Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 12 - Chapter 1 - Verse 49

Sanskrit:

यद्दर्शनं निगम आत्मरह:प्रकाशंमुह्यन्ति यत्र कवयोऽजपरा यतन्त: ।तं सर्ववादविषयप्रतिरूपशीलंवन्दे महापुरुषमात्मनिगूढबोधम् ॥ ४९ ॥

ITRANS:

yad-darśanaṁ nigama ātma-rahaḥ-prakāśaṁmuhyanti yatra kavayo ’ja-parā yatantaḥtaṁ sarva-vāda-viṣaya-pratirūpa-śīlaṁvande mahā-puruṣam ātma-nigūḍha-bodham

Translation:

My dear Lord, the Vedic literatures alone reveal confidential knowledge of Your supreme personality, and thus even such great scholars as Lord Brahmā himself are bewildered in their attempt to understand You through empirical methods. Each philosopher understands You according to his particular speculative conclusions. I worship that Supreme Person, knowledge of whom is hidden by the bodily designations covering the conditioned soul’s spiritual identity.

Purport:

Even great demigods like Brahmā are bewildered in their speculative attempts to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Each philosopher is covered by a unique combination of the modes of nature and thus describes the Supreme Truth according to his own material conditioning. Therefore even strenuous empirical endeavor will never bring one to the conclusion of all knowledge. The highest knowledge is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one can understand Him only by fully surrendering to Him and serving Him with love. This is why Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi states here, vande mahā-puruṣam: “I simply worship that Supreme Personality.” Those who try to worship God but at the same time continue speculating or acting fruitively will attain only mixed and bewildering results. To be pure a devotee must give up all fruitive activity and mental speculation; in that way his loving service to the Lord will yield perfect knowledge of the Supreme. Only this perfection can satisfy the eternal soul.