Shloka 52
Kapālamocana-tīrtha (Auśanasa) and Balarāma’s Sarasvatī Pilgrimage
देवैरपि न शक््यस्त्वं परिज्ञातुं कुतो मया । त्वयि सर्वे सम दृश्यन्ते भावा ये जगति स्थिता:,“सम्पूर्ण देवता भी आपको यथार्थरूपसे नहीं जान सकते, फिर मैं कैसे जान सकूँगा? संसारमें जो-जो पदार्थ स्थित हैं, वे सब आपमें देखे जाते हैं
devair api na śakyas tvaṃ parijñātuṃ kuto mayā | tvayi sarve sama dṛśyante bhāvā ye jagati sthitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Even the gods are unable to know you as you truly are—how then could I? In you are seen, as though on an equal plane, all the states and entities that exist in the world. The verse underscores the ethical humility of the speaker and the Mahābhārata’s recurring vision of an all-encompassing reality that exceeds ordinary (even divine) comprehension.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches epistemic humility: ultimate reality (addressed as “you”) cannot be fully comprehended even by the gods, so a human speaker should acknowledge limits of knowledge. It also conveys an all-encompassing vision in which all worldly entities and states are contained within that supreme principle/person.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, voices reverent astonishment toward a transcendent figure, declaring that complete understanding is impossible and that all phenomena of the world are perceived as present within that being. The statement functions as a devotional and philosophical affirmation within the unfolding events of Śalya Parva.