ŚB 12.4.20-21
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 ॥
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
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
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.