Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37
The Greatness of Viṣṇu
Uttaṅka’s Hymn, Hari’s Manifestation, and the Boon of Bhakti
न यस्य रूपं न बलप्रभावे न यस्य कर्माणि न यत्प्रमाणम् । जानन्ति देवाः कमलोद्भवाद्याः स्तोष्याम्यहं तं कथमात्मरूपम् ॥ ३७ ॥
na yasya rūpaṃ na balaprabhāve na yasya karmāṇi na yatpramāṇam | jānanti devāḥ kamalodbhavādyāḥ stoṣyāmyahaṃ taṃ kathamātmarūpam || 37 ||
He has no form, no measurable strength or manifest power; His deeds are beyond grasp, and there is no standard by which He may be proven. Even the gods—beginning with Brahmā, the lotus-born—do not truly know Him. How then can I praise that One whose very nature is the Self?
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It stresses the transcendence of the Supreme—beyond form, measurable power, and even ordinary pramāṇas—pointing the seeker toward direct realization of the Ātman rather than mere conceptual knowledge.
By admitting the inadequacy of words and concepts to capture the Supreme, the verse frames praise as humble surrender—Bhakti that recognizes God as beyond description, yet worthy of heartfelt stuti (devotional glorification).
It implicitly references pramāṇa (valid means of knowledge) and the limits of intellectual proof—useful for Vedānta-style inquiry—while indicating that realization ultimately surpasses purely analytical tools like logic and linguistic definition.