Shloka 36
Dharma, Purity, and the Inner Purpose of the Vedas
Karma-kāṇḍa Reoriented to Bhakti
शब्दब्रह्म सुदुर्बोधं प्राणेन्द्रियमनोमयम् । अनन्तपारं गम्भीरं दुर्विगाह्यं समुद्रवत् ॥ ३६ ॥
śabda-brahma su-durbodhaṁ prāṇendriya-mano-mayam ananta-pāraṁ gambhīraṁ durvigāhyaṁ samudra-vat
शब्दब्रह्म सुदुर्बोधं प्राणेन्द्रियमनोमयम्। अनन्तपारं गम्भीरं दुर्विगाह्यं समुद्रवत्॥
According to Vedic knowledge, the Vedic sound is divided into four phases, which can be understood only by the most intelligent brāhmaṇas. This is because three of the divisions are internally situated within the living entity and only the fourth division is externally manifested, as speech. Even this fourth phase of Vedic sound, called vaikharī, is very difficult to understand for ordinary human beings. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains these divisions as follows. The prāṇa phase of Vedic sound, known as parā, is situated in the ādhāra-cakra; the mental phase, known as paśyantī, is situated in the area of the navel, on the maṇipūraka-cakra; the intellectual phase, known as madhyamā, is situated in the heart area, in the anāhata-cakra. Finally, the manifest sensory phase of Vedic sound is called vaikharī.
FAQs
This verse states that śabda-brahma is extremely hard to comprehend because it is entangled with the functioning of prāṇa (life-air), the senses, and the mind, and it is vast and deep like an ocean.
In His instruction to Uddhava, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes that mere intellectual or sensory engagement cannot easily penetrate Vedic truth; without proper realization and guidance, the Vedas appear limitless and unfathomable.
Approach scripture with humility, disciplined senses, and steady mind—seeking realized guidance and practicing devotion—rather than relying only on argument or information, since spiritual sound is deeper than mental analysis.