344
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 2, Ch. 7]
details of material enjoyment, salvation and mystic powers. Therefore, the devotee of the Lord does not seek them separately, wasting his valuable time in life. The valuable time of one's life must therefore be fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Then other desirable achievements are automatically gained. But even after obtaining such achievements one should be on guard against the pitfall of offenses at the feet of the devotees. The vivid example is Haihaya, who achieved all such perfection of devotional service but, because of his offense at the feet of a devotee, was killed by Lord Paraśurāma. The Lord became the son of the great sage Atri and became known as Dattātreya.
TEXT 5
तमं तपो विविधलोकसिमृक्षया मे 
    आदौ सनात् स्वतपसः स चतुःसनोऽभूत्। 
    प्राक्तल्पसम्भुवविनष्टमिहात्मतत्त्वं 
    सम्यग् जगाद मुनयो यदचक्षतात्मन् ॥५॥
taptam tapo vividha-loka-siṣṛkṣayā me 
    ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano 'bhūt 
    prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvam 
    samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman
taptam —having undergone austerities;  tapaḥ —penance;  vividha-loka —different planetary systems;  siṣṛkṣayā —desiring to create;  me —of mine;  ādau —at first;  sanāt —from the Personality of Godhead;  sva-tapasaḥ —by dint of my own penances;  saḥ —He, the Lord;  catuḥ-sanaḥ —the four bachelors named Sanat-kumāra, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanātana;  abhūt —appeared;  prāk —previous;  kalpa —creation;  samplava —in the inundation;  vinaṣṭam —devastated;  iha —in this material world;  ātma —the spirit;  tattvam —truth;  samyak —in complete;  jagāda —became manifested;  munayaḥ —sages;  yat —that which;  acakṣata —saw clearly;  ātman —the spirit.
TRANSLATION
In order to create different planetary systems I had to undergo austerities and penance, and the Lord, thus being pleased with me, in-