FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.8.9

अज: सृजति भूतानि भूतात्मा यदनुग्रहात् । दद‍ृशे येन तद्रूपं नाभिपद्मसमुद्भव: ॥ ९ ॥
ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni
[ajah srijati bhootaani]
bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt
[bhootaatmaa yad-anugrahaat]
dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ
[dadrishe yena tad-roopam]
nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ
[naabhi-padma-samudbhavah]
Word-for-word
ajaḥ — one who is born without a material source sṛjati — creates bhūtāni — all those materially born bhūta-ātmā — having a body of matter yat — whose anugrahāt — by the mercy of dadṛśe — could see yena — by whom tat-rūpam — His form of body nābhi — navel padma — lotus flower samudbhavaḥ — being born of.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni
ajaḥ
one who is born without a material source
sṛjati
creates
bhūtāni
all those materially born
bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt
bhūta-ātmā
having a body of matter
yat
whose
anugrahāt
by the mercy of
dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ
dadṛśe
could see
yena
by whom
tat-rūpam
His form of body
nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ
nābhi
navel
padma
lotus flower
samudbhavaḥ
being born of.
Brahmā, who was not born of a material source but of the lotus flower coming out of the navel abdomen of the Lord, is the creator of all those who are materially born. Of course, by the grace of the Lord, Brahmā was able to see the form of the Lord.
Purport

The first living creature, Brahmā, is called ajaḥ because he did not take his birth from the womb of a mother materially born. He was directly born from the bodily expansion of the lotus flower of the Lord. Thus it is not readily understandable whether the body of the Lord and that of Brahmā are of the same quality or different. This must also be clearly understood. One thing is, however, certain: Brahmā was completely dependent on the mercy of the Lord because after his birth he could create living beings by the Lord’s grace only, and he could see the form of the Lord. Whether the form seen by Brahmā is of the same quality as that of Brahmā is a bewildering question, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to get clear answers from Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By the mercy of the Lord, Brahmā, the controller of the bodies within this universe, arising from the lotus in the Lord’s navel, created those bodies and saw that form.
Commentary

Certainly you should explain the difference. Brahmā (ajaḥ) is the controller of the individual bodies (bhūtāmā) since he represents the totality of bodies. Since he has come from the lotus in the navel of the Lord, by the Lord’s mercy alone he creates. And the Lord is not without form, because Brahmā saw that form. Though Brahmā is unborn, he appeared from the lotus in the Lord’s navel. Is the form of the Lord similar to that of the material body of Brahmā, or is it different? That you should explain.

Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Brahmā, born from the Lord's navel lotus, is the creator of all materially-born beings. Whether his body is of the same quality as the Lord's is itself a careful question. Even the highest creature is utterly dependent on the Lord's grace.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I exaggerate my independence and forget that even Brahmā is dependent?
  • What in my self-image needs revising in the face of total dependence?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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