Shloka 37
The Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Śruti-stuti) and the Indescribable Absolute
न यदिदमग्र आस न भविष्यदतो निधना- दनुमितमन्तरा त्वयि विभाति मृषैकरसे । अत उपमीयते द्रविणजातिविकल्पपथै- र्वितथमनोविलासमृतमित्यवयन्त्यबुधा: ॥ ३७ ॥
na yad idam agra āsa na bhaviṣyad ato nidhanād anu mitam antarā tvayi vibhāti mṛṣaika-rase ata upamīyate draviṇa-jāti-vikalpa-pathair vitatha-mano-vilāsam ṛtam ity avayanty abudhāḥ
Since this universe did not exist before creation and will not exist after annihilation, we know that in the interval it is only an imagined appearance, seeming to shine within You, whose spiritual bliss is ever one and unchanging. It is compared to material substances taking on varied forms; those who deem this mental fabrication to be solidly real are of lesser intelligence.
Having thus defeated all attempts of the ritualists to prove the substantial reality of material creation, the personified Vedas now present positive evidence to the contrary — that this world is unreal in that it is temporary. Before the creation of the universe and after its dissolution, only the spiritual reality of the Supreme Lord, along with His abode and entourage, continue to exist. The śrutis confirm this: Ātmā va idam eka evāgra āsīt. “Prior to the creation of this universe, only the Self existed.” ( Aitareya Upaniṣad 1.1) Nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt tadānīm: “At that time neither the subtle nor the gross aspects of matter were present.” ( Ṛg Veda 10.129.1)
FAQs
This verse says that what does not exist before creation and does not remain after destruction is only a temporary appearance in between; apart from the Lord’s one Reality, it is a false display.
They highlight how ignorance makes people define reality through material categories (possessions, social identity, species), mistaking the mind’s constructions as ultimate truth instead of seeing the Lord as the underlying Reality.
Use it to reduce over-identification with status, money, and labels, and redirect attention to lasting spiritual practice—remembering and serving the Lord as the stable foundation behind changing circumstances.