Shloka 19
वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च
Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation
अव्यक्तं कारणं यत् तत् प्रधानम् ऋषिसत्तमैः प्रोच्यते प्रकृतिः सूक्ष्मा नित्या सदसदात्मिका
avyaktaṃ kāraṇaṃ yat tat pradhānam ṛṣisattamaiḥ procyate prakṛtiḥ sūkṣmā nityā sadasadātmikā
That causal principle which is unmanifest is declared by the best of sages to be Pradhāna—subtle, eternal Prakṛti, whose nature partakes of both being and non-being.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Definition of the unmanifest causal principle (avyakta kāraṇa) called pradhāna/prakṛti
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: Pradhāna, the unmanifest cause, is subtle prakṛti—beginningless in function and described as sadasadātmikā, poised between potential being and non-being prior to manifestation.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Recognize that much of experience arises from unperceived causes (saṃskāra, tendencies); cultivate discernment and steadiness rather than reacting only to surface events.
Vishishtadvaita: Prakṛti is real as a dependent mode (śeṣa) of the Lord—subtle and eternal in its causal state, yet never independent of Vishnu’s sovereignty.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse defines the unmanifest causal ground as Pradhāna/Prakṛti—subtle and eternal—out of which manifested creation proceeds under the higher governance of the Supreme.
He equates the unmanifest cause (avyakta kāraṇa) with Pradhāna, calling it subtle Prakṛti, and characterizes it as sadasadātmikā—capable of appearing as manifest effects while also remaining unmanifest in its causal state.
Even when Prakṛti is described as the material cause, Vaishnava teaching frames it as dependent; the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) remains the ultimate sovereign principle by whose will and order creation unfolds.