Srimad Bhagavatam
Canto Ten. Volume 4. Chapter 13
TRANSLATION AND PURPORT BY Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Sri Krsna Balaram Swamiji
Lord Brahma's bewilderment
Text 1
sri suka uvaca
sadhu prstam maha-bhaga
tvaya bhagavatottama
yan-nutanayasisasya
srnvann api katham muhuh
Translation
Sri Sukadeva Goswami said, 0 greatly fortunate soul Pariksit! Your request is very proper. 0 best of all the great devotees! Although you have heard repeatedly about the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Lord, still, by asking about them again you are keeping them new and fresh.
Purport
In this thirteenth chapter, Lord Brahma, who had come to see why the demigods were singing, dancing, and praying, tries to determine if Krsna is God by stealing the cowherd boys and calves. Krsna expands Himself into the boys and calves, astonishing Brahma, who then realizes that Krsna is God. Lord Brahma is not an ordinary person. He has the creating potency of Krsna and is the designer of the material universe. He is not an ordinary living being - his life span is unimaginably long. He lives on the topmost planet of this universe, located high above the heavenly planets. In this chapter, he concludes that Krsna is the Supreme Lord and source of all incarnations.
One must be truly fortunate to participate in devotional activities. According to the scriptures, one develops genuine interest in inquiring about the Absolute Truth only when one's cycle of birth and death is about to end. Sri Sukadeva Goswami addresses King Pariksit as mahabhaga, "greatly fortunate," because King Pariksit saw Lord Krsna and was protected by Him even while he was still in the womb of his mother. Furthermore, he calls Pariksit "greatly fortunate" because, as he grew, he continually asked about spiritual life and learned to use material objects in the service of the Supreme Lord. He is also called "the best of all the great devotees," because he continuously inquires about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, thus keeping the knowledge of the Lord's pastimes alive.
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