Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 33
Varṣa-devatā Worship in Jambūdvīpa: Hayagrīva/Hayaśīrṣa, Nṛsiṁha, Kāmadeva (Pradyumna), Matsya, Kūrma, and Varāha
यस्मिन्नसङ्ख्येयविशेषनाम- रूपाकृतौ कविभि: कल्पितेयम् । सङ्ख्या यया तत्त्वदृशापनीयते तस्मै नम: साङ्ख्यनिदर्शनाय ते इति ॥ ३३ ॥
yasminn asaṅkhyeya-viśeṣa-nāma- rūpākṛtau kavibhiḥ kalpiteyam saṅkhyā yayā tattva-dṛśāpanīyate tasmai namaḥ sāṅkhya-nidarśanāya te iti
O my Lord, Your name, form and bodily features are expanded in countless forms. No one can determine exactly how many forms exist, yet You Yourself, in Your incarnation as the learned scholar Kapiladeva, have analyzed the cosmic manifestation as containing twenty-four elements. Therefore if one is interested in Sāṅkhya philosophy, by which one can enumerate the different truths, he must hear it from You. Unfortunately, nondevotees simply count the different elements and remain ignorant of Your actual form. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
Philosophers and scientists have been trying to study the entire cosmic situation and have been theorizing and calculating in different ways for millions and millions of years. However, the speculative research work of a so-called scientist or philosopher is always interrupted when he dies, and the laws of nature go on without regard for his work.
FAQs
This verse honors the Lord as the revealer of Sāṅkhya—true analysis that helps a tattva-dṛśa (seer of reality) remove ignorance and perceive the truth behind the countless divine names and forms.
The obeisance is offered to the Supreme Lord, praised as the one who reveals Sāṅkhya—knowledge that discriminates spirit from matter and clarifies reality.
Use discernment: analyze experiences to separate temporary material labels from lasting spiritual identity, and let that clarity support steady devotion rather than confusion or attachment.