Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 36
Brahmā’s Tapasya, the Vision of Vaikuṇṭha, and the Lord’s Seed Instructions
Catuḥ-śloki
एतावदेव जिज्ञास्यं तत्त्वजिज्ञासुनात्मन: । अन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यां यत् स्यात् सर्वत्र सर्वदा ॥ ३६ ॥
etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā
പരമ തത്ത്വത്തെ അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നവൻ ഇത്രയേ ചോദിക്കേണ്ടത്—എല്ലായിടത്തും എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും, അന്വയ-വ്യതിരേകങ്ങളാൽ നേരിട്ടും പരോക്ഷമായും നിലകൊള്ളുന്നതെന്തോ അതിനെക്കുറിച്ച്.
To unfold the mystery of bhakti-yoga, as it is explained in the previous verse, is the ultimate stage of all inquiries, or the highest objective for the inquisitive. Everyone is searching after self-realization in different ways — by karma-yoga, by jñāna-yoga, by dhyāna-yoga, by rāja-yoga, by bhakti-yoga, etc. To engage in self-realization is the responsibility of every living entity developed in consciousness. One who is developed in consciousness certainly makes inquiries into the mystery of the self, of the cosmic situation and of the problems of life, in all spheres and fields — social, political, economic, cultural, religious, moral, etc. — and in their different branches. But here the goal of all such inquiries is explained.
FAQs
It is a method of discerning the Absolute Truth by seeing what is consistently present (anvaya) and what is absent when something is removed (vyatireka), thereby recognizing the ever-present Reality behind all changing phenomena.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while instructing him on the essential inquiry—real knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
Regularly examine what remains constant amid changing experiences—consciousness and the Lord’s presence—and align life with śravaṇa, kīrtana, and sādhana that deepen remembrance of the ever-present Supreme.