Devanagari
ततोऽतिकुतुकोद्वृत्यस्तिमितैकादशेन्द्रिय: ।
तद्धाम्नाभूदजस्तूष्णीं पूर्देव्यन्तीव पुत्रिका ॥ ५६ ॥
Verse text
tato ’tikutukodvṛtya-
stimitaikādaśendriyaḥ
tad-dhāmnābhūd ajas tūṣṇīṁ
pūr-devy-antīva putrikā
Synonyms
tataḥ
—
then
;
atikutuka
—
udvṛtya — stimita — ekādaśa — indriyaḥ — whose eleven senses had all been jolted by great astonishment and then stunned by transcendental bliss
;
tad
—
dhāmnā — by the effulgence of those viṣṇu-mūrtis
;
abhūt
—
became
;
ajaḥ
—
Lord Brahmā
;
tūṣṇīm
—
silent
;
pūḥ
—
devī — anti — in the presence of a village deity ( grāmya-devatā )
;
iva
—
just as
;
putrikā
—
a clay doll made by a child .
Translation
Then, by the power of the effulgence of those viṣṇu-mūrtis, Lord Brahmā, his eleven senses jolted by astonishment and stunned by transcendental bliss, became silent, just like a child’s clay doll in the presence of the village deity.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Then, by the power of the effulgence of those viṣṇu-mūrtis, Lord Brahmā, his eleven senses jolted by astonishment and stunned by transcendental bliss, became silent, just like a child's clay doll in the presence of the village deity.
KB 10.13.56
When Brahmā was thus standing baffled in his limited power and conscious of his limited activities within the eleven senses, he could realize that he was also a creation of the material energy, just like a puppet. As a puppet has no independent power to dance but dances according to the direction of the puppet master, so the demigods and living entities are all subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the only master is Kṛṣṇa, and all others are His servants. The whole world is under the waves of the material spell, and beings are floating like straws in water. So their struggle for existence is continuing. But as soon as one becomes conscious that he is the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this māyā, or illusory struggle for existence, is immediately stopped.
Purport
Brahmā was stunned because of transcendental bliss (
muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
). In his astonishment, all his senses were stunned, and he was unable to say or do anything. Brahmā had considered himself absolute, thinking himself the only powerful deity, but now his pride was subdued, and he again became merely one of the demigods — an important demigod, of course, but a demigod nonetheless. Brahmā, therefore, cannot be compared to God — Kṛṣṇa, or Nārāyaṇa. It is forbidden to compare Nārāyaṇa even to demigods like Brahmā and Śiva, what to speak of others.
yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam
“One who considers demigods like Brahmā and Śiva to be on an equal level with Nārāyaṇa must certainly be considered an offender.” We should not equate the demigods with Nārāyaṇa, for even Śaṅkarācārya has forbidden this (
nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt
). Also, as mentioned in the
Vedas, eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśānaḥ:
“In the beginning of creation there was only the Supreme Personality, Nārāyaṇa, and there was no existence of Brahmā or Śiva.” Therefore, one who at the end of his life remembers Nārāyaṇa attains the perfection of life (
ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ
).
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Out of astonishment, Brahma’s eleven senses became roused and then stunned in bliss. Uddhrta is an alternative reading for udvrtya. He lost the power of speaking and acting in the presence of power (tejasa) of those four armed forms. He looked like a child’s neglected, unworshipped clay doll next to a village deity being worshipped by many people.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Brahmā’s bewilderment is described. Brahmā’s senses all stopped functioning because of the power of these forms (tad-dhāmnā). In front of these forms all his eleven senses stopped functioning and he became silent. He was not able to say anything. Even his crown lost is beauty. He is compared to a clay figure placed in front of the village deity. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains. Brahmā turned his glance (udvrṭya). Since he has eyes in four directions he looked in four directions. Or being very confused, he fell off the back of his swan.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
In great astonishment Brahmā became stunned. He was not able to recite praises or offer respects. He was silent, unable to do anything. An example is given. He was like a doll, painted to look attractive, in the presence of a goddess worshipped by villagers. That doll is inactive, since it is not worshipped.