अहं गिरित्रश्च सुरादयो ये
दक्षादयोऽग्नेरिव केतवस्ते ।
किं वा विदामेश पृथग्विभाता
विधत्स्व शं नो द्विजदेवमन्त्रम् ॥१५॥

ahaá¹ giritraÅ› ca surÄdayo ye
daká¹£Ädayo 'gner iva ketavas te
kiá¹ vÄ vidÄmeÅ›a pá¹›thag-vibhÄtÄ
vidhatsva śaṠno dvija-deva-mantram

 aham - I (Lord BrahmÄ); giritraḥ - Lord Åšiva; ca - also; sura-Ädayaḥ - all the demigods; ye - as we are; daká¹£a-Ädayaḥ - headed by MahÄrÄja Daká¹£a; agneḥ - of fire; iva - like; ketavaḥ - sparks; te - of You; kim - what;  - either; vidÄma - can we understand; Ä«Å›a - O my Lord; pá¹›thak-vibhÄtÄḥ - independently of You; vidhatsva - kindly bestow upon us; Å›am - good fortune; naḥ - our; dvija-deva-mantram - the means of deliverance suitable for the brÄhmaṇas and demigods.


Text

I [Lord BrahmÄ], Lord Åšiva and all the demigods, accompanied by the prajÄpatis like Daká¹£a, are nothing but sparks illuminated by You, who are the original fire. Since we are particles of You, what can we understand about our welfare? O Supreme Lord, please give us the means of deliverance that is suitable for the brÄhmaṇas and demigods.

Purport

In this verse, the word dvija-deva-mantram is very important. The word mantra means “that which delivers one from the material world.†Only the dvijas (the brÄhmaṇas) and the devas (the demigods) can be delivered from material existence by the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a mantra and is suitable for delivering the conditioned souls from mental speculation. The conditioned souls are engaged in a struggle for existence (manaḥ á¹£aṣṭhÄnÄ«ndriyÄṇi praká¹›ti-sthÄni kará¹£ati). Deliverance from this struggle constitutes the highest benefit, but unless one gets a mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, deliverance is impossible. The beginning mantra is the GÄyatrÄ« mantra. Therefore, after purification, when one is qualified to become a brÄhmaṇa (dvija), he is offered the GÄyatrÄ« mantra. Simply by chanting the GÄyatrÄ« mantra, one can be delivered. This mantra, however, is suitable only for the brÄhmaṇas and demigods. In Kali-yuga, we are all in a very difficult position, in which we need a suitable mantra that can deliver us from the dangers of this age. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His incarnation as Lord Caitanya, gives us the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

harer nÄma harer nÄma
 harer nÄmaiva kevalam
kalau nÄsty eva nÄsty eva
 nÄsty eva gatir anyathÄ

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.†In His Åšiká¹£Äṣṭaka, Lord Caitanya says, paraá¹ vijayate Å›rÄ«-kṛṣṇa-saá¹…kÄ«rtanam: “All glories to the chanting of Å›rÄ«-kṛṣṇa-saá¹…kÄ«rtana!†The mahÄ-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare RÄma, Hare RÄma, RÄma RÄma, Hare Hare — is directly chanted by the Lord Himself, who gives us this mantra for deliverance.

We cannot invent any means to be delivered from the dangers of material existence. Here, even the demigods, such as Lord BrahmÄ and Lord Åšiva, and the prajÄpatis, such as Daká¹£a, are said to be like illuminating sparks in the presence of the Supreme Lord, who is compared to a great fire. Sparks are beautiful as long as they are in the fire. Similarly, we have to remain in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always engage in devotional service, for then we shall always be brilliant and illuminating. As soon as we fall from the service of the Lord, our brilliance and illumination will immediately be extinguished, or at least stopped for some time. When we living entities, who are like sparks of the original fire, the Supreme Lord, fall into a material condition, we must take the mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead as it is offered by ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. By chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we shall be delivered from all the difficulties of this material world.