Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Vāmana’s Advent, Aditi’s Hymn, Bali’s Gift, and the Mahatmya of Bhū-dāna
श्रुतयो यं न जानन्ति न जानन्ति च सूरयः । तं नमामि जगद्धेतुं समायं चाप्यमायिनम् ॥ २३ ॥
śrutayo yaṃ na jānanti na jānanti ca sūrayaḥ | taṃ namāmi jagaddhetuṃ samāyaṃ cāpyamāyinam || 23 ||
I bow to Him whom even the Vedas do not fully know, and whom even the sages do not fully know—unto that Cause of the universe, impartial to all, and yet free from all deception of māyā.
Narada (in a stuti/praise-verse context, within the Narada–Sanatkumara teaching frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It declares the Supreme as ultimately beyond complete conceptual capture—even by Śruti and great seers—yet still worthy of direct surrender and worship as the universe’s cause and the perfectly pure (amāyin) reality.
By admitting the limits of intellectual and scriptural knowing, the verse turns the seeker toward bhakti—humble pranāma (namāmi) to the Lord—where reverence and surrender become the practical approach to the transcendent.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; instead, it emphasizes a key hermeneutic principle for scriptural study: Śruti points toward the Supreme, but the Supreme exceeds language and conceptual definition.