Shloka 23
Dhruva Uses the Nārāyaṇāstra; Manu Checks His Wrath and Teaches Dharma
अव्यक्तस्याप्रमेयस्य नानाशक्त्युदयस्य च । न वै चिकीर्षितं तात को वेदाथ स्वसम्भवम् ॥ २३ ॥
avyaktasyāprameyasya nānā-śakty-udayasya ca na vai cikīrṣitaṁ tāta ko vedātha sva-sambhavam
My dear son, the Absolute Truth is unmanifest and immeasurable, the master of countless energies. Who can know His intentions and deeds? Though He is the cause of all causes, He cannot be grasped by mental speculation.
The question may be raised, “Since there are so many varieties of philosophers theorizing in different ways, which of them is correct?” The answer is that the Absolute Truth, Transcendence, is never subject to direct experience or mental speculation. The mental speculator may be called Dr. Frog. The story is that a frog in a three-foot well wanted to calculate the length and breadth of the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of his knowledge of his own well. But it was an impossible task for Dr. Frog. A person may be a great academician, scholar or professor, but he cannot speculate and expect to understand the Absolute Truth, for his senses are limited. The cause of all causes, the Absolute Truth, can be known from the Absolute Truth Himself, and not by our ascending process to reach Him. When the sun is not visible at night or when it is covered by a cloud in the day, it is not possible to uncover it, either by bodily or mental strength or by scientific instruments, although the sun is there in the sky. No one can say that he has discovered a torchlight so powerful that if one goes on a roof and focuses the torchlight on the night sky, the sun will then be seen. There is no such torchlight, nor is it possible.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the Lord is unmanifest and immeasurable, and because His energies act in countless ways, His precise intentions are ultimately beyond ordinary comprehension.
In the Dhruva narrative, Manu advises Dhruva to accept the Lord’s higher arrangement—reminding him that the Supreme’s plans and independent workings cannot be fully grasped by conditioned beings.
Practice humility and surrender: do your duty sincerely, but accept outcomes as the Lord’s arrangement, avoiding anxiety over what is ultimately beyond human control.