Mysterious and inexplicable

In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Narada is seen asking his father Brahma whether he had created this Brahmanda or whether it was Vishnu or Siva. Narada confesses to Brahma that his mind is restless owing to lack of clarity about the identity of the Supreme Lord. Who is to be meditated upon? Who is to be worshipped? Narada’s questions on these matters and Brahma’s reply exemplify the proclamation of the Vedas that the never ending glories of the Supreme Brahman will always continue to be ineffable and beyond all thought and word, pointed out Sri K. Srinivasan in a discourse.

Brahma tells Narada that even Vishnu is unable to answer these doubts that are indeed difficult. Nobody who is attached to the world knows anything about this. It is only those realised souls who are unattached to this world, who are free from any envy and desires, and remain calm, who can know the secret of all this. Brahma first gives a brief account of his birth in the navel of Vishnu and how he was unable to understand his own self and his duties. He was then prompted by a celestial voice to practise tapas and he did so for a thousand years. Then the voice commanded him to create. Brahma was confused about what to create. Then the two daityas, Madhu and Kaitabha, challenged him to fight with them. Then he saw Vishnu in deep slumber and realised that He was under the influence of Yoga Nidra and then he praised the Goddess. By the grace of the Goddess, Vishnu was able to kill them after a prolonged battle that lasted for 5,000 years. Then Rudra also joined them and all three praised the Devi. The Goddess then commanded them to forsake laziness and engage in their respective acts of creation, preservation etc, and also showed them how to go about it.