SB 2.9.37
etan matam samatistha
paramena samadhina
bhavan kalpa-vikalpesu
na vimuhyati karhicit
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
O Brahma, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
As in the Bhagavad-gita, Tenth Chapter, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, has summarized the whole text in four verses, namely aham sarvasya prabhavah, etc., so the complete Srimad-Bhagavatam has also been summarized in four verses, as aham evasam evagre, etc. Thus the secret purpose of the most important Bhagavatite conclusion has been explained by the original speaker of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, who was also the original speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. There are many grammarians and nondevotee material wranglers who have tried to present false interpretations of these four verses of the Srimad-Bhagavatam but the Lord Himself advised Brahmaji not to be deviated from the fixed conclusion the Lord had taught him. The Lord was the teacher of the nucleus of Srimad-Bhagavatam in four verses, and Brahma was the receiver of the knowledge. Misinterpretation of the word aham by the word jugglery of the impersonalist should not disturb the mind of the strict followers of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the text of the Personality of Godhead and His unalloyed devotees, who are also known as the bhagavatas, and any outsider should have no access to this confidential literature of devotional service. But unfortunately the impersonalist, who has no relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sometimes tries to interpret Srimad-Bhagavatam by his poor fund of knowledge in grammar and dry speculation. Therefore, the Lord warns Brahma (and, through Brahma, all future devotees of the Lord in the disciplic succession of Brahma) that one should never be misled by the conclusion of the so-called grammarians or by other men with a poor fund of knowledge, but must always fix the mind properly, via the parampara system. No one should try to give a new interpretation by dint of mundane knowledge. And the first step, therefore, in pursuance of the system of knowledge received by Brahma, is to approach a bona fide guru who is the representative of the Lord following the parampara system. No one should try to squeeze out his own meaning by imperfect mundane knowledge. The guru, or the bona fide spiritual master, is competent to teach the disciple in the right path with reference to the context of all authentic Vedic literature. He does not attempt to juggle words to bewilder the student. The bona fide spiritual master, by his personal activities, teaches the disciple the principles of devotional service. Without personal service, one would go on speculating like the impersonalists and dry speculators life after life and would be unable to reach the final conclusion. By following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master in conjunction with the principles of revealed scriptures, the student will rise to the plane of complete knowledge, which will be exhibited by development of detachment from the world of sense gratification. The mundane wranglers are surprised that one can detach himself from the world of sense gratification, and thus any attempt to be fixed in God realization appears to them to be mysticism. This detachment from the sensory world is called the brahma-bhuta stage of realization, the preliminary stage of transcendental devotional life (para bhaktih). The brahma-bhuta stage of life is also known as the atmarama stage, in which one is fully self-satisfied and does not hanker for the world of sense enjoyment. This stage of full satisfaction is the proper situation for understanding the transcendental knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. The Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.20) affirms this:
evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijñanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
Thus in the completely satisfied stage of life, exhibited by full detachment from the world of sense enjoyment as a result of performing devotional service, one can understand the science of God in the liberated stage.
In this stage of full satisfaction and detachment from the sensory world, one can know the mystery of the science of God with all its confidential intricacies, and not by grammar or academic speculation. Because Brahma qualified himself for such reception, the Lord was pleased to disclose the purpose of Srimad-Bhagavatam. This direct instruction by the Lord to any devotee who is detached from the world of sense gratification is possible, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita (10.10):
tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
Unto the devotees who are constantly engaged in the Lord’s transcendental loving service (priti-purvakam), the Lord, out of His causeless mercy upon the devotee, gives direct instructions so that the devotee may make accurate progress on the path returning home, back to Godhead. One should not, therefore, try to understand these four verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam by mental speculation. Rather, by direct perception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is able to know all about His abode, Vaikuntha, as was seen and experienced by Brahmaji. Such Vaikuntha realization is possible by any devotee of the Lord situated in the transcendental position as a result of devotional service.
In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (sruti) it is said, gopa-veso me purusah purastad avirbabhuva: the Lord appeared before Brahma as a cowboy, that is, as the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, Govinda, who is later described by Brahmaji in his Brahma-samhita (5.29):
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpavrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
Brahmaji desires to worship the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, who resides in the topmost Vaikuntha planet, known as Goloka Vrndavana, where He is in the habit of keeping surabhi cows as a cowboy and where He is served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune (the gopis) with love and respect.
Therefore Lord Sri Krsna is the original form of the Supreme Lord (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam). This is also clear from this instruction. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, and not directly Narayana or the purusa-avataras, which are subsequent manifestations. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam means consciousness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is the sound representation of the Lord as much as the Bhagavad-gita is. Thus the conclusion is that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the science of the Lord in which the Lord and His abode are perfectly realized.