Text 20
dṛṣṭvā māṁ ta upavrajya
kṛtvā pādābhivandanam
brahmāṇam agrataḥ kṛtvā
papracchuḥ ko bhavān iti
dṛṣṭvā — thus seeing; mām — Me; te — they (the sages); upavrajya — approaching; kṛtvā — offering; pāda — at the lotus feet; abhivandanam — obeisances; brahmāṇam — Lord Brahmā; agrataḥ — in front; kṛtvā — keeping; papracchuḥ — they asked; kaḥ bhavān — “who are You, sir?”; iti — thus.
Thus seeing Me, the sages, placing Brahmā in the lead, came forward and worshiped My lotus feet. Then they frankly asked Me, “Who are You?”
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments, “When Brahmā was unable to answer the question placed by the sages, he fixed his mind in thought of the Supreme Lord. The Lord then assumed the form of Haṁsa and appeared before Lord Brahmā and the sages, who proceeded to inquire about the specific identity of the Lord.”