Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.17.22-23

yasyādya āsīd guna-vigraho mahān

vijñāna-dhishnyo bhagavān ajah kila

yat-sambhavo 'ham tri-vritā sva-tejasā

vaikārikam tāmasam aindriyam srije

ete vayam yasya vaśe mahātmanah

sthitāh śakuntā iva sūtra-yantritāh

mahān aham vaikrita-tāmasendriyāh

srijāma sarve yad-anugrahād idam

SYNONYMS

yasya — from whom; ādyah — the beginning; āsīt — there was; guna-vigrahah — the incarnation of the material qualities; mahān — the total material energy; vijñāna — of full knowledge; dhishnyah — the reservoir; bhagavān — the most powerful; ajah — Lord Brahmā; kila — certainly; yat — from whom; sambhavah — born; aham — I; tri-vritā — having three varieties according to the three modes of nature; sva-tejasā — by my material strength; vaikārikam — all the demigods; tāmasam — material elements; aindriyam — the senses; srije — I create; ete — all of these; vayam — we; yasya — of whom; vaśe — under the control; mahā-ātmanah — great personalities; sthitāh — situated; śakuntāh — vultures; iva — like; sūtra-yantritāh — bound by rope; mahān — the mahat-tattva; aham — I; vaikrita — the demigods; tāmasa — the five material elements; indriyāh — senses; srijāmah — we create; sarve — all of us; yat — of whom; anugrahāt — by the mercy; idam — this material world.

TRANSLATION

From that Supreme Personality of Godhead appears Lord Brahmā, whose body is made from the total material energy, the reservoir of intelligence predominated by the passionate mode of material nature. From Lord Brahmā, I myself am born as a representation of false ego known as Rudra. By my own power I create all the other demigods, the five elements and the senses. Therefore, I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than any of us and under whose control are situated all the demigods, material elements and senses, and even Lord Brahmā and I myself, like birds bound by a rope. Only by the Lord's grace can we create, maintain and annihilate the material world. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Being.

PURPORT

A summary of creation is given in this verse. From Sańkarshana, Mahā-Vishnu expands, and from Mahā-Vishnu, Garbhodakaśāyī Vishnu expands. Lord Brahmā, who was born of Garbhodakaśāyī Vishnu, fathers Lord Śiva, from whom all the other demigods gradually evolve. Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Vishnu are incarnations of the different material qualities. Lord Vishnu is actually above all material qualities, but He accepts control of sattva-guna (the mode of goodness) to maintain the universe. Lord Brahmā is born from the mahat-tattva. Brahmā creates the entire universe, Lord Vishnu maintains it, and Lord Śiva annihilates it. The Supreme Personality of Godhead controls all the most important demigods — especially Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva — exactly as the owner of a bird controls it by binding it with a rope. Sometimes vultures are controlled in this way.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness