492
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 13]
tvam —you;  ekaḥ —one;  sarva —all;  bhūtānām —living entities;  janma-kṛt —progenitor;  vṛttidaḥ —source of subsistence;  pitā —the father;  tathāpi —yet;  naḥ —ourselves;  prajānām —of all who are born;  te —of you;  śuśrūṣā —service;  kena —how;  vā —either;  bhavet —may be possible.
TRANSLATION
You are the father of all living entities and the source of their subsistence because they are all born of you. Please order us how we may be able to render service unto you.
PURPORT
A son's duty is not only to make the father the source of supply for all his needs, but also, when he is grown up, to render service unto him. That is the law of creation beginning from the time of Brahmā. A father's duty is to bring up the son until he is grown, and when the son is grown up, it is his duty to render service unto the father.
TEXT 8
तद्विधेहि नमस्तुभ्यं कर्मस्वीब्यात्मशक्तिषु । यत्कृत्वेह यशो विष्वगमुत्र च भवेद्रतिः ॥ ८ ॥
tad vidhehi namas tubhyam karmasv īdyātma-śaktiṣu yat kṛtveha yaśo viṣvag amutra ca bhaved gatiḥ
tat —that;  vidhehi —give direction;  namaḥ —my obeisances;  tubhyam —unto you;  karmasu —in duties;  īdya —O worshipful one;  ātma-śaktiṣu —within our working capacity;  yat —which;  kṛtvā —doing;  iha —in this world;  yaśaḥ —fame;  viṣvak —everywhere;  amutra —in the next world;  ca —and;  bhavet —it should be;  gatiḥ —progress.
TRANSLATION
O worshipful one, please give us your direction for the execution of duty within our working capacity so that we can follow it for fame in this life and progress in the next.
PURPORT
Brahmā is the direct recipient of Vedic knowledge from the Personality of Godhead, and anyone discharging his entrusted duties in discipline