Shloka 19
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
व्याप्तं जगत् सर्वसुरप्रवीर शक््त्या मया संस्तुत लोकनाथ । नमोस्तु ते द्वादशनेत्रबाहो अतः: परं वेझि गति न तेडहम्,समस्त देवताओंके प्रमुख वीर! आपकी शक्तिसे यह सम्पूर्ण जगत् व्याप्त है। लोकनाथ! मैंने यथाशक्ति आपका स्तवन किया है। बारह नेत्रों और भुजाओंसे सुशोभित देव! आपको नमस्कार है। इससे परे आपका जो स्वरूप है, उसे मैं नहीं जानता
vyāptaṃ jagat sarva-surapravīra śaktyā mayā saṃstuta lokanātha | namo 'stu te dvādaśa-netra-bāho ataḥ paraṃ vetsi gatiṃ na te 'ham ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O foremost hero among all the gods, by your power this entire world is pervaded. O Lord of the worlds, I have praised you to the best of my ability. Salutations to you, O deity adorned with twelve eyes and arms. As for what lies beyond this—your higher, transcendent state—I do not know it.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models devotional humility: even after sincere praise, the sage admits the limits of human understanding before the deity’s transcendent nature, while affirming the deity’s immanent power that pervades the world.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a divine figure in a hymn of praise, acknowledging the deity as the all-pervading lord and offering salutations, then concluding that the deity’s ultimate form or state beyond manifestation is beyond his knowledge.