SB 11.24.10 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तस्मिन्नहं समभवमण्डे सलिलसंस्थितौ । मम नाभ्यामभूत् पद्मं विश्वाख्यं तत्र चात्मभूः ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

tasminn ahaṁ samabhavam aṇḍe salila-saṁsthitau mama nābhyām abhūt padmaṁ viśvākhyaṁ tatra cātma-bhūḥ

Synonyms

tasmin — within that ; aham — I ; samabhavam — appeared ; aṇḍe — in the egg of the universe ; salila — in the water of the Causal Ocean ; saṁsthitau — which was situated ; mama — My ; nābhyām — from the navel ; abhūt — arose ; padmam — a lotus ; viśva — ākhyam — known as universal ; tatra — in that ; ca — and ; ātma — bhūḥ — self-born Brahmā .

Translation

I Myself appeared within that egg, which was floating on the causal water, and from My navel arose the universal lotus, the birthplace of self-born Brahmā.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I appeared within that egg, on the Garbhodaka water, and from my navel arose the universal lotus and Brahmā. In the shell of the universe, I remained as the second puruṣa on the Garbhodaka. A lotus which is the cause of the world (viśvākhyam) arose from my navel. And on the lotus, vairāja Brahmā (the form of Brahmā for enjoyment), [Note: In the commentary on SB 3.8.15, the Hiraṇyagarbha form of Brahmā is called the enjoyment form and Vairāja Brahmā is the form of the lotus made of elements. ] and then Brahmā with four heads appeared.

Purport

The Supreme Lord here describes His appearance in His transcendental pastime form of Śrī Nārāyaṇa. Lord Nārāyaṇa enters within the universe but does not give up His purely transcendental body of knowledge and bliss. Lord Brahmā, however, born from the Lord’s navel lotus, has a material body. Although Lord Brahmā is the most powerful mystic, his body, which pervades all material existence, is material, whereas the body of the Supreme Lord Hari, Nārāyaṇa, is always transcendental.