Brahma's Empowerment

Chapter 8, 9

Maitreya had heard the Srimad-Bhagavatam from Parasara Muni, who had received it in a line of teachers from Lord Sankarsana. Based on this understanding, he began expanding on the topic of creation.

Maitreya described the unique birth of Brahma and how he was plunged into complete confusion as to his identity and purpose. Accepting that he couldn’t solve this conundrum independently, he situated himself in divine meditation. His spiritual immersion brought him in contact with the Lord, who appeared in a self-illuminated and opulently ornamented, beautiful form.

Brahma offered his heartfelt prayers, glorifying the Lord, the protection He offers, and the misfortune of those who continually ignore His shelter and thus suffer continual misery in the material world. He beseeched the Lord for the power to engineer the universe, and to simultaneously avoid any pride or false ego that could arise in the process. The Lord reassured the universal engineer that all knowledge would be revealed to him - “Situate yourself in penance and meditation and follow the principles of knowledge to receive My favour.”