SB 12.4.21 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

न यत्र वाचो न मनो न सत्त्वं तमो रजो वा महदादयोऽमी । न प्राणबुद्धीन्द्रियदेवता वा न सन्निवेश: खलु लोककल्प: ॥ २० ॥ न स्वप्नजाग्रन्न च तत् सुषुप्तं न खं जलं भूरनिलोऽग्निरर्क: । संसुप्तवच्छून्यवदप्रतर्क्यं तन्मूलभूतं पदमामनन्ति ॥ २१ ॥

Verse text

na yatra vāco na mano na sattvaṁ tamo rajo vā mahad-ādayo ’mī na prāṇa-buddhīndriya-devatā vā na sanniveśaḥ khalu loka-kalpaḥ na svapna-jāgran na ca tat suṣuptaṁ na khaṁ jalaṁ bhūr anilo ’gnir arkaḥ saṁsupta-vac chūnya-vad apratarkyaṁ tan mūla-bhūtaṁ padam āmananti

Synonyms

na — not ; yatra — wherein ; vācaḥ — speech ; na — not ; manaḥ — the mind ; na — not ; sattvam — the mode of goodness ; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance ; rajaḥ — the mode of passion ; vā — or ; mahat — the mahat-tattva ; ādayaḥ — and so on ; amī — these elements ; na — not ; prāṇa — the vital air ; buddhi — intelligence ; indriya — the senses ; devatāḥ — and the controlling demigods ; vā — or ; na — not ; sanniveśaḥ — the particular construction ; khalu — indeed ; loka — kalpaḥ — of the arrangement of the planetary systems ; na — not ; svapna — sleep ; jāgrat — waking condition ; na — not ; ca — and ; tat — that ; suṣuptam — deep sleep ; na — not ; kham — ether ; jalam — water ; bhūḥ — earth ; anilaḥ — air ; agniḥ — fire ; arkaḥ — the sun ; saṁsupta — vat — like one who is fast asleep ; śūnya — vat — like a void ; apratarkyam — inaccessible to logic ; tat — that pradhāna ; mūla — bhūtam — serving as the basis ; padam — the substance ; āmananti — great authorities say .

Translation

In the unmanifest stage of material nature, called pradhāna, there is no expression of words, no mind and no manifestation of the subtle elements beginning from the mahat, nor are there the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. There is no life air or intelligence, nor any senses or demigods. There is no definite arrangement of planetary systems, nor are there present the different stages of consciousness — sleep, wakefulness and deep sleep. There is no ether, water, earth, air, fire or sun. The situation is just like that of complete sleep, or of voidness. Indeed, it is indescribable. Authorities in spiritual science explain, however, that since pradhāna is the original substance, it is the actual basis of material creation.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In pradhāna, there is no expression of words, no mind and no manifestation of the subtle elements beginning from the mahat-tattva, nor are there the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. There is no life air or intelligence, nor any senses or devatās. There is no arrangement of planetary systems, nor are there present the different stages of consciousness—sleep, wakefulness and deep sleep. There is no ether, water, earth, air, fire or sun. The situation is just like that of complete sleep or of voidness. It is indescribable. Authorities in spiritual science explain, however, that since pradhāna is the original substance, it is the basis of material creation. Two verses explain how prakṛti has no transformations like objects we perceive with passion and other qualities. Loka-kalpaḥ means that there is no construction of planets.