Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
The Account of the Lalitā Hymn, the Protective Armor
Kavaca), and the Thousand Names (Sahasranāma
अथापि यस्या जानंति न मनागपि देवताः । केयं कस्मात्क्व केनेति सरूपारूपभावनाम् ॥ १८ ॥
athāpi yasyā jānaṃti na manāgapi devatāḥ | keyaṃ kasmātkva keneti sarūpārūpabhāvanām || 18 ||
Selbst die Götter kennen sie nicht im Geringsten—wer sie ist, woher sie aufsteigt, wo sie weilt und durch wen sie bewirkt wird—sie, deren Wesen zugleich als gestaltvoll und gestaltlos erdacht wird.
Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It stresses that the highest principle being contemplated transcends even divine cognition, and is approached through deep inquiry and contemplation as both manifest (with form) and unmanifest (formless).
It supports mature Bhakti where the devotee honors the deity’s accessible form (saguna) while recognizing the ultimate reality as beyond all limiting descriptions (nirguna), deepening reverence and surrender.
The verse points to disciplined bhāvanā (contemplative practice) and precise inquiry—skills supported by Vedanga methods like Vyākaraṇa for exact meaning and Nirukta for interpretive clarity—though it is not a ritual instruction itself.