Shloka 31
The Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Śruti-stuti) and the Indescribable Absolute
न घटत उद्भव: प्रकृतिपूरुषयोरजयो- रुभययुजा भवन्त्यसुभृतो जलबुद्बुदवत् । त्वयि त इमे ततो विविधनामगुणै: परमे सरित इवार्णवे मधुनि लिल्युरशेषरसा: ॥ ३१ ॥
na ghaṭata udbhavaḥ prakṛti-pūruṣayor ajayor ubhaya-yujā bhavanty asu-bhṛto jala-budbuda-vat tvayi ta ime tato vividha-nāma-guṇaiḥ parame sarita ivārṇave madhuni lilyur aśeṣa-rasāḥ
Neither material nature nor the soul who seeks to enjoy her is ever born, yet living bodies arise when the two combine, like bubbles where water meets air. And just as rivers merge into the ocean, or the sweet nectar of many flowers blends into honey, so all these conditioned beings, along with their various names and qualities, ultimately merge back into You, the Supreme.
Without proper spiritual guidance, one may misunderstand the Vedas’ description of the living entities emanating from the Lord to mean that they have come into being in this process and will eventually pass again into nonexistence. But if the living entities were to thus have only temporary existence, then when one of them would die his remaining karma would simply vanish without being used up, and when a soul would be born he would appear with unaccountable karma he had done nothing to earn. Furthermore, a living being’s liberation would amount to the total eradication of his identity and being.
FAQs
This verse says that prakṛti (material nature) and puruṣa are ultimately “unborn,” and that the appearance of living beings comes from their conjunction only as a temporary manifestation, not as an absolute new creation.
The personified Vedas are speaking, glorifying the Supreme Lord to reveal that all names, qualities, and manifested beings arise from Him and ultimately return to Him.
It encourages humility and spiritual focus: identities and achievements are temporary, so one should cultivate devotion and self-knowledge, aiming to align one’s life with the Supreme source rather than clinging to fleeting separateness.