Text 35] Purusa-siikta Confirmed 315

recognized as such by the great forefathers of the living entities, who offer
me respectful obeisances, still I cannot understand Him, the Lord, the very
source of my birth.

PURPORT

Brahma, the greatest of all living creatures within the universe, is ad-
mitting his failure to know the Supreme Lord in spite of his vast learning
in the Vedic wisdom, austerity, penance, mystic powers and self-realization,
and despite being worshiped by the great Prajapatis, the forefathers
of the living entities. So these qualifications are not sufficient to know the
Supreme Lord. BrahmAji could understand the Lord to a little extent only
when he was trying to serve Him by the eagerness of his heart (hrdaut-
kanthya), which is the devotional service mood. Therefore, the Lord can
be known only by the sincere mood of eagerness for service, and not by
any amount of material qualification as scientist or speculative philosopher
or by attainment of mystic powers. This fact is clearly corroborated in the

Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 18.54-55):

brahma-bhitah prasannatma na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhiitesu mad-bhaktim labhate param.

bhaktyad mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva visate tad anantaram.

Self-realization only, by attainment of the above high qualifications of
Vedic wisdom, austerity, etc., can help one on the path of devotional
service. But failing in devotional service, one remains still imperfect be-
cause even in that position of self-realization, one cannot factually know
the Supreme Lord. By self-realization, one is qualified to become a devotee,
and the devotee, by service mood (bhaktya) only, can gradually know the
Personality of Godhead. @ne should not, however, misunderstand the
import of visate (enters into) as being merged into the existence of the
Supreme. Even in the material existence, one is merged in the existence
of the Lord. No materialist can disentangle self from matter due to the
self’s being merged in the external energy of the Lord. As no layman can
separate butter from milk, similarly no one can extricate the merged self
from matter by acquiring some material qualification. This visate by
devotion (bhakti) means to be able to participate in the association of the
Lord in person. Bhakti, or devotional service of the Lord, means to become
free from the material entanglement and then to enter into the kingdom
