Shloka 38
Acyuta/Vāsudeva Stotra: Avatāra-Salutations, Ritual Totality, Forgiveness Prayer, and Phalaśruti
नाथयन्ते परं ब्रह्म दैवेरपि दुरासदम् / कस्तञ्जानाति विमलं योगगम्यमतीन्द्रियम्
nāthayante paraṃ brahma daiverapi durāsadam / kastañjānāti vimalaṃ yogagamyamatīndriyam
नाथयन्ते परं ब्रह्म दैवैरपि दुरासदम्। कस्तञ्जानाति विमलं योगगम्यमतीन्द्रियम्॥
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue to Garuda/Vinata-putra, teaching Brahman-knowledge as the highest refuge)
Concept: Para Brahman is ati-indriya (beyond senses), vimala (stainless), and yoga-gamya (attainable through disciplined realization), not merely by status or intellect.
Vedantic Theme: Apophatic emphasis (neti-neti spirit) and the necessity of sādhana; Brahman’s transcendence over deva-loka and pramāṇa limits.
Application: Adopt steady yoga/meditation and ethical purification; replace spiritual pride with humility; seek direct realization rather than secondhand certainty.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (general): teachings on yoga, devotion, and the difficulty of knowing the Supreme without sādhana
FAQs
This verse places Brahman as the highest refuge—so subtle that even gods find it hard to reach—implying liberation depends on direct spiritual realization, not merely worldly power or status.
It indicates the soul’s ultimate goal is the atīndriya (beyond-sense) Reality, approached through yoga; the journey culminates not in celestial attainment but in purity and direct knowing of Brahman.
Prioritize inner discipline—ethical living, meditation, and sense-restraint—so spiritual practice becomes a means to clarity (vimala) rather than only external achievement.