SB 7.3.9-10
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXTS 9-10
- sṛṣṭvā carācaram idaṁ
- tapo-yoga-samādhinā
- adhyāste sarva-dhiṣṇyebhyaḥ
- parameṣṭhī nijāsanam
- tad ahaṁ vardhamānena
- tapo-yoga-samādhinā
- kālātmanoś ca nityatvāt
- sādhayiṣye tathātmanaḥ
SYNONYMS
sṛṣṭvā — creating; cara — moving; acaram — and not moving; idam — this; tapaḥ — of austerity; yoga — and mystic power; samādhinā — by practicing the trance; adhyāste — is situated in; sarva-dhiṣṇyebhyaḥ — than all the planets, including the heavenly planets; parameṣṭhī — Lord Brahmā; nija-āsanam — his own throne; tat — therefore; aham — I; vardhamānena — by dint of increasing; tapaḥ — austerity; yoga — mystic powers; samādhinā — and trance; kāla — of time; ātmanoḥ — and of the soul; ca — and; nityatvāt — from the eternality; sādhayiṣye — shall achieve; tathā — so much; ātmanaḥ — for my personal self.
TRANSLATION
"The supreme person within this universe, Lord Brahmā, has gotten his exalted post by dint of severe austerities, mystic power and trance. Consequently, after creating the universe, he has become the most worshipable demigod within it. Since I am eternal and time is eternal, I shall endeavor for such austerity, mystic power and trance for many, many births, and thus I shall occupy the same post occupied by Lord Brahmā.
PURPORT
Hiraṇyakaśipu's determination was to occupy the post of Lord Brahmā, but this was impossible because Brahmā has a long duration of life. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 8.17), sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ: one thousand yugas equals one day of Brahmā. The duration of Brahmā's life is extremely great, and consequently it was impossible for Hiraṇyakaśipu to occupy that post. Nonetheless, his decision was that since the self (ātmā) and time are both eternal, if he could not occupy that post in one lifetime he would continue to execute austerities life after life so that sometime he would be able to do so.