Bhakti-Śraddhā-Ācāra-Māhātmya and the Commencement of the Mārkaṇḍeya Narrative
नमो ज्येष्टाय शुद्धाय निर्गुणाय गुणात्मने । अरुपाय स्वरुपाय बहुरुपाय ते नमः ॥ ६० ॥
namo jyeṣṭāya śuddhāya nirguṇāya guṇātmane | arupāya svarupāya bahurupāya te namaḥ || 60 ||
Sembah sujud kepada-Mu—Yang Paling Purba dan Yang Suci; melampaui segala guṇa namun menjadi inti dalam guṇa. Tanpa rupa namun berwujud hakiki; satu namun menampakkan banyak rupa—sembah sujud kepada-Mu.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
It reconciles the Lord’s transcendence (nirguṇa, arūpa) with His immanence and worship-worthy manifestation (guṇātmā, bahurūpa), teaching that the same Supreme is both beyond attributes and present through all forms.
By offering repeated salutations to the One who can be approached as formless truth or as many divine forms, the verse validates multiple bhakti approaches—meditation on the nirguṇa Brahman and loving worship of the saguna Lord.
The verse mainly functions as a stuti (hymn) rather than a technical Vedanga lesson; its practical takeaway is disciplined japa and contemplative worship using precise epithets (nāma/guṇa-smaraṇa) to steady the mind on the Supreme.