Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 76
Mārkaṇḍeya-varṇanam
The Description of Mārkaṇḍeya
एते भागवता विप्र केचिदत्र प्रकीर्तिताः । मयाऽपि गदितुं शक्या नाब्दकोटिशतैरपि ॥ ७६ ॥
ete bhāgavatā vipra kecidatra prakīrtitāḥ | mayā'pi gadituṃ śakyā nābdakoṭiśatairapi || 76 ||
ഹേ വിപ്രാ! ഇവിടെ അത്തരം ഭാഗവതഭക്തന്മാരിൽ ചിലരെ മാത്രമേ പ്രസ്താവിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളൂ; അവരെ മുഴുവനായി പറയാൻ എനിക്കുപോലും കഴിയില്ല—കോടിക്കണക്കിന് വർഷങ്ങളിലുമല്ല.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that the greatness and number of true Bhagavatas (devotees of Bhagavān) are beyond enumeration, emphasizing humility and the limitless scope of bhakti.
By stating that even Narada cannot fully narrate the devotees, it implies bhakti is vast, living, and continuously manifest through countless exemplars—encouraging reverence for devotees and commitment to devotion.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Śikṣā) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is the Purāṇic method of compressing vast sacred histories and acknowledging their inexhaustibility.