Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Brahma-saḿhitā 5.23

sañjāto bhagavac-chaktyā

tat-kālaḿ kila coditaḥ

sisṛkṣāyāḿ matiḿ cakre

pūrva-saḿskāra-saḿskṛtaḥ

dadarśa kevalaḿ dhvāntaḿ

nānyat kim api sarvataḥ

SYNONYMS

sañjātaḥ — on being born; bhagavat-śaktyā — by the divine potency; tat-kālam — at that time; kila — indeed; coditaḥ — being guided; sisṛkṣāyām — to the act of creation; matim — his mind; cakre — turned; pūrva-saḿskāra-saḿskṛtaḥ — under the impulse of previous impressions; dadarśa — he saw; kevalam — only; dhvāntam — darkness; na — not; anyat — else; kim api — anything; sarvataḥ — in every direction.

TRANSLATION

On coming out of the lotus, Brahmā, being guided by the divine potency tuned his mind to the act of creation under the impulse of previous impressions. But he could see nothing but darkness in every direction.

PURPORT

Brahmā's impulse for creation arises solely from his previous impressions. All jīvas get their nature conformably to their impressions of previous births and accordingly their activity can have a beginning. It is called "the unseen" or the result of one's previous deeds. His natural impulse is formed according to the nature of the deeds done by him in the previous kalpa. Some of the eligible jīvas also attain to the office of Brahmā in this way.

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