Shloka 16

Nārada’s Questions and Brahmā’s Reply: Vāsudeva as the Source; Sarga–Visarga; Virāṭ-rūpa Mapping

Devanagari script

नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तप: । नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गति: ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

nārāyaṇa-paro yogo nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ

Translation

ယောဂသည် နာရာယဏကို ဦးတည်သည်၊ တပဿလည်း နာရာယဏကို ရည်ရွယ်သည်။ ဉာဏ်သည် နာရာယဏကို မြင်သိရန်ဖြစ်ပြီး၊ အဆုံးစွန်သော ဂတိမှာ နာရာယဏ၏ ဓာမသို့ ဝင်ရောက်ခြင်းဖြစ်သည်။

Synonyms

• नारायण-परः: centered on Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-परः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with ‘योगः’

• योगः: yoga
• योगः: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• नारायण-परम्: centered on Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-परम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with ‘तपः’

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• नारायण-परम्: centered on Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-परम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with ‘ज्ञानम्’

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• नारायण-पराः: centered on Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-पराः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with ‘गतिः’

• गतिः: goal/destination
• गतिः: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Purport

In meditation, there are two systems of yoga, namely aṣṭāṅga-yoga and sāṅkhya-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga is practice in concentrating the mind, releasing oneself from all engagements by the regulative processes of meditation, concentration, sitting postures, blocking the movements of the internal circulation of air, etc. Sāṅkhya-yoga is meant to distinguish the truth from ephemerals. But ultimately both systems are meant for realizing the impersonal Brahman, which is but a partial representation of Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead. As we have explained before, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is only a part of the Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is situated on the person of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, as such, Brahman is the glorification of the Personality of the Godhead. This is confirmed both in the Bhagavad-gītā and in the Matsya Purāṇa. Gati refers to the ultimate destination, or the last word in liberation. Oneness with the impersonal brahmajyoti is not ultimate liberation; superior to that is the sublime association of the Personality of Godhead in one of the innumerable spiritual planets in the Vaikuṇṭha sky. Therefore the conclusion is that Nārāyaṇa, or the Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate destination for all kinds of yoga systems as well as all kinds of liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say is the real purpose of yoga?

This verse states that yoga is meant to culminate in Nārāyaṇa—making the Supreme Lord the central aim rather than mere powers or mental peace.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī emphasize Nārāyaṇa as the goal of knowledge and austerity?

In his instruction to King Parīkṣit, Śukadeva clarifies that all spiritual paths—yoga, tapas, and jñāna—are fulfilled only when they lead to devotion and surrender to Nārāyaṇa.

How can I apply 'Nārāyaṇa is the goal' in modern life?

Align daily practices—meditation, discipline, study, and work—by offering their results to the Lord, keeping remembrance of Nārāyaṇa as the purpose behind self-improvement.