Shloka 6
Hari-stuti by Śrī, Brahmā, Vāyu, Sarasvatī, Śeṣa, Garuḍa, Rudra, Vāruṇī and Pārvatī
Humility, Surrender, and the Power of the Name
ब्रह्मोवाच / लक्ष्मीपते सर्वजगन्निवास त्वं ज्ञानसिंधुः क्व च विश्वमूर्ते / अहं क्व चाज्ञस्तव वै शक्तिरस्ति ह्यज्ञोहं वै ह्यल्पशक्तिर्ममास्ति
brahmovāca / lakṣmīpate sarvajagannivāsa tvaṃ jñānasiṃdhuḥ kva ca viśvamūrte / ahaṃ kva cājñastava vai śaktirasti hyajñohaṃ vai hyalpaśaktirmamāsti
Brahmā sprach: O Herr der Lakṣmī, Wohnstatt aller Welten—Du bist ein Ozean des Wissens, o kosmische Gestalt. Was bin ich, und was ist meine Unwissenheit? Wahrlich, Deine Macht ist erhaben; ich bin in der Tat unwissend, und meine Kraft ist nur gering.
Brahma
Concept: Humility before Bhagavān: the finite self recognizes its ignorance and limited power, while the Lord is the ocean of knowledge and supreme śakti.
Vedantic Theme: Jīva-alpatva vs Īśvara-sarvajñatva; surrender (prapatti) grounded in awareness of dependence (śeṣatva).
Application: Cultivate daily vinaya: acknowledge limits of egoic agency, begin study/prayer with īśvara-prārthanā, and attribute capacity and success to divine grace.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (dialogic stuti sections): recurring themes of prapatti, aham-mamatā-tyāga, and viṣṇu-mahimā
FAQs
This verse models humility through Brahmā acknowledging Viṣṇu as the all-supporting, all-knowing Lord and admitting his own limited power—setting the tone that true knowledge begins with surrender to the supreme.
Indirectly, it establishes that liberation-knowledge and right understanding come from the supreme Lord; in Garuda Purana’s broader teaching, such divine knowledge guides the soul beyond ignorance that binds it to repeated birth and death.
Cultivate spiritual humility: seek guidance from authentic scripture/teachers, reduce ego in learning, and align actions with dharma—recognizing one’s limitations and the need for higher wisdom.