Text 48
mayy ananta-guṇe ’nante
guṇato guṇa-vigrahaḥ
yadāsīt tata evādyaḥ
svayambhūḥ samabhūd ajaḥ
mayi — in Me; ananta-guṇe — possessing unlimited potency; anante — unlimited; guṇataḥ — from My potency known as māyā; guṇa-vigrahaḥ — the universe, which is a result of the modes of nature; yadā — when; āsīt — it came into existence; tataḥ — therein; eva — indeed; ādyaḥ — the first living being; svayambhūḥ — Lord Brahmā; samabhūt — was born; ajaḥ — although not from a material mother.
I am the reservoir of unlimited potency, and therefore I am known as unlimited or all-pervading. From My material energy the cosmic manifestation appeared within Me, and in this universal manifestation appeared the chief being, Lord Brahmā, who is your source and is not born of a material mother.
This is a description of the history of the universal creation. The first cause is the Lord Himself, the Supreme Person. From Him, Brahmā is created, and Brahmā takes charge of the affairs of the universe. The universal affairs of the material creation depend upon the material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is therefore the cause of the material creation. The entire cosmic manifestation is described herein as guṇa-vigrahaḥ, the form of the Lord’s qualities. From the cosmic universal form, the first creation is Lord Brahmā, who is the cause of all living entities. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya describes the unlimited attributes of the Lord:
praty-ekaśo guṇānāṁ tu
niḥsīmatvam udīryate
tadānantyaṁ tu guṇatas
te cānantā hi saṅkhyayā
ato ’nanta-guṇo viṣṇur
guṇato ’nanta eva ca
Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate: the Lord has innumerable potencies, all of which are unlimited. Therefore the Lord Himself and all His qualities, forms, pastimes and paraphernalia are also unlimited. Because Lord Viṣṇu has unlimited attributes, He is known as Ananta.