Text 7]
Answers by Citing the Lord's Version
469
niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya taddhitam tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ
niśamya —after hearing;  tat —that;  vaktṛ —the speaker;  didṛkṣayā —just to find out who spoke;  diśaḥ —all sides;  vilokya —by seeing;  tatra —there;  anyat —any other;  apaśyamānaḥ —not to be found;  svadhiṣṇyam —on his lotus seat;  āsthāya —sit down;  vimṛśya —thin king;  tat —it;  hitam —welfare;  tapasi —in penance;  upādiṣṭaḥ —as he was instructed;  iva —in pursuance of;  ādadhe —gave;  manaḥ —attention.
TRANSLATION
When he heard the sound, he tried to find out the speaker, searching on all sides. But when he was unable to find anyone besides himself, he thought it wise to sit down on his lotus seat firmly and give his attention to the execution of penance, as he was instructed.
PURPORT
To achieve success in life, one should follow the example of Lord Brahmā, the first living creature in the beginning of creation. After being initiated by the Supreme Lord to execute  tapasya , he was fixed in his determination to do it and although he could not find anyone besides himself, he could rightly understand that the sound was transmitted by the Lord Himself. Brahmā was the only living being at that time because there was no other creation, and none could be found there except himself. In the beginning of the First Canto, First Chapter, first verse of the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , it is already mentioned that Brahmā was initiated by the Lord from within. The Lord is within every living entity as the Supersoul, and He initiated Brahmā because Brahmā was willing to receive the initiation. The Lord can similarly initiate everyone who is inclined to have it.
As already stated, Brahmā is the original spiritual master for the universe, and since he was initiated by the Lord Himself, the message of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is coming down by discipline succession, and in order to receive the real message of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  one should approach the current link, or spiritual master in the chain of discipline succession. After being initiated by the proper spiritual master in that chain of succession, one should engage himself in the discharge of  tapasya  in the execution of