1116
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 24]
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, any learned person knows that unless he worships You, his entire life is spoiled. Knowing this, how could he give up worshiping Your lotus feet? Even our father and spiritual master, Lord Brahmā, unhesitatingly worshiped You, and the fourteen Manus followed in his footsteps.
PURPORT
The word  paṇḍita  means “a wise man.” Who is actually a wise man? The wise man is described in  Bhagavad-gītā  in this way:
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19)
Thus when the wise man actually becomes wise after many births and whimsical attempts at self-realization, he surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Such a  mahātmā , or learned person, knows that Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is everything ( vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti ). Learned persons always think that life is wasted unless they worship Lord Kṛṣṇa or become His devotee. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also says that when one becomes an advanced devotee he understands that he should be reserved and perseverent ( kṣāntiḥ ) and that he should engage in the service of the Lord and not waste time ( avyartha-kālatvam ). He should also be detached from all material attraction ( viraktiḥ ), and he should not long for any material respect in return for his activities ( māna-śūnyatā ). He should be certain that Kṛṣṇa will bestow His mercy upon him ( āśā-bandhaḥ ), and he should always be very eager to serve the Lord faithfully ( samutkaṇṭhā ). The wise man is always very eager to glorify the Lord by chanting and hearing ( nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ ) and he is always eager to describe the transcendental qualities of the Lord ( āsaktis tad-guṇākhyāne ). He should also be attracted to those places where the Lord had His pastimes ( prītis tad-vasati-sthale ). These are symptoms of an advanced devotee.
An advanced devotee or a perfect human being who is actually wise and learned cannot give up his service at the lotus feet of the Lord. Although Lord Brahmā has a long life span (4,320,000,000 years constitute twelve hours in a day of Brahmā), Brahmā is nonetheless afraid of death and con-