Text 2] Activities of Kapila 1417
pervaded by; vapuh—body; te—Your; guna-pravaham—the source of the
stream of the three modes of material nature; sat—manifest; asesa—of all;
bijam—the seed; dadhyau—meditated upon; svayam—himself; yat—of
whom; jathara—from the abdomen; abja—from the lotus flower; jatah—
born.

TRANSLATION

Devahuti said: Brahma is said to be unborn because he takes birth from
the lotus flower which grows from Your abdomen while You lie in the
ocean at the bottom of the universe. But even Brahma simply meditated
upon You, whose body is the source of unlimited universes.

PURPORT

Brahma’s name is Aja, he who is unborn. Whenever we think of
someone’s birth, there must be a material father and mother, for thus one
is born. But Brahma, being the first living creature within this universe, was
born directly from the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who
is known as Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the Visnu form lying down in the
ocean at the bottom of the universe. Devahiti wanted to impress upon the
Lord that when Brahma wants to see Him, he has to meditate upon Him.
“You are the seed of all creation,” she said. ‘“‘Although Brahma was
directly born from You, he still has to perform many years of meditation,
and even then he cannot see You directly, face to face. Your body is lying
within the vast water at the bottom of the universe, and thus You are
known as Garbhodakagayi Visnu.”

The nature of the Lord’s gigantic body is also explained in this verse.
That body is transcendental, untouched by matter. Since the material
manifestation has come from His body, His body therefore existed before
the material creation. The conclusion is that the transcendental body of
Visnu is not made of material elements. The body of Visnu is the source
of all other living entities, as well as the material nature, which is also sup-
posed to be the energy of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devahuti
said, “You are the background of the material manifestation and all
created energy; therefore Your delivering me from the clutches of maya
by explaining the system of sankhya philosophy is not so astonishing. But
Your being born from my abdomen is certainly wonderful because although
You are the source of all creation, You have so kindly taken birth as my
child. That is most wonderful. Your body is the source of all the universe,
