Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 20
Brahmā’s Day, the Four Pralayas, and the Supreme Shelter Beyond Cause–Effect
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 ॥
na yatra vāco na mano na sattvaṁ tamo rajo vā mahad-ādayo ’mī na prāṇa-buddhīndriya-devatā vā na sanniveśaḥ khalu loka-kalpaḥ
Dans l’état non manifesté de la nature matérielle, appelé pradhāna, il n’y a ni parole, ni mental, ni manifestation des éléments subtils à partir du mahat; et les guṇa — bonté, passion et ignorance — n’y sont pas. Là, il n’y a ni prāṇa ni intelligence, ni sens ni demi-dieux; aucun agencement défini des mondes n’existe. Les états de rêve, de veille et de sommeil profond n’y sont pas présents; il n’y a ni éther, ni eau, ni terre, ni air, ni feu, ni soleil. Cette condition ressemble à un sommeil total ou au vide, et demeure indicible; pourtant les sages enseignent que, parce qu’il est la substance originelle, le pradhāna est le fondement de la création matérielle.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme reality is beyond sattva, rajas, and tamas, and even beyond the subtle and gross categories of material creation—mind, speech, senses, and cosmic elements.
To show Parīkṣit Mahārāja that the ultimate goal is transcendental—distinct from the temporary cosmic manifestation—and thus worthy of exclusive remembrance and devotion at life’s end.
It encourages detachment from purely material identities and anxieties, and motivates steady sādhana—hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord—aimed at the transcendental goal beyond the mind’s fluctuations.