Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28
The Description of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa’s Table of Contents
Anukramaṇī
अनिर्देश्याप्रतर्क्यस्य ब्रह्मणः परमात्मनः । अन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यां वर्णनं हि ततः परम् ॥ २८ ॥
anirdeśyāpratarkyasya brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ | anvayavyatirekābhyāṃ varṇanaṃ hi tataḥ param || 28 ||
Of the Supreme Self—Brahman, the Paramātman—who is indescribable and beyond the reach of reasoning, it is then taught that the highest way to speak of Him is by anvaya and vyatireka, concomitance and exclusion.
Narada (teaching in a philosophical exposition; traditional dialogue context with Sanatkumara lineage implied for this section)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches that Brahman cannot be captured by ordinary speech or logic, so one should approach realization through a disciplined Vedantic method—seeing what invariably accompanies the Self (anvaya) and what is absent when the Self is not known (vyatireka).
While the verse is primarily jñāna-oriented, it supports bhakti by clarifying that the Supreme is beyond conceptual grasp; devotion matures when one stops reducing God to mere arguments and instead contemplates the Supreme through scriptural guidance and inner discernment.
It highlights a practical Vedantic reasoning tool used in śāstra study—anvaya-vyatireka—commonly applied in interpretive disciplines (linked to śāstric hermeneutics and vyākaraṇa-informed clarity) to determine the intended meaning about Brahman.