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 ||
彼には形がなく、量り得る力も顕れた威力もない。御業は捉え難く、証し立てる尺度も存在しない。蓮華より生まれし梵天をはじめとする神々でさえ、真に彼を知らない。されば、自性そのものが真我であるその御方を、いかにして我は讃えるべきか。
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.