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
「プラダーナ」(pradhāna)と呼ばれる物質自然の未顕現の段階には、言葉の働きも、心も、マハットに始まる微細要素の顕れもなく、また善・激・暗の三グナも存在しない。そこにはプラーナもブッディもなく、感覚も諸天もなく、諸世界の定まった配列もない。夢・覚醒・熟睡という意識状態もなく、虚空・水・地・風・火・太陽もない。その境地は全き眠り、あるいは空のようで、言い表し難い。されど聖典に通じた賢者は、プラダーナが根源の質であるゆえに物質創造の基盤であると説く。
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.