Shloka 49
Nārāyaṇasya Guhya-nāmāni Niruktāni (Etymologies of Nārāyaṇa’s Secret Epithets) / नारायणस्य गुह्यनामानि निरुक्तानि
इन्द्रियैर्ग.ह्यते यद् यत् तत् तद् व्यक्तमिति स्थिति: । अव्यक्तमिति विज्ञेयं लिड्रग्राह्ममतीन्द्रियम्,ज्ञानके सम्बन्धमें जितनी बातें हैं, उन्हें परम्परासे जानना चाहिये। जो पदार्थ इन्द्रियोंद्वारा ग्रहण किये जाते हैं, उन्हें व्यक्त कहते हैं और जो इन्ट्रियोंक अगोचर होनेके कारण अनुमानसे जाने जाते हैं, उनको अव्यक्त कहते हैं
nārada uvāca | indriyaiḥ gṛhyate yad yat tat tad vyaktam iti sthitiḥ | avyaktam iti vijñeyaṃ liṅgagrāhyam atīndriyam |
Narada said: Whatever is apprehended by the senses is to be regarded as ‘manifest’—this is the settled understanding. That which is beyond the reach of the senses, and is known only through inferential marks (signs), should be understood as ‘unmanifest’. In matters of knowledge, one should learn these distinctions through the received tradition of teaching.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines a key epistemic distinction: what the senses directly grasp is ‘manifest’ (vyakta), while what lies beyond sensory reach is ‘unmanifest’ (avyakta) and is known through inferential signs (liṅga). It also affirms the role of traditional transmission (paramparā) in learning such categories correctly.
Within Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Nārada is teaching a philosophical classification of knowable objects—clarifying how perception and inference relate to ‘manifest’ and ‘unmanifest’ realities as part of broader guidance on knowledge and right understanding.