Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 85
Bhakti-Śraddhā-Ācāra-Māhātmya and the Commencement of the Mārkaṇḍeya Narrative
वेदान्तवेद्यं पुरुषं पुराणं हिरण्यगर्भादिजगत्स्वरुपम् । अनूपमं भक्ति जनानुकम्पिनं भजामि सर्वेश्वरमादिमीड्यम् ॥ ८५ ॥
vedāntavedyaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇaṃ hiraṇyagarbhādijagatsvarupam | anūpamaṃ bhakti janānukampinaṃ bhajāmi sarveśvaramādimīḍyam || 85 ||
വേദാന്തംകൊണ്ട് അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന പുരാതന പുരുഷൻ, ഹിരണ്യഗർഭാദി ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന സമസ്ത ജഗത്തും സ്വരൂപമായവൻ; അനുപമൻ, ഭക്തജനങ്ങളോടു കരുണയുള്ളവൻ—ആ ആദി സ്തുത്യ സർവേശ്വരനെ ഞാൻ ഭജിക്കുന്നു।
Narada (in a devotional hymn within the teaching narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme Lord as the Vedānta-known Purusha—both transcendent and immanent as the cosmos—and emphasizes that His defining grace is compassion toward devotees, making devotion a direct means to liberation.
By highlighting the Lord as “bhakti-janānukampin” (merciful to devotees), it frames bhakti not merely as ritual performance but as a relationship of surrender and worship to the incomparable Lord who responds with grace.
The verse points to Vedānta (Upaniṣadic inquiry) as the pramāṇa for knowing the Supreme; it is more philosophical than technical, so it does not directly teach a Vedāṅga practice like Śikṣā or Jyotiṣa, but it anchors devotion in scriptural authority.