FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.8.22

कालेन सोऽज: पुरुषायुषाभि- प्रवृत्तयोगेन विरूढबोध: । स्वयं तदन्तर्हृदयेऽवभात- मपश्यतापश्यत यन्न पूर्वम् ॥ २२ ॥
kālena so ’jaḥ puruṣāyuṣābhi-
[kaalena so ’jah purushaayushaabhi-]
pravṛtta-yogena virūḍha-bodhaḥ
[pravritta-yogena viroodha-bodhah]
svayaṁ tad antar-hṛdaye ’vabhātam
[svayam tad antar-hridaye ’vabhaatam]
apaśyatāpaśyata yan na pūrvam
[apashyataapashyata yan na poorvam]
Word-for-word
kālena — in due course of time saḥ — he ajaḥ — the self-born Brahmā puruṣa-āyuṣā — by the duration of his age abhipravṛtta — being engaged yogena — in meditation virūḍha — developed bodhaḥ — intelligence svayam — automatically tat antaḥ-hṛdaye — in the heart avabhātam — manifested apaśyata — saw apaśyata — did see yat — which na — not pūrvam — before.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kālena so ’jaḥ puruṣāyuṣābhi-
kālena
in due course of time
saḥ
he
ajaḥ
the self-born Brahmā
pravṛtta-yogena virūḍha-bodhaḥ
svayaṁ tad antar-hṛdaye ’vabhātam
apaśyatāpaśyata yan na pūrvam
puruṣa-āyuṣā
by the duration of his age
abhipravṛtta
being engaged
yogena
in meditation
virūḍha
developed
bodhaḥ
intelligence
svayam
automatically
tat antaḥ-hṛdaye
in the heart
avabhātam
manifested
apaśyata
saw
apaśyata
did see
yat
which
na
not
pūrvam
before.
At the end of Brahmā’s one hundred years, when his meditation was complete, he developed the required knowledge, and as a result he could see in his heart the Supreme within himself, whom he could not see before with the greatest endeavor.
Purport

The Supreme Lord can be experienced only through the process of devotional service and not by one’s personal endeavor in mental speculation. The age of Brahmā is calculated in terms of divya years, which are distinct from the solar years of human beings. The divya years are calculated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.17) : sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. Brahmā’s one day is equal to one thousand times the aggregate of the four yugas (calculated to be 4,300,000 years). On that basis, Brahmā meditated for one hundred years before he could understand the supreme cause of all causes, and then he wrote the Brahma-saṁhitā, which is approved and recognized by Lord Caitanya and in which he sings, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. One has to wait for the mercy of the Lord before one can either render service unto Him or know Him as He is.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By his practice of meditation on the Lord for a hundred human years he attained realization of the Lord. He saw the Lord, who manifested himself in his heart, who could not be seen previously by searching. Puruṣāyuṣā means “by a hundred years.” This should be understood to be time according to the calculations of human life in Kali-yuga, when Maitreya was speaking. By a mature state reached through meditation on the Lord (abhipravṛtta-yogena), he saw the Lord, since later Brahmā says dhyāne sma no darśitaṁ ta upāsakānām: you have manifested this eternal personal form upon whom your devotees meditate. (SB 3.9.4) He saw the Lord who manifested himself in his heart, whom he could not see when he searched previously for the foundation of his lotus abode.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Devotional service is named here as the central fact of spiritual life, not a hobby alongside it. The verse asks us to make the Lord the actual recipient of our daily activity rather than a polite afterthought.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary activity could you re-aim today so it becomes an offering rather than a transaction?
  • Where in your life are you still 'enjoying' the fruits of work you call devotional?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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