Text 23] Kapila’s Instructions on Devotional Service 1199

janu-dvayam—up to the knees; jalaja-locanaya—lotus-eyed; jananya—
mother; laksmya—by Laksmi; akhilasya—of the entire universe; sura-
vanditaya—worshiped by the demigods; vidhatuh—of Brahma; urvoh—at
the thighs; nidhaya—having placed; kara-pallava-rocisa—with her lustrous
fingers; yat—which; samlélitam—massaged; hrdi—in the heart; vibhoh—of
the Lord; abhavasya—transcendental to material existence; kuryat—one
should meditate.

TRANSLATION

The yogi should fix in his heart the activities of Laksmi, the goddess of
fortune, who is worshiped by all demigods and is the mother of the
supreme person, Brahma. She can always be found massaging the legs
and thighs of the transcendental Lord, very carefully serving Him in this
way.

PURPORT

Brahma is the appointed lord of the universe. Because his father is
Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, is automatically
his mother. Laksmiji is worshiped by all demigods as well as by the in-
habitants of other planets. Human beings are also eager to receive favor
from the goddess of fortune. Laksmi is always engaged in massaging the
legs and thighs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, who is
lying on the ocean of Garbha within the universe. Brahma is described
here as the son of the goddess of fortune, but actually he was not born of
her womb. Brahma takes his birth in the abdomen of the Lord Himself.
A lotus flower grows from the abdomen of Garbhodakaégayi Visnu, and
Brahma is born there. Therefore Laksmiji’s massaging of the thighs of the
Lord should not be taken as the behavior of an ordinary wife. The Lord is
transcendental to the behavior of the ordinary male and female. The word
abhavasya is very significant, for it indicates that He could produce Brahma
without the assistance of the goddess of fortune.

Since transcendental behavior is different from mundane behavior, it
should not be taken that the Lord receives service from His wife just as a
demigod or human being might receive service from his wife. It is advised
here that the yogi always keep this picture in his heart. The devotee always
thinks of this relationship between Laksmi and Narayana; therefore he does
not meditate on the mental plane as impersonalists and voidists do.

Bhavah means one who accepts a material body, and abhavah means one
who does not accept a material body but descends in the original spiritual
body. Lord Narayana is not born of anything material. Matter is generated
