304 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 20

represented by Lord Brahma. They offer prayers to the Lord as

follows.

TEXT 33

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yat tat karmamayam lingam
brahma-lingam jano ’rcayet

ekantam advayam santam
tasmai bhagavate nama iti

yat—which; tat—that:; karma-mayam—obtainable by the Vedic
ritualistic system: lingam—the form: brahma-liigam—which makes
known the Supreme Brahman; janah—a person; arcayet—must wor-
ship: ekantam—who has full faith in the one Supreme; advayam—non-
different; séntam—peaceful; tasmai—unto him: bhagavate—the most
powerful: namah—our respects: iti—thus.

TRANSLATION

Lord Brahma is known as karma-maya, the form of ritualistic
ceremonies, because by performing ritualistic ceremonies one may
attain his position and because the Vedic ritualistic hymns become
manifest from him. He is devoted to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead without deviation, and therefore in one sense he is not
different from the Lord. Nevertheless, he should be worshiped not
as the monists worship him, but in duality. One should always
remain a servitor of the Supreme Lord, the supreme worshipable
Deity. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Lord
Brahma, the form of manifest Vedic knowledge.

PURPORT

In this verse, the word karma-mayam (‘tobtainable by the Vedic
ritualistic system”) is significant. The Vedas say, svadharma-nisthah
Sata-janmabhih puman viriiicatam eti: “One who strictly follows the
principles of varndsrama-dharma for at least one hundred births will be
