Shloka 2
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and the Lord’s Unlimited Incarnations
श्रीद्रुमिल उवाच यो वा अनन्तस्य गुणाननन्ता- ननुक्रमिष्यन् स तु बालबुद्धि: । रजांसि भूमेर्गणयेत् कथञ्चित् कालेन नैवाखिलशक्तिधाम्न: ॥ २ ॥
śrī-drumila uvāca yo vā anantasya guṇān anantān anukramiṣyan sa tu bāla-buddhiḥ rajāṁsi bhūmer gaṇayet kathañcit kālena naivākhila-śakti-dhāmnaḥ
ശ്രീ ദ്രുമിലൻ പറഞ്ഞു: അനന്തനായ പരമേശ്വരന്റെ അനന്ത ഗുണങ്ങളെ പൂർണ്ണമായി എണ്ണുകയോ വിവരിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്യാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്നവന്റെ ബുദ്ധി ബാലബുദ്ധിയാണ്. മഹാപ്രതിഭയും ഏറെകാലം പരിശ്രമിച്ച് ഭൂമിയിലെ ധൂളികണങ്ങൾ എണ്ണിയാലും, സർവ്വശക്തികളുടെ നിധിയായ ഭഗവാന്റെ മനോഹരഗുണങ്ങൾ എണ്ണാൻ കഴിയില്ല.
In reply to King Nimi’s request that the nava-yogendras describe all the qualities and pastimes of the Lord, Śrī Drumila here explains that only the most foolish person would even attempt such a comprehensive description of the unlimited qualities and pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. Such foolish, childish persons, however, are far more advanced than ignorant materialistic scientists who actually try to describe all knowledge without even referring to the Personality of Godhead. In other words, although it is impossible to describe the Lord fully, foolish atheistic scientists attempt to describe all knowledge without even having reached the most preliminary knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. Such atheistic persons should be understood to be shortsighted and of very weak intelligence, despite their showy material achievements, which ultimately end in great suffering and destruction. It is said that Lord Anantadeva Himself, with His innumerable tongues, cannot even begin to vibrate completely the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The example given in this verse is very nice. No human being can hope to count the number of particles on the surface of the earth; therefore no one should foolishly try to understand the Supreme Lord by his own tiny endeavor. One should submissively hear knowledge of God as it is spoken by God Himself in Bhagavad-gītā, and thus one should gradually be elevated to the stage of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by tasting a drop of seawater one can get a general idea of the flavor of the entire ocean. Similarly, by submissively hearing about the Personality of Godhead one can acquire a qualitative understanding of the Absolute Truth, although quantitatively one’s knowledge can never be complete.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord’s qualities are truly infinite; attempting to fully enumerate them is compared to childishness, since even counting the earth’s dust might be possible over time, but not the glories of the all-powerful Lord.
Because the Lord is Ananta—unlimited—and the source and container of all energies; any finite attempt to catalog His attributes cannot reach completion.
Cultivate humility in spiritual study: rather than trying to “finish” God intellectually, focus on sincere hearing, chanting, and gratitude for the Lord’s immeasurable greatness.