Shloka 8
Śiva-stavarāja: Upamanyu’s Preface and Initiation of the Śarva-Nāma Enumeration
Anuśāsana-parva 17
युक्तेनापि विभूतीनामपि वर्षशतैरपि । यस्यादिर्मध्यमन्तं च सुरैरपि न गम्यते
yuktenāpi vibhūtīnām api varṣaśatair api | yasyādir madhyam antaṃ ca surair api na gamyate
Vāyu said: “Even with disciplined effort, and even after hundreds of years of the gods’ own powers at work, the beginning, the middle, and the end of Him cannot be comprehended—even by the devas.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Supreme Reality is beyond complete intellectual grasp: even divine beings, despite immense power and long duration, cannot fully know His origin, course, and limit. The ethical implication is humility—pursue disciplined practice and dharma without arrogance about total knowledge.
Vāyu is speaking in a didactic context within the Anuśāsana Parva, emphasizing the transcendence of the ultimate divine principle. The statement functions as instruction: it sets a boundary on what even exalted beings can know, guiding listeners toward reverence and disciplined conduct rather than speculative certainty.