The Birth of Brahma — The Four-Headed Creator

By Dr. Malladi Srinivasa Sastry

ज्ञातोऽसि मेऽद्य सुचिरान्ननु देहभाजां न ज्ञायते भगवतो गतिरित्यवद्यम् ।

नान्यत्त्वदस्ति भगवन्नपि तन्न शुद्धं मायागुणव्यतिकराद्यदुरुर्विभासि ॥ 3.9.1 ॥

 jñāto ’si me ’dya sucirān nanu deha-bhājāṁ na jñāyate bhagavato gatir ity avadyam

nānyat tvad asti bhagavann api tan na śuddhaṁ māyā-guṇa-vyatikarād yad urur vibhāsi

Translation

Lord Brahmā said: O my Lord, today, after many, many years of penance, I have come to know about You. Oh, how unfortunate the embodied living entities are that they are unable to know Your personality! My Lord, You are the only knowable object because there is nothing supreme beyond You. If there is anything supposedly superior to You, it is not the Absolute. You exist as the Supreme by exhibiting the creative energy of matter.

Long, long ago — before there were stars, sun, or even space — there was only Lord Narayana, resting peacefully on the great cosmic ocean. Everything was calm and silent. When the Lord slowly opened His eyes after a long, divine rest, something wonderful happened!

From His navel emerged a beautiful golden lotus, rising high above the cosmic waters. It was bright and pure, glowing like a thousand suns. On that lotus sat the very first being — Lord Brahma — the one who would later create the universe.

Brahma’s Confusion

When Brahma opened his eyes, he looked around and saw only endless darkness.There was no sky, no land, no stars — only the lotus beneath him and the vast ocean of nothingness.

He thought,

“Where am I? Who am I? Who made me sit on this lotus?”

He looked to his left, to his right, forward, and backward — searching in every direction.And as he turned to see all sides, he grew four heads, one facing each direction!That way, he could see the entire universe around him — but still, he could not find the answer.

Brahma’s Great Search

Then Brahma looked down at the long stem of the lotus and wondered,

“Maybe if I follow this stem down, I can find where it begins. Maybe there I will find the truth about my birth!”

So, he went down the lotus stem — through light and darkness — searching for the source.He searched for one hundred divine years!But still, he found nothing.

Tired and humbled, he returned to the lotus top and thought,

“I cannot find the truth outside. Maybe I should close my eyes and look within.”

The Meditation

Brahma sat quietly on the lotus, closed his eyes, and began to meditate —He prayed deeply to the Lord, the unseen power who had brought him into being.

For another hundred years, Brahma meditated with full faith and patience.Then, in the stillness of his heart, he finally heard a divine voice:

“Brahma, I am Narayana, the source of everything.The truth you seek is not outside — it is within you.I am in your heart, as I am in all beings.Now, create the worlds with wisdom and devotion.”

The Great Realization

At that moment, Brahma understood!The whole universe was the Lord’s creation — and he, Brahma, was chosen to continue that divine work.He opened his four eyes (on four heads) and began to chant the Vedas, which flowed naturally from within him.With the Lord’s blessing, he started creating the stars, planets, and all living beings.

The Lessons for Us

1. The truth is within.Just like Brahma searched outside and found nothing, we too must look inward to find who we really are.Outer knowledge is useful, but inner wisdom gives it meaning.

2. True discovery takes patience.Brahma searched for thousands of years — we too must have patience when learning or meditating.

3. Spiritual knowledge inspires all other sciences.The ancient rishis of India — through their inner search — discovered the secrets of mathematics, Ayurveda, astronomy, and spirituality.Today, modern science is slowly discovering what they knew through meditation and divine wisdom.

So, children, remember —When you are curious about the world, also be curious about yourself.Because when you truly know yourself, you begin to understand the whole universe —just like Brahma did on that beautiful lotus long ago.