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Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21 (16th-century retelling, drawing on Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.13 and Brahma-saṁhitā 5.46–48)

The Firefly Among Suns

Which Brahmā Are You?

A Brahmā arrives at Kṛṣṇa's court at Dvārakā expecting the usual welcome due to a creator of a universe. The doorman's first question undoes him before he even reaches the hall.

Intermediate· 5 min read· 4 chapters
Ch. 1 · An audience at Dvārakā

An audience at Dvārakā

Brahmā arrives at the golden gates of Dvārakā in his swan-drawn chariot.
An audience at Dvārakā

Brahmā arrived at the golden gates of Dvārakā in his swan-drawn chariot, well pleased with himself: the Lord of all the worlds, after all, was residing in the very universe Brahmā himself had made. "Tell that Brahmā has come," he told the doorman, in the tone of someone who expects the name alone to open every door. The doorman returned, looking faintly puzzled. "The Lord asks: which Brahmā?"

✦ Visual cue — A four-headed figure stepping down from a swan-drawn celestial chariot at a magnificent golden gate, chin raised with quiet self-assurance, while a doorman turns back toward him with a puzzled expression.