Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 36
The Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Śruti-stuti) and the Indescribable Absolute
सत इदमुत्थितं सदिति चेन्ननु तर्कहतं व्यभिचरति क्व च क्व च मृषा न तथोभययुक् । व्यवहृतये विकल्प इषितोऽन्धपरम्परया भ्रमयति भारती त उरुवृत्तिभिरुक्थजडान् ॥ ३६ ॥
sata idaṁ utthitaṁ sad iti cen nanu tarka-hataṁ vyabhicarati kva ca kva ca mṛṣā na tathobhaya-yuk vyavahṛtaye vikalpa iṣito ’ndha-paramparayā bhramayati bhāratī ta uru-vṛttibhir uktha-jaḍān
It may be proposed that this world is permanently real because it is generated from the permanent reality, but such an argument is subject to logical refutation. Sometimes, indeed, the apparent nondifference of a cause and its effect fails to prove true, and at other times the product of something real is illusory. Furthermore, this world cannot be permanently real, for it partakes of the natures of not only the absolute reality but also the illusion disguising that reality. Actually, the visible forms of this world are just an imaginary arrangement resorted to by a succession of ignorant persons in order to facilitate their material affairs. With their various meanings and implications, the learned words of Your Vedas bewilder all persons whose minds have been dulled by hearing the incantations of sacrificial rituals.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the Upaniṣads teach that this created world is real but temporary. This is the understanding that devotees of Lord Viṣṇu adhere to. But there are also materialistic philosophers, like the proponents of Jaimini Ṛṣi’s Karma mīmāṁsā, who claim that this world is the only reality and exists eternally. For Jaimini, the cycle of karmic action and reaction is perpetual, with no possibility of liberation into a different, transcendental realm. This viewpoint, however, is shown to be fallacious by a careful examination of the Upaniṣadic mantras, which contain many descriptions of a higher, spiritual existence. For example, sad eva saumyedam agra āsīd ekam evādvitīyam: “My dear boy, the Absolute Truth alone existed prior to this creation, one without a second.” ( Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1) Also, vijñānam ānandaṁ brahma: “The supreme reality is divine knowledge and bliss.” ( Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.9.34)
FAQs
This verse cautions that claiming the world is simply “real because it comes from sat” is defeated by reasoning, since the world shows inconsistency and falsity in various ways; the Vedas use conceptual distinctions for practical dealings, but ultimate truth is realized beyond mere verbal argument.
They warn that logic divorced from realization and endless verbal elaboration can create confusion, especially when passed down as a ‘blind succession’; the purpose of śruti is to guide one toward direct understanding of the Supreme, not to entangle one in dry debate.
Use scriptures and reasoning as tools for devotion and clarity, but avoid getting trapped in endless arguments; prioritize sincere sādhana—hearing, chanting, and contemplation—so knowledge becomes realized and transformative rather than merely intellectual.