316
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 8]
PURPORT
This lotus flower is the universal  virāṭa  form, or the gigantic form of the Lord in the material world. It becomes amalgamated in the Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu, in His abdomen, at the time of dissolution, and it becomes manifest at the time of creation. This is due to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who enters into each of the universes. In this form is the sum total of all the fruitive activities of the living entities conditioned by material nature, and the first of them, namely Brahmā, or the controller of the universe, is generated from this lotus flower. This first-born living being, unlike all the others, has no material father, and thus he is called self-born or  svayambhū . He goes to sleep with Nārāyaṇa at the time of devastation, and when there is another creation, he is born in this way. From this description we have the conception of three—the gross  virāṭa  form, the subtle  Hiraṇyagarbha  and the material creative force, Brahmā.
TEXT 16
तस्यां स चाम्भोरुहकर्णिकाया-
मवस्थितो लोकमपश्यमानः ।
परिक्रमन् व्योम्नि विवृत्तनेत्र-
श्वत्वारि लेभेऽनुदिशं मुखानि ॥१६॥
tasyām sa cāmbho-ruha-karṇikāyām
avasthito lokam apaśyamānaḥ
parikraman vyomni vivṛtta-netraś
catvāri lebhe'nudiśam mukhāni
tasyām —in that;  ca-ambho —water;  ruha-karṇikāyām —whorl of the lotus;  avasthitaḥ —being situated;  lokam —the world;  apaśyamānaḥ —without being able to see;  parikraman —circumambulating;  vyomni —in space;  vivṛtta-netraḥ —while moving the eyes;  catvāri —four;  lebhe —achieved;  anudiśam —in terms of direction;  mukhāni —mouths.
TRANSLATION
Brahmā, born out of the lotus flower, could not see the world, although he was situated in the whorl. He therefore circumambulated all of space, and while moving his eyes in all directions he achieved four heads in terms of the four directions.