TEXT 16
tasya nabher abhut padmam
sahasrarkoru-didhiti
sarva-jivanikayauko
yatra svayam abhut svarat
SYNONYMS
tasyaof the Lord; nabhehfrom the navel; abhutsprouted up; padmama lotus; sahasra-arkaa thousand suns; urumore; didhitiwith dazzling splendor; sarvaall; jiva-nikayaresting place of conditioned souls; okahplace; yatrawhere; svayamhimself; abhutemanated; sva-ratthe omnipotent (Lord Brahma).
TRANSLATION
From the navel of the Personality of Godhead Garbhodakasayi Visnu sprouted a lotus flower effulgent like a thousand blazing suns. This lotus flower is the reservoir of all conditioned souls, and the first living entity who came out of the lotus flower was the omnipotent Brahma
PURPORT
It appears from this verse that the conditioned souls who rested within the body of the Personality of Godhead after the dissolution of the last creation came out in the sum total form of the lotus. This is called hiranyagarbha. The first living entity to come out was Lord Brahma, who is independently able to create the rest of the manifested universe. The lotus is described here as effulgent as the glare of a thousand suns. This indicates that the living entities, as parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also of the same quality, since the Lord also diffuses His bodily glare, known as brahmajyoti. The description of Vaikunthaloka, as stated in Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures, is confirmed herewith. In Vaikuntha, the spiritual sky, there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, electricity or fire. Every planet there is self-effulgent like the sun.

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