Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Sṛṣṭi-varṇana, Bhārata-khaṇḍa-mahātmya, and Jagad-bhūgola
Creation, Glory of Bhārata, and World Geography
ब्राह्मीति विद्याविद्येति मायेति च तथा परे । प्रकृतिश्च परा चेति वदन्ति परमर्षस्यः ॥ १५ ॥
brāhmīti vidyāvidyeti māyeti ca tathā pare | prakṛtiśca parā ceti vadanti paramarṣasyaḥ || 15 ||
Ada yang memanggil-Nya “Brāhmī”; yang lain menyebut-Nya “pengetahuan dan ketidaktahuan”; dan ada pula yang menyebut-Nya “Māyā”. Para resi agung juga menghuraikan-Nya sebagai “Prakṛti” dan sebagai “kuasa yang lebih tinggi (Parā)”.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, consistent with the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It explains that the one supreme power is described by sages through multiple doctrinal lenses—Brāhmī, Māyā, Vidyā/Avidyā, and (Parā) Prakṛti—showing how the same reality accounts for both liberation-giving knowledge and bondage-causing delusion.
By identifying Māyā/Prakṛti as a power that can bind (avidyā) or reveal (vidyā), the verse supports the Bhakti insight that surrender to the Supreme aligns one with vidyā—seeing the world as the Lord’s energy rather than as independent reality.
Primarily Vyākaraṇa/semantic precision: the verse models how different technical terms (māyā, prakṛti, parā, vidyā/avidyā) are used as interpretive categories to explain one principle—useful for correct doctrinal understanding and teaching.