Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.14.13
Āśraya· The supreme shelterBrahmā Appeals to His Divine Parent
“My dear Lord, it is said that when the three planetary systems are merged into the water at the time of dissolution, Your plenary portion, Nārāyaṇa, lies down on the water, gradually a lotus flower grows from His navel, and Brahmā takes birth upon that lotus flower. Certainly, these words are not false. Thus am I not born from You?”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā takes birth upon the lotus growing from Nārāyaṇa’s navel. He therefore appeals to Kṛṣṇa as the source of his birth.
- Every living being is a child of God and an expansion of the Supreme Lord’s transcendental body. Brahmā also has an intimate relationship with the Lord through the work of universal creation.
- Brahmā is called aja because he does not take birth from a mother but comes directly from the Lord’s body. On these grounds, he requests special forgiveness for his offenses.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment to ask the Lord for forgiveness, remembering your relationship with Him.
Ask yourself
How can remembering that I am a child of God deepen my humble appeal for mercy?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.