Verse 1.2.9-11

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.2.9-11:

পূর্বে ব্রহ্মা জন্মিলেন নাভি-পদ্ম হৈতে তথাপিহ শক্তি নাই কিছুই দেখিতে তবে যবে সর্ব-ভাবে লৈলা শরণ তবে প্রভু কৃপায দিলেন দরশন তবে কৃষ্ণ-কৃপায স্ফুরিল সরস্বতী তবে সে জানিলা সর্ব-অবতার-স্থিতি ॥ ৯-১১ ॥

पूर्वे ब्रह्मा जन्मिलेन नाभि-पद्म हैते तथापिह शक्ति नाइ किछुइ देखिते तबे यबे सर्व-भावे लैला शरण तबे प्रभु कृपाय दिलेन दरशन तबे कृष्ण-कृपाय स्फुरिल सरस्वती तबे से जानिला सर्व-अवतार-स्थिति ॥ ९-११ ॥

pūrve brahmā janmilena nābhi-padma haite tathāpiha śakti nāi kichui dekhite tabe yabe sarva-bhāve lailā śaraṇa tabe prabhu kṛpāya dilena daraśana tabe kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya sphurila sarasvatī tabe se jānilā sarva-avatāra-sthiti || 9-11 ||

purve brahma janmilena nabhi-padma haite tathapiha sakti nai kichui dekhite tabe yabe sarva-bhave laila sarana tabe prabhu krpaya dilena darasana tabe krsna-krpaya sphurila sarasvati tabe se janila sarva-avatara-sthiti (9-11)

English translation:

(9-11) In the beginning of creation Lord Brahmā was born from the lotus sprouted from the navel of Lord Viṣṇu. Still, he had no power to see anything. When Brahmā took full shelter of the Lord, then out of compassion the Lord appeared before him. Then, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā received transcendental knowledge so that he could understand the various incarnations of the Supreme Lord.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Seven different lives of Brahmā are described in the Mahābhārata (Śānti 347.40-43). Besides being born from the lotus, Brahmā was also born from the mind, eyes, speech, ears, nose, and egg. When Brahmā was born from the lotus, he opened his eyes and could not see his worshipable Lord. He then took shelter of the Supreme Lord and was able to see Him. Therefore it is stated in the Vedas (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23 and Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3):

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhasā na bahunā śrutena

yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṃ svām

“The Supreme Lord is not obtained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, or even by much hearing. He is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person, He manifests His own form.” The omnipotent Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested His quality of magnificence and thus empowered Lord Brahmā to realize his constitutional position and

disseminate transcendental knowledge. Thereafter the words oṃ and ataḥ manifested from the mouth of Brahmā. As a result, Lord Brahmā understood the causelessly merciful advent and wonderful variegated pastimes of the sac-cid-ānanda Supreme Lord through the descending process, rather than the ascending process. This is confirmed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (1.1.1): “It is He only who first imparted Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being.” Without the powerful glorification of Kṛṣṇa from the mouths of pure devotees, the living entities are unable to get free from the clutches of māyā, in the form of aversion to Kṛṣṇa, by uttering lifeless words born of material enjoyment.