Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 5
Sṛṣṭi-varṇana, Bhārata-khaṇḍa-mahātmya, and Jagad-bhūgola
Creation, Glory of Bhārata, and World Geography
पालनायास्य जगतो वामाङ्गाद्विष्णुमव्ययम् । तमादिदेवमजरं केचिदाहुः शिवाभिधम् । केचिद्विष्णुं सदा सत्यं ब्रह्माणं केचिदूचिरे ॥ ५ ॥
pālanāyāsya jagato vāmāṅgādviṣṇumavyayam | tamādidevamajaraṃ kecidāhuḥ śivābhidham | kecidviṣṇuṃ sadā satyaṃ brahmāṇaṃ kecidūcire || 5 ||
Untuk memelihara alam semesta ini, dari sisi kiri (vāmāṅga)-Nya terzahir Viṣṇu yang tidak binasa. Tuhan asal yang tidak menua itu—ada yang menamakan-Nya “Śiva”; ada yang menyatakan-Nya Viṣṇu, Yang Maha Benar selama-lamanya; dan ada pula yang menyebut-Nya Brahmā.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It asserts one primordial, ageless Supreme Reality that is described by different names—Śiva, Viṣṇu, or Brahmā—showing that sectarian labels point to the same ultimate Lord.
By affirming the one Lord behind multiple divine forms, it legitimizes focused devotion to one chosen form (such as Viṣṇu) while maintaining reverence for other names as expressions of the same Supreme.
Primarily nirukta-style interpretive insight: understanding divine epithets (Śiva/Viṣṇu/Brahmā) as functional names for one reality rather than mutually exclusive gods; no specific ritual or technical Vedāṅga procedure is taught in this verse.