Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 17: Brahmā Orders the Demigods to Incarnate and Assist Rāma
Text 1.17.2-4

सत्यसन्धस्य वीरस्य सर्वेषां नो हितैषिणः।
विष्णोः सहायान्बलिनः सृजध्वं कामरूपिणः॥

मायाविदश्च शूरांश्च वायुवेगसमाञ्जवे।
नयज्ञान्बुद्धिसम्पन्नान्विष्णुतुल्यपराक्रमान्॥

असंहार्यानुपायज्ञान्सिंहसंहननान्वितान्।
सर्वास्त्रगुणसम्पन्नानमृतप्राशनानिव॥

satya-sandhasya vīrasya sarveṣāṁ no hitaiṣiṇaḥ
viṣṇoḥ
sahāyān balinaḥ sṛjadhvaṁ kāma-rūpiṇaḥ

māyāvidaś ca śūrāṁś ca vāyu-vega-samāñ jave
nayajñān
buddhi-sampannān viṣṇu-tulya-parākramān

asaṁhāryān upāya-jñān siṁha-saṁhananānvitān
sarvāstra-guṇa-sampannān
amṛta-prāśanān iva

satya-sandhasya = is truthful to His promise; vīrasya = heroic; sarveṣām = to all; naḥ = of us; hita-eṣiṇaḥ = and is a well-wisher; viṣṇoḥ = Lord Viṣṇu; sahāyān = servants for Him; balinaḥ = strong; sṛjadhvam = create; kāma-rūpiṇaḥ = with the ability to change forms at will; māyāvidaḥ ca = they should have astonishing powers; śūrān ca = they should be heroic; vāyu-vega-samān = equal to the wind; jave = in speed; nayajñān = knowers of diplomacy; buddhi-sampannān = endowed with intelligence; viṣṇu-tulya-parākramān = and with a prowess appropriate to that of Lord Viṣṇu; asaṁhāryān = they should be invincible to others; upāyajñān = they should be possessed of foresight; siṁha-saṁhanana-anvitān = have the splendor of lions; sarva-astra-guṇa-sampannān = be endowed with the potency of all weapons; amṛta-prāśanān = the immortal demigods; iva = and be like.

Lord Viṣṇu is truthful to His promise, heroic, strong and is a well-wisher to all of us. Create servants for Him with the ability to change forms at will. They should have astonishing powers. They should be heroic, equal in speed to the wind, knowers of diplomacy, endowed with intelligence and with a prowess appropriate to that of Lord Viṣṇu. They should be invincible to others. They should be possessed of foresight, have the splendor of lions, be endowed with the potency of all weapons and be like the immortal demigods.

The demigods should create servants for Lord Viṣṇu; they should be able to change forms at will, that is, they should have bodies capable of fighting in war with the deceptive rākṣasas.1 Nayajñān indicates that these servants should be skilled in logic and aware of the means of reconciliation: conciliation, gift, display of military power and domestic discord. Amṛta-prāśanān iva indicates that they should be like the demigods who drink the celestial beverage of amṛta that awards them immortality.

NOTE. Lord Brahmā deputed the demigods in this manner because he knew their nature, which Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport to Bhagavad-gītā 11.48 thus: “What is a demigod? It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu are demigods (viṣṇu-bhaktāḥ smṛtā devāḥ).” Lord Brahmā knew that the demigods, being devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, should be engaged in devotional service to Him.

1 The rākṣasas deceptively change forms at will. In order to match this, the demigods should create servants for Lord Viṣṇu with the same ability.