Text 41
śrī-śuka uvāca
ity abhiṣṭūya bhūmānaṁ
triḥ parikramya pādayoḥ
natvābhīṣṭaṁ jagad-dhātā
sva-dhāma pratyapadyata
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; abhiṣṭūya — offering praise; bhūmānam — to the unlimited Supreme Lord; triḥ — three times; parikramya — circumambulating; pādayoḥ — at His feet; natvā — bowing down; abhīṣṭam — desired; jagat — of the universe; dhātā — the creator; sva-dhāma — to his personal abode; pratyapadyata — returned.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus offered his prayers, Brahmā circumambulated his worshipable Lord, the unlimited Personality of Godhead, three times and then bowed down at His lotus feet. The appointed creator of the universe then returned to his own residence.
Although Lord Brahmā had prayed to take birth as a blade of grass in Vṛndāvana or even in the area surrounding Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa, by His silent response to Brahmā’s prayers, indicated that Brahmā should return to his own abode. First Brahmā had to complete his personal devotional service of universal creation; then he could come to Vṛndāvana and get the mercy of the inhabitants there. In other words, a devotee should always be attentive to executing his personal devotional service properly. This is more important than trying to live in the Lord’s abode.