Devanagari
मैत्रेय उवाच
विरिञ्चोऽपि तथा चक्रे दिव्यं वर्षशतं तप: ।
आत्मन्यात्मानमावेश्य यथाह भगवानज: ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
maitreya uvāca
viriṣco ’pi tathā cakre
divyaṁ varṣa-śataṁ tapaḥ
ātmany ātmānam āveśya
yathāha bhagavān ajaḥ
Synonyms
maitreyaḥ uvāca
—
the great sage Maitreya said
;
viriṣcaḥ
—
Brahmā
;
api
—
also
;
tathā
—
in that manner
;
cakre
—
performed
;
divyam
—
celestial
;
varṣa
—
śatam — one hundred years
;
tapaḥ
—
penances
;
ātmani
—
unto the Lord
;
ātmānam
—
his own self
;
āveśya
—
engaging
;
yathā āha
—
as it was spoken
;
bhagavān
—
the Personality of Godhead
;
ajaḥ
—
the unborn .
Translation
The greatly learned sage Maitreya said: O Vidura, Brahmā thus engaged himself in penances for one hundred celestial years, as advised by the Personality of Godhead, and applied himself in devotional service to the Lord.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Maitreya said: Brahmā thus engaged in meditation for one hundred celestial years, as advised by the Lord, absorbing his mind in Nārāyaṇa.
Ātmani ātmānam āveśya means he engaged his mind in Śrī Nārāyaṇa.
Purport
That Brahmā engaged himself for the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, means that he engaged himself in the service of the Lord; that is the highest penance one can perform for any number of years. There is no retirement from such service, which is eternal and ever encouraging.