Shloka 41
देवकी-विवाहः, आकाशवाणी, भूरभारावतरण-याचना, क्षीराब्धि-स्तुति, केशावतार-नियोजनम्
शृणोष्य् अकर्णः परिपश्यसि त्वम् अचक्षुर् एको बहुरूपरूपः अपादहस्तो जवनो ग्रहीता त्वं वेत्सि सर्वं न च सर्ववेद्यः
śṛṇoṣy akarṇaḥ paripaśyasi tvam acakṣur eko bahurūparūpaḥ apādahasto javano grahītā tvaṃ vetsi sarvaṃ na ca sarvavedyaḥ
Though earless, You hear; though eyeless, You see all around. One alone, You assume forms of countless kinds. Though without feet or hands, You are swift to reach and sure to grasp. You know everything—yet You are not an object fully knowable to all.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya as an invocation to the Supreme Vishnu)
Concept: The Supreme is all-knowing and all-pervading, yet remains beyond full objectification by finite knowing.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Contemplate the divine as immanent in all perception while accepting the limits of conceptual grasp; cultivate reverent humility in study and worship.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a personal, omniscient Lord who transcends sensory limitation yet actively knows and governs—supporting the Lord’s immanence without reducing Him to a knowable object.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It affirms Vishnu’s transcendence: His knowing and perceiving are not dependent on physical sense-organs, showing He is beyond material limitation while still all-aware.
Through devotional paradox: Vishnu has no material feet or hands, yet He is “swift” and “the grasping power,” indicating divine agency that operates directly as supreme will and presence.
The verse teaches that Vishnu is the knower of all, but His full nature exceeds ordinary cognition; He is approached through revelation, devotion, and disciplined insight rather than sensory proof alone.