Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10
Sṛṣṭi-pralaya-kathana: Mahābhūta-guṇāḥ, Vṛkṣa-indriya-vādaḥ, Prāṇa-vāyu-vyavasthā
अनिर्दश्योऽप्रतर्क्यश्च कथं ज्ञायेत कैर्मुने । कथमेनं परात्मानं कालशक्तिदुरन्वयम् ॥ १० ॥
anirdaśyo'pratarkyaśca kathaṃ jñāyeta kairmune | kathamenaṃ parātmānaṃ kālaśaktiduranvayam || 10 ||
He is invisible and beyond the reach of reasoning—so by whom, O sage, can He be known? And how can that Supreme Self be comprehended, He who is difficult to trace through time and its power?
Sanatkumara (addressing Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It stresses that the Supreme Self cannot be grasped by the senses or mere intellectual argument; realization requires a higher means of knowledge—scriptural testimony supported by disciplined practice and inner purification.
By declaring the Supreme beyond perception and logic, the verse indirectly supports bhakti as a valid approach—trustful surrender and remembrance of the Lord as taught by sages, rather than reliance on reasoning alone.
It implies the limits of tarka (reasoning) and elevates śāstra-pramāṇa (scriptural authority); this aligns with disciplined study methods supported by Vedanga tools like Vyakarana for correct understanding of revealed texts.