Shloka 41
शृणोष्य् अकर्णः परिपश्यसि त्वम् अचक्षुर् एको बहुरूपरूपः अपादहस्तो जवनो ग्रहीता त्वं वेत्सि सर्वं न च सर्ववेद्यः
śṛṇoṣy akarṇaḥ paripaśyasi tvam acakṣur eko bahurūparūpaḥ apādahasto javano grahītā tvaṃ vetsi sarvaṃ na ca sarvavedyaḥ
رغم أنك بلا أذنين، فإنك تسمع؛ ورغم أنك بلا عينين، فإنك ترى كل ما حولك. أنت الواحد الأحد، وتتخذ أشكالاً لا حصر لها. ورغم أنك بلا قدمين أو يدين، فأنت سريع الوصول ومحكم القبضة. أنت تعلم كل شيء، ومع ذلك لا يمكن لأحد أن يحيط بك علماً.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya as an invocation to the Supreme Vishnu)
Concept: The Supreme is all-knowing and all-pervading, yet remains beyond full objectification by finite knowing.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Contemplate the divine as immanent in all perception while accepting the limits of conceptual grasp; cultivate reverent humility in study and worship.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a personal, omniscient Lord who transcends sensory limitation yet actively knows and governs—supporting the Lord’s immanence without reducing Him to a knowable object.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It affirms Vishnu’s transcendence: His knowing and perceiving are not dependent on physical sense-organs, showing He is beyond material limitation while still all-aware.
Through devotional paradox: Vishnu has no material feet or hands, yet He is “swift” and “the grasping power,” indicating divine agency that operates directly as supreme will and presence.
The verse teaches that Vishnu is the knower of all, but His full nature exceeds ordinary cognition; He is approached through revelation, devotion, and disciplined insight rather than sensory proof alone.