Shloka 40
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
यतोऽप्राप्य न्यवर्तन्त वाचश्च मनसा सह । अहं चान्य इमे देवास्तस्मै भगवते नम: ॥ ४० ॥
yato ’prāpya nyavartanta vācaś ca manasā saha ahaṁ cānya ime devās tasmai bhagavate namaḥ
Words, mind, and ego—along with their presiding devas—have failed to know Bhagavān. Therefore I, and these other gods as well, offer Him our reverent obeisances.
The froggish calculator may raise the objection that if the Absolute is unknowable even by the controlling deities of speech, mind and ego, namely the Vedas, Brahmā, Rudra and all the demigods headed by Bṛhaspati, then why should the devotees be so interested in this unknown object? The answer is that the transcendental ecstasy enjoyed by the devotees in delineating the pastimes of the Lord is certainly unknown to nondevotees and mental speculators. Unless one relishes transcendental joy, naturally one will come back from his speculations and concocted conclusions because he will see them as neither factual nor enjoyable. The devotees can at least know that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, as the Vedic hymns confirm: oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) also confirms this fact: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. By culture of Vedic knowledge one must know Lord Kṛṣṇa and should not falsely speculate on the word aham, or “I.” The only method for understanding the Supreme Truth is devotional service, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) : bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. Only by devotional service can one know that the ultimate truth is the Personality of Godhead and that Brahman and Paramātmā are only His partial features. This is confirmed in this verse by the great sage Maitreya. With devotion he offers his sincere surrender, namaḥ, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhagavate. One has to follow in the footsteps of great sages and devotees like Maitreya and Vidura, Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and engage in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord if one would know His ultimate feature, which is above Brahman and Paramātmā.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord cannot be fully reached by mental speculation or verbal description—mind and speech return without attaining Him—so the proper response is humble devotion and offering obeisances.
In the context of creation, Brahmā recognizes the Supreme Lord as the ultimate source and reality beyond his own powers and comprehension; therefore he, along with the demigods, bows in reverence and surrender.
Use reason and study, but accept their limits; cultivate bhakti through prayer, mantra, and humility—approaching the Divine with reverence rather than trying to reduce God to mere concepts.