Category:Brahma is an Authority
Theme Analysis
In Vedic epistemology, true spiritual knowledge must be received through a bona fide disciplic succession coming from recognized authorities. Through his profound translations and commentaries, Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasizes that out of the twelve great mahājanas mentioned in the śāstras, Lord Brahmā is the original and foremost authority in the universe.
- The Twelve Mahājanas: The Vedic scriptures identify twelve primary authorities (dvādaśa-mahājana) authorized to speak and propagate the principles of religion. This esteemed list is headed by Lord Brahmā and includes figures like Nārada, Lord Śiva, the Kumāras, and Prahlāda Mahārāja.
- The Supreme Universal Authority: Within the material creation, Lord Brahmā's intelligence and judgment are unsurpassed. His assertions on spiritual matters are considered final, acting much like the ruling of a supreme court.
- The Origin of the Disciplic Succession: Spiritual realization is a descending process. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original spiritual master who transmitted the pristine Vedic knowledge directly into the heart of Brahmā. Brahmā then distributed this knowledge to his disciples, starting with Nārada, initiating the paramparā system.
- The Folly of Speculation: Authentic religious principles cannot be manufactured by human speculation or concocted sampradāyas. To understand the Absolute Truth, one must follow in the exact footsteps of Brahmā and the other standard authorities.
- Ultimate Subordination to Kṛṣṇa: Despite his exalted status and immense power as the creator and ruler of the universe, Lord Brahmā remains a pure, subordinate devotee. He derives his authority entirely from Kṛṣṇa and never acts independently of the Supreme Lord's permission.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Lord Brahmā is One of the Twelve Mahājana Authorities.
Pages in category "Brahma is an Authority"
The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total.
A
- According to SB, there are twelve authorities, & they are all famous because they were all great devotees of the Lord. These authorities are Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Manu, Kapila, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Bali, Yamaraja & the Kumaras
- According to the Vedic sastras there are twelve authorities. These are Svayambhu, Narada, Sambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Bali, Sukadeva Gosvami and Yamaraja. Svayambhu is Brahma, and Sambhu is Lord Siva
- All these authorities (Siva, Lord Brahma, Manu or Narada) are certainly very powerful, but they do not have the power to disobey the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- As a mahajana (or authority) Bhismadeva was on the level of Brahma, Narada and Siva, although he was a human being. Qualification on a par with the great demigods is possible only on attainment of spiritual perfection
- As the decision of the supreme court of a state is final, similarly the judgment of Brahmaji, the supreme authority in the universe, is final in the Vedic process of acquiring knowledge
- As the demigods follow Lord Brahma to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we also have to follow the authorities of the parampara system to understand the Lord
- As the mother is the only authority to identify the father of a child, so the mother Vedas, presented by the recognized authority such as Brahma, Narada or Siva, is the only authority to inform us about the Absolute Truth
B
- Brahma is one of the authorities. He's also mentioned in the list of authorities, dvadasa-mahajana. Twelve authorities
- Brahma receives knowledge from Krsna and distributes that Vedic knowledge, and therefore he is an authority
- Brahmaji is the highest authority in Vedic wisdom, and his assertion in this connection is therefore the supreme information
I
- I have described the authorities. Brahma is authority, Lord Siva is authority, and Kapila is authority, Kumara, four Kumaras and Manu is authority. Similarly, Prahlada Maharaja is authority. Janaka Maharaja is authority. The twelve authorities
- In the present day there are many apasampradayas, or sampradayas which are not bona fide, which have no link to authorities like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, the Kumaras or Laksmi. People are misguided by such sampradayas
K
- Krsna is supported not only by the Vedas and by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, and authorities like Vyasadeva, Asita, Devala, and Arjuna, who heard Bhagavad-gita personally from the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Krsna is the original spiritual master of Lord Brahma, of Lord Siva, Narada, so many other authorities. There are twelve authorities, svayambhur naradah sambhuh - SB 6.3.20
- Krsna was there. So Brahma is admitting that this Krsna is parabrahman sanatanam. So we have to take evidence from the authorities. There are twelve authorities according to sastra. Brahma is one of the authorities
- Kunti is authority. How she has become authority? Because she has followed the authorities - Brahma, Narada, Svayambhu. Those who are strictly following the statements of the authorities, they are also authority
L
- Lord Brahma also says, sarva-karana-karanam (Bs. 5.1). So it is not that Krsna is saying only. It is accepted by the supreme Vedic authority, Lord Brahma
- Lord Brahma is one of the twelve authorities known as dvadasa-mahajana - svayambhur naradah sambhuh kaumarah kapilo manuh/ prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam, SB 6.3.20
- Lord Brahma is one of these self-realized authorities - svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh - SB 6.3.20
- Lord Brahma, who has full control over the goddess of learning and who is considered to be the best authority in Vedic knowledge, was thus perplexed, being unable to understand the extraordinary power manifested by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Lord Siva is also great devotee. Out of twelve great authorities, Lord Siva is one. Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Narada. Svayambhur naradah sambhuh (SB 6.3.20). Svayambhuh means Lord Brahma
N
- Narada wanted to clear the matter (of Brahma being or not the supreme authority in the creation) by the statements of Brahmaji, the supreme authority in the universe
- No one can manufacture a religious principle by imperfect speculation. One must follow in the footsteps of great authorities like Brahma, Siva, Narada, Manu, Kumara, Kapila, Prahlada, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja, Janaka, etc. BG 1972 purports
O
- Of the twelve great authorities in devotional service, four - Lord Brahma himself, his son Narada, Svayambhuva Manu and Lord Siva - were present before Priyavrata. They were accompanied by many other authoritative sages
- One must follow in the footsteps of great authorities like Brahma, Siva, Narada, Manu, the Kumaras, Kapila, Prahlada, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Yamaraja, Janaka, and Bali Maharaja
- Out of the twelve authorities of sastra, Brahma is the origin, and he has been explained as Svayambhu. Atma-bhu, like that
- Out of the twelve authorities, first is Lord Brahma; the next, Narada; the next, Lord Siva; then next, the Kumaras; then Kapiladeva; then Manu, Vaivasvata Manu; then Prahlada Maharaja; then Janaka Maharaja; then Bhismadeva; then Bali Maharaja
S
T
- The demigods prayed - Ajnana-bhidapamarjanam - by Your (Krsna's) appearance the speculative knowledge of ignorance will be vanquished, and the real, experienced knowledge of authorities like Lord Brahma will be established
- The demigods said: Your (Krsna's) appearance will vanquish the ignorance of speculative knowledge and establish the real experienced knowledge of authorities like Lord Brahma
- The disciplic succession holds that the Vedas were uttered by Lord Krsna to Brahma, by Brahma to Narada, and by Narada to Vyasadeva and then by Vyasadeva to Sukadeva Gosvami and so on. So there is no difference between the versions of all the authorities
- The higher authorities, as appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are Lord Brahma and all other Prajapatis and Manus. Thus from the beginning of creation it can be seen that the first creature is the most intelligent
- The twelve authorities are Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva and Kumara, Manu and Lord Kapila, Bhisma and Prahlada, Janaka and Yamaraja and this Sukadeva Gosvami, who is speaking the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Vaiyasaki. Vaiyasaki means - the son of Vyasadeva
- The twelve authorities are Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Manu, Kapila, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Sukadeva Gosvami, Bali, Yamaraja and the Kumaras. These personalities are still remembered because they were all great stalwart devotees of the Lord
- The use of the word manisaya is very appropriate, for it indicates that since both Narada Muni and Lord Brahma are authorized to give instruction, Priyavrata should neglect neither of them but should use his intelligence to follow the advice of both
- There are four Vaisnava sampradayas. So we have to approach the authoritative representative of Brahma, Krsna. Then we can get the real knowledge
- There are twelve authorities following the Sankhya philosophy, or bhakti-yoga, and these include Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Kapiladeva, Manu, Bhismadeva, Janaka Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and prahlada Maharaja
- There are twelve authorities mentioned in the sastras. Brahma is one authority, Lord Siva is one authority, and Narada is one authority. Then Manu is one authority, Prahlada Maharaja is authority, Bali Maharaja is authority, Sukadeva Gosvami is authority
- Therefore according to the authority of Brahma, the Narayana who is the predominating Deity in the transcendental world is but the vilasa feature of Krsna. This has now been conclusively proved
- These Vedic versions corroborate the one of the Bhagavatam which is further confirmed by Sukadeva Gosvami, who affirms that the truth was disclosed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna, Vasudeva, to Brahma the first authority on the Vedas
- This (reading or hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam starting from the Tenth Canto) is forbidden by such authorities as Sri Brahmaji
- This process (of accepting the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord) is recommended here (in SB 10.2.30) by authorities like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva (svayambhur naradah sambhuh), and therefore we must take to this process in order to transcend nescience
- Twelve personalities - Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Bhisma, Bali, Sukadeva Gosvami and Yamaraja - are agents of the Lord authorized to speak and propagate the principles of religion
- Two identities of soul, the Supersoul and the individual soul, are admitted to be in the living entity, even by Lord Brahma, the greatest authority of the universe
W
- We accept this book, Brahma-samhita, as very authoritative. This is our process of knowledge. We receive knowledge from the authority
- We can have some conception of the Absolute Truth, His form and His attributes simply by reading the descriptions given in Vedic literatures and authoritative statements given by exalted personalities like Brahma, Narada, Sukadeva Gosvami and others
- We have many times mentioned the names of twelve selected authorities (dvadasa-mahajana), of which Brahma, Narada and Lord Siva head the list as the first, second and third in order of merit of those who know something of the Supreme Lord
- We have to approach an authoritative representative of Krsna appearing in one of these sampradayas (one from Brahma, one from Laksmi, one from Lord Siva, and one from the four Kumaras), and then we can receive real knowledge
- We have to approach the authoritative representative of Brahma, Krsna. Then we can get the real knowledge
- We have to gain understanding through the words of our predecessors. There are twelve mahajanas, or authorities, of whom Brahma is one
- We have to understand everything beyond our perception from the authority who actually knows. The first avyakta-marga-vit, or authority, is Brahma, and the next authority in disciplic succession is Narada
- We must be ready to undergo the prescribed devotional duties, following the path shown by the predecessors in the disciplic succession from Brahma, Narada and similar authorities
- When Lord Brahma went to induce Priyavrata to accept the responsibility for ruling the universe, he did not go whimsically; he was following the dictations of the Supreme Lord. Brahma and other genuine authorities never do anything without His permission
- Whom to accept would be a puzzle for Priyavrata because both Lord Brahma and Narada Muni are authorities