यच्च किञ्चित् क्वचिद्वस्तु सदसद्वाखिलात्मिके। तस्य सर्वस्य या शक्तिः सा त्वं किं स्तूयसे तदा ॥ ११ ॥
yacca kiñcit kvacidvastu sadasadvākhilātmikē | tasya sarvasya yā śaktiḥ sā tvaṁ kiṁ stūyasē tadā || 11 ||
Translation
Whatever thing there is, anywhere, whether real or unreal, O Self of all, the power of all of it is you. How then can you be praised?
Word by word
- yat ca
- and whatever
- kiñcit
- anything
- kvacit
- anywhere
- vastu
- thing
- sat
- real
- asat
- unreal
- vā
- or
- akhilātmikē
- O Self of all
- tasya sarvasya
- of all of it
- yā śaktiḥ
- the power which
- sā tvam
- that is you
- kim
- how
- stūyasē
- are you praised
- tadā
- then
Meaning
Brahmā reaches the limit of praise. Every thing is held in being by her power, so to praise her with any name is to name only a part. The hymn turns from listing her forms to confessing that she cannot be fully praised.