Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Janaka’s Quest for Liberation; Pañcaśikha’s Sāṅkhya on Renunciation, Elements, Guṇas, and the Deathless State
ऐत दस्तीति नास्तीति न कश्चित्प्रतिदृश्यते । तेषां विमृशतामेव तत्सम्यगभिधावताम् ॥ ४३ ॥
aita dastīti nāstīti na kaścitpratidṛśyate | teṣāṃ vimṛśatāmeva tatsamyagabhidhāvatām || 43 ||
On ne voit réellement personne que l’on puisse qualifier à bon droit de « cela existe » ou de « cela n’existe pas ». Ce n’est que pour ceux qui examinent en profondeur et en parlent avec justesse que cette réalité est correctement comprise.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Moksha-Dharma section)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It points beyond simplistic labels of “exists” and “does not exist,” teaching that ultimate reality is not grasped as an ordinary object; it is approached through disciplined reflection (vimarśa) and right articulation rooted in discrimination (viveka).
While framed as jñāna-oriented inquiry, it supports bhakti by removing rigid conceptual extremes; a devotee learns to approach the Divine not as a merely worldly object of proof, but as a reality realized through purified understanding and sincere contemplation.
Vyākaraṇa and Nirukta are indirectly relevant: the verse stresses “samyag abhidhā”—speaking/defining correctly—implying careful use of words and meanings so spiritual teaching does not fall into misleading claims of absolute existence or absolute non-existence.