠。
A pure devotee of the Lord like Brahmā and those in his line of disciplic succession always desire that the Lord be known all over the universe by each and every one of the living entities. That desire of the devotee is always blessed by the Lord. The impersonalist sometimes prays for the mercy of the Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa as the embodiment of material goodness, but such prayers do not satisfy the Lord because He is not thereby glorified in terms of His actual transcendental qualities. The pure devotees of the Lord are always most dear to Him, although He is always kind and merciful to all living entities. Here the word guṇamayam is significant because it indicates the Lord’s possessing transcendental qualities.
FAQs
This verse explains that the Supreme Lord is nirguṇa—beyond material guṇas—yet devotees may praise Him with describable qualities and names so the mind and speech can approach Him in devotion.
Because Brahmā prayed for the welfare of all worlds and offered sincere praise, expressing the transcendent Lord in human language for the benefit of creation and spiritual understanding.
Even if God is ultimately beyond description, you can steadily worship through prayers, names, and qualities (kīrtana, stava, japa) with the intention of benefiting others and aligning your work with divine purpose.