नाडीभिरन्तर्जलमाविवेश ।
नार्वाग्गतस्तत्खरनालनाल
नाभिं विचिन्वंस्तदविन्दताजः ॥१९॥
sa ittham udvÄ«ká¹£ya tad-abja-nÄla-
nÄá¸Ä«bhir antar-jalam ÄviveÅ›a
nÄrvÄg-gatas tat-khara-nÄla-nÄla-
nÄbhiá¹ vicinvaá¹s tad avindatÄjaḥ
saḥ - he (BrahmÄ); ittham - in this way; udvÄ«ká¹£ya - contemplating; tat - that; abja - lotus; nÄla - stem; nÄá¸Ä«bhiḥ - by the pipe; antaḥ-jalam - within the water; ÄviveÅ›a - entered into; na - not; arvÄk-gataḥ - in spite of going inside; tat-khara-nÄla - the stem of the lotus; nÄla - pipe; nÄbhim - of the navel; vicinvan - thinking much of it; tat - that; avindata - understood; ajaḥ - the self-born.
Lord BrahmÄ, thus contemplating, entered the water through the channel of the stem of the lotus. But in spite of entering the stem and going nearer to the navel of Viṣṇu, he could not trace out the root.
By dint of one’s personal endeavor one may go nearer to the Lord, but without the Lord’s mercy one cannot reach the ultimate point. Such understanding of the Lord is possible only by devotional service, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (18.55): bhaktyÄ mÄm abhijÄnÄti yÄvÄn yaÅ› cÄsmi tattvataḥ.
