220 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 6

aham—I (Lord Brahma); giritrah—Lord Siva; ca—also; sura-
ddayah—all the demigods; ye—as we are; daksa-ddayah—headed by
Maharaja Daksa; agneh—of fire; iva—like; ketavah—sparks; te—of
You; kim—what; vad—either; viddma—can we understand; isa—O my
Lord; prthak-vibhatah—independently of You; vidhatsva—kindly
bestow upon us; §am—good fortune; nah—our; dvija-deva-mantram—
the means of deliverance suitable for the brahmanas and demigods.

TRANSLATION

I [Lord Brahma], Lord Siva and all the demigods, accompanied
by the prajapatis like Daksa, are nothing but sparks illuminated by
You, who are the original fire. Since we are particles of You, what
can we understand about our welfare? O Supreme Lord, please
give us the means of deliverance that is suitable for the brahmanas
and demigods.

PURPORT

In this verse, the word dvija-deva-mantram is very important. The
word mantra means “that which delivers one from the material world.”
Only the dvijas (the brahmanas) and the devas (the demigods) can be
delivered from material existence by the instructions of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Whatever is spoken by the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is a mantra and is suitable for delivering the conditioned
souls from mental speculation. The conditioned souls are engaged in a
struggle for existence (manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati).
Deliverance from this struggle constitutes the highest benefit, but unless
one gets a mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, deliverance
is impossible. The beginning mantra is the Gayatri mantra. Therefore,
after purification, when one is qualified to become a brahmana (dvija),
he is offered the Gayatri mantra. Simply by chanting the Gayatri mantra,
one can be delivered. This mantra, however, is suitable only for the
brahmanas and demigods. In Kali-yuga, we are all in a very difficult
position, in which we need a suitable mantra that can deliver us from the
dangers of this age. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in
His incarnation as Lord Caitanya, gives us the Hare Krsna mantra.
