Text 31]
Answers by Citing the Lord's Version
503
sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā
śrī bhagavān uvāca —the Personality of Godhead said;  jñānam —knowledge acquired;  parama —extremely;  guhyam —confidential;  me —of Mine;  yat —which is;  vijñāna —realization;  samanvitam —coordinated;  sa-rahasyam —with devotional service;  tat —of that;  aṅgam ca —necessary paraphernalia;  gṛhāṇa —just try to take up;  gaditam —explained;  mayā —by Me.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā is the topmost devotee of the Lord within the universe, and therefore the Personality of Godhead replied to his four principal inquiries in four important statements, which are known as the original  Bhāgavatam  in four verses. These were Brahmā's questions: 1. What are the forms of the Lord both in matter and transcendence? 2. How are the different energies of the Lord working? 3. How does the Lord play with His different energies? 4. How may Brahmā be instructed to discharge the duty entrusted with Him? The prelude to the answers is this verse under discussion, wherein the Lord informs Brahmā that knowledge of Him, the Supreme Absolute Truth, as it is stated in the revealed scriptures, is very subtle and cannot be understood unless one is self-realized by the grace of the Lord. The Lord says that Brahmā may take the answers as He explains them. This means that transcendental knowledge of the absolute Supreme Being can be known if it is made known by the Lord Himself. By the mental speculation of the greatest mundane thinkers, the Absolute Truth cannot be understood. The mental speculators can reach up to the standard of impersonal Brahman realization, but factually, complete knowledge of transcendence is beyond the knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Thus it is called the supreme confidential wisdom. Out of many liberated souls, someone may be qualified to know the Personality of Godhead. In the  Bhagavad-gītā  it is also said by the Lord Himself that out